By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

Every day is May Day for Aomi and Dick Wheeler of Moloka'i.

The largest suppliers of plumerias in Hawai'i, the Wheelers live in the glorious midst of a 10-acre farm that produces more than 100,000 new blossoms a day during the peak growing season.

Christy Tiqui, supervisor at Leis by Ron in Mapunapuna, pours out thousands of plumeria blossoms from Moloka'i. The once-ubiquitous lei flower may be staging a comeback, thanks in part to off-island interest. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Needless to say, this is a busy time of year.

"We're hoppin'," said Aomi Wheeler, who does most of the lei stringing along with her adult daughter, Nicoya, who lives on the farm with her husband and three sons.

Originally from Malibu, Calif., the Wheelers moved to the Midwest to become commercial beekeepers before migrating to Hawai'i 22 years ago. They eventually landed a job overseeing the former beekeeping operations at Moloka'i Ranch.

Dick Wheeler, who was always intrigued with the idea of running an orchard, soon began eyeing a Moloka'i property with a few hundred plumeria trees, then found money to buy the place. Over the years, the Wheelers kept adding trees and customers.

The working trees produce the fragrant and hardy celedine variety known as Hawaiian yellow.

A demonstration area showcases other types of plumeria.

The farm offers tours where visitors learn all they need to know about the flower, from garden care to picking, from sewing a lei to preserving it. Visitors leave with their own needle and lei.

Over the years, the Wheelers raised their two children in the kind of rural setting they always dreamed about.

"We're from the '60s," said Aomi Wheeler, who is in her early 50s. "We're professional flower children. We never got into this to make money."

That's good, because the plumeria — the lei of choice throughout much of the 20th century, when the sweet-smelling blooms dominated Boat Days at island harbors and festooned school May Day programs — had fallen out of favor. To many, the common plumeria lei simply wasn't stylish enough.

Kids play in a pile of blossoms at Aomi and Dick Wheeler's Moloka'i Plumerias farm near Kaunakakai, which produces more than 100,000 flowers daily during peak production. Courtesy Wheeler's Moloka'i Plumerias

"I had $500-a-day customers that went to zero," Dick Wheeler said. Business wilted by 65 percent.

But a recent surge in plumeria interest outside of Hawai'i has perked up business.

Plumeria societies have been formed on the Mainland and in Australia, where the flower is known as frangipani. Internet message boards and chat lists testify to the growing number of plumeria fans worldwide, with trees being marketed even on home shopping channels.

The South Coast Plumeria Society was formed in the San Diego area three years ago by seven people. It now has 250 members, a newsletter, monthly meetings, lectures and annual plumeria sales.

"We were doubling attendance every meeting," said Carl Herzog, society president. "We got a little scared. We thought, 'What have we started here?' "

During winter, when blooms are scarce in California, Herzog orders plumerias from Moloka'i Plumerias for special society events. "They're in good shape, arrive when they are supposed to, and they're reasonable in cost," he said.

Former islanders also are big customers. "We have aunties on the Mainland who break into tears when they receive their flowers," Dick Wheeler said.

While Mainland sales are blossoming, the local market remains relatively slow. But that could change. Plumerias are starting to appear more regularly again around the necks of hula dancers.

The top dance troupe at the recent Merrie Monarch Festival, Hula Halau 'O Kamuela, wore plumeria in their modern hula performance.

The Wheelers could use the extra income, but they say their lifestyle is most important to them.

"What an ideal situation we're in," Aomi Wheeler said. "Who wouldn't want to live in a place like this? We're surrounded by flowers!"