Beyond lessons in gardening, a stroll through Michael Kliks’ garden yields insight into history and sustainability. The coffee trees at his Manoa home are descendants of Chief Boki’s coffee trees planted in the neighborhood more than 180 years ago.

Boki, who served as governor of Oahu during the 19th century, bought the arabica coffee trees in Brazil on the voyage that returned the bodies of King Kame­ha­meha II and Queen Kama­malu, who died of measles during a trip to London.

The coffee tree seedlings he tends will be distributed in 3- to 5-gallon buckets during the 1,000-Tree Giveaway on April 6, hosted by Malama Manoa.

"It takes about five to seven years for them to fruit," Kliks said. From a landscaper’s perspective, "if you plant the coffee close together, it makes a good hedge," he said.

The 72-year-old has also prepared nearly a dozen of Kame­ha­meha’s coconut palms for distribution. King Kame­ha­meha I and his military chiefs had established a watch post for spotting enemies on the cliffs of the Lua­hine Pali above Kliks’ home in the late 18th century. The vantage of this cave allowed a view from Tantalus to Wai­anae, and the path to the cave was lined with coconut trees. The palms in Kliks’ garden are descendants of these trees.

Kliks and other members of Malama Manoa prepare and donate kukui nut, monkeypod, red and green ti leaf, mountain apple, plumeria, avocado, papaya and other plants for distribution at the giveaway. Arborists will be at the event to offer advice on the care and planting of the various flora.

Kliks also speaks passionately about processing coffee at his home and the life cycle of the honeybees he raises.

He harvests his own coffee and places the beans in a food processor with plastic blades to remove the husks; then he roasts them.

Kliks passion for honeybees is still apparent even though he recently sold the retail arm of Manoa Honey Co., the company he founded in 1989. He’s kept the pollination side of the business, Island Pollination Services, as his bees help to increase fruit yields and fruit quality in his garden.

Kliks, who has a doctorate in medical parasitology and entomology, began working with bees in 1979. He recently stepped down from his position as president of the Hawaii Beekeepers Association to allow the "young folks to learn" about legislation and things that need to be done to encourage beekeeping in the islands.

He houses an estimated 300,000 honeybees in six hives on his property that help pollinate his 20 fruit trees and the approximately 20,000 other trees in the Manoa neighborhood, he says.

In addition to coffee, he grows rose apples, lemons, limes, lychee, mangos, tangerines, starfruit, cacao, avocados and soursop on his property.

"All of these trees aren’t entirely dependent on pollination, but they do a lot better with pollination," he said. Flowering nectar plants frame his patio.

Kliks also grows varieties of basil, eggplant, tomatoes, rosemary and chili peppers. "The best part about gardening is eating the fruits grown and using them in your cooking," he said.

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CLARIFICATION: Malama Manoa will host a 1,000-tree giveaway from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at Manoa Valley District Park Pavilion.