Kihei's Buddy Igarta trims flowering plants in his Noe Street garden Monday morning. Igarta and his wife, Diana, once farmed 21 acres of leased Kihei land, growing produce such as bitter melon, okra, long beans, squash and string beans. Although battling emphysema, Igarta still works to maintain the ornate garden that took him seven years to design and construct. He says the centerpiece of the garden, a cow skull sitting atop a rock, was added by his son. "Kids stole it one time, but my wife, she looked around and she found 'em," he said. Igarta pauses to catch his breath often, and says his disease makes it hard to exercise. "You can't use the oxygen all the time, or you'll be dependent on it," he said.
