An Oasis of greenery among the high rise of Downtown Honolulu —Foster Botanical Garden
fall at foster botanical garden
Foster Botanical
Garden is the oldest of the five botanical garden in Oahu, Hawaii operated by City
and County of Honolulu. Located just a few blocks away from Honolulu’s business
district, it is an oasis among the high rise of Downtown Honolulu.
It is spread
across 14 acres and houses one of the nation’s largest collections of tropical
plants—about 10,000 species in all, including rare and endangered varieties. It
is located at 50 North Vineyard Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96817.
The garden has six special areas of interests that attract tourists and
local residents alike. First is The Lyon
Orchid which displays a collection of Old and New World orchids species. Second is the oldest part of the garden
dating back to 1853 called as upper terrace
which has the Hillebrands house , followed by middle terrace which has the
maximum number of trees like Ginger, Palms and heliconia. This is followed by
economic terrace which displays various herbs,
spices, dyes, poisons and beverage plants used in Hawaii. The fifth is
pre-historic glen which carries many primitive and older plants from around the world.
Bread fruit tree
leaves of Bread Fruit tree
Silk Cotton tree
Nature's Cut work
a quiet time at the Garden
A greenhouse area on
the lower terrace sports a hybrid garden which houses orchids and the famous
Corpse plant. The amorphophallus titanium, also known as
corpse plant, is native to Sumatra, Indonesia, and blooms once
every two to five years. When it blooms, it emits an odor reminiscent
of limburger cheese. It last bloomed in June,2016. Please click on the link for full article on blooming of the corpse plant. http://sendingalohafromhawaii.blogspot.com/2016/05/witnessing-historic-and-rarest-event.html
Corpse Plant
Corpse Plant
Corpse plant Flower
Corpse Plant
Corpse Plant
The history of the garden dates back to 1853 when Queen Kalama leased land to William Hillebrand, a young
German doctor. A physician and an avid botanist, Hillebrand built a home
in the upper terrace of the garden and planted several trees that stand
majestic today. After 20 years in Hawaii, he returned back to Germany and
wrote his famous and exhaustive book flora of the Hawaiian islands.[1]
book
written by Hillebrand,courtesy Google books
On his return to Germany the garden was purchased by Nova Scotian Thomas Foster
(a shipbuilder) and his partially native Hawaiian wife Mary. After her death
Mary left the Garden to city of Honolulu.
Among its rarest specimens are the Hawaiian loulu palm
and the East AfricanGigasiphon macrosiphon, both thought to be
extinct in the wild. Oddities include the cannonball tree, the
sausage tree and the double coconut palm capable of producing a 50lb nut.[2] Out
of 100 special and exceptional trees as declared by state of Oahu It houses 26
of them .
greenery at the garden
Greenery at the park
Flowering plant at the garden
Palm Flower
Kapok Tree
Fall
The garden also contains several memorials and sculptures:
A
small replica of the Daibutsu of Kamakura commemorates
100 years of Japanese immigration to Hawaii
A
memorial stone on the site of the first Japanese language school on Oahu, where an
anti-aircraft shell exploded into an auditorium full of children during
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
The
1977 abstract ceramic sculpture 'Sandwich Isle' by artist Bob Flint
As soon as you enter the garden, there is a small souvenir shop and a
ticket booth. A small information booth that hands you maps and brochures,
handy for learning more about the other city-run gardens is also located at the
entrance. Once you are inside than you have got a lot to choose regarding
where to begin exploring.
Beautiful color of fall leaves
The garden also hosts many special events like Foster Botanical Garden
Midsummer Night’s Gleam and Foster Botanical Garden Summer Twilight Series.
Hours: Open daily from
Admission:
General (13 years and older): $5
Kama'aina (Hawaii resident): $3
Children (ages 6-12): $1
Children age 5 and under: Free
Annual family pass: $25
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