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  • Ho‘omaika‘i Ho‘omaluhia On 40th Anniversary As A City Botanical Garden!

Ho‘omaika‘i Ho‘omaluhia on 40th Anniversary as a City botanical garden!


KĀNE‘OHE – The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is proud to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden with a series of events highlighting the City’s largest botanical garden and the staff who made this priceless parcel of tropical tranquility possible.


In July, the garden’s visitor center complex will be dedicated as the

Paul R. Weissich Education Center

at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden. Mr Weissich was the Honolulu Botanical Garden Director from 1957 to 1989, during which time he helped create the current Honolulu Botanical Garden (HBG) system with five locations.


“Mr. Weissich was a visionary landscape architect, prolific author, and passionate civic leader,” said current HBG Director Joshlyn Sand. “He truly conceived and championed Ho‘omaluhia from its inception. It is hard to imagine this garden would have come to fruition without his vision, skills, patience, tenacity, and sense of humor. This tribute to his unparalleled effort in service of these gardens is well-deserved to say the least.”


The newly dedicated education center will host two exhibits highlighting all five of the City’s botanical gardens from July through August. Visitors can view a photographic celebration of Ho‘omaluhia, Foster, Koko Crater, Lili‘uokalani, and Wahiawā botanical gardens in addition to a Hawaiian ethnobotanical exhibit honoring Olive L. Vanselow for her extraordinary 36 years of service as Ho‘omaluhia Programs Specialist.


Keiki are also invited to help celebrate this anniversary by taking part in the

Ho‘omaluhia Garden Critters Art Contest. This fun-spirited contest invites keiki to appreciate the role of garden critters (bees, frogs, butterflies, etc.) in our fragile environment using recycled and natural materials. To participate, keiki should contribute their three-dimensional artwork to the Ho‘omaluhia Visitor Center Office by July 20, 2022. The Friends of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens will sponsor awards for the five age groups with all entries on public display through August. For more information, please call (808) 233-7323, visit the Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden website, email hbg@honolulu.gov or click here for the contest flyer and fillable registration form.


On March 4, 1982, Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden opened to the public becoming the fifth and largest botanical garden in the HBG System. The garden contains the Kāne‘ohe-Kailua Dam and the Loko Waimaluhia reservoir designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide flood protection for Kāne‘ohe. DPR worked in collaboration with USACE to incorporate the garden concept and recreation opportunities into a truly visionary design. Today, this 400-acre garden receives 600,000 visitors annually with a near-even distribution between Hawai‘i residents and visitors. Ho‘omaluhia means to “

to make a place of peace and tranquility” in Hawaiian.


Ho‘omaluhia is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is only closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. For general information and the latest updates on all of your Honolulu Botanical Gardens please follow us on Instagram @honolulubotanicalgardens or visit the official website www.honolulubotanicalgardens.com
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