University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo celebrates National Public Garden Day with guided tours

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will celebrate National Public Garden Day with free guided tours at its campus botanical garden on Saturday, May 9, offering the public a closer look at tropical plant collections and conservation work.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the UH Hilo Botanical Garden and is part of National Public Gardens Week, observed May 8–17 across North America. To mark the occasion, the garden will host three themed tours highlighting different plant collections.

“Ancient Survivors: The Secret World of Cycads,” begins at 9 a.m. and explores a collection of prehistoric plants, focusing on the biology and global conservation of the Zamia genus.

“Living Galleries: The Art and Engineering of Bromeliads” begins at 10 a.m. and examines epiphytes and their water-trapping adaptations.

“Princes of the Tropics: A Journey Through the Palms,” the final tour, starts at 11 a.m. and features palm species including Pigafetta filaris, the Licuala genus and Hawaiʻi’s native loulu palms.

“The UH Hilo Botanical Garden is dedicated to plant conservation, research and education,” said Don Hemmes, founder of the garden that was established in 1990. “Featuring an impressive collection of cycads, bromeliads and palms, the garden serves as a valuable resource for the community and a contributor to global plant conservation initiatives.”

The botanical garden is home to more than 130 species of cycads, hybrid bromeliads and large palm specimens. It was recognized in December 2024 as an accredited garden by Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

The UH Hilo Botanical Garden is open daily with free admission year-round.