National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Kauai

It is our last day in Kauai, which is kind of a bummer, but as much of a nice time that I have had, I am ready to come home. You know how everyone says - you need to take time for yourself and slow down a bit? Slowing down sucks. I really enjoy staying busy and I love what I do - alot. Don't get me wrong, sitting on the beach is lovely and beautiful and everything, but I actually missed not working. ...and I am ready to get back to it.

Over the weekend, there was a local art/product fair at Poipu beach and we found some lovely little hand made treasures to bring home, like simple small baskets woven out of acacia and octopus tree twigs. There were also some beautiful carvings out of raw pieces of ironwood. Unfortunately for all the artisans and attendees, it was raining like mad. It doesn't rain for weeks and then it does on the day there is an outdoor festival. figures. Needless to say, the beaches were deserted. So we went just slightly south and took in the Allerton Garden, part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. It was a little drier at the garden, but hey, we are from Portland right? The rain was totally warm and so we trudged on.

In case you did not know, I love gardens...and gardening....and plants. You could go as far as to say that I am indeed a plant geek....and my geekness was well fed.

We went to two Botanical Gardens on Kauai, the Allerton Gardens and the Limahuli Gardens. "Allerton Garden (Lāwa`i-kai) lies between the Pacific Ocean and the McBryde Garden in the Lāwa`i Valley, on the south shore of the Hawaiian Island of Kaua`i. It is a garden paradise, transformed through time by the hands of a Hawaiian Queen, by a sugar plantation magnate, and most significantly by an artist and an architect. The endless possibilities found in this dramatic topography led to the creation of this masterpiece of garden art.

A series of garden rooms unfold between the Lāwa`i Stream and the cliffs of the Valley. The sound of water is in abundance in pools, miniature waterfalls, and fountains. Statues grace this former estate and resonate with a European influence. Towering rainforest trees with tall curving roots grow near bronze mermaids, a grove of swaying golden bamboo, a cut-flower garden, and tropical fruit trees. Here the focus is on landscape design, but among the plantings are botanically important species of the tropics, including varieties of palms, ki (ti), heliconias, and gingers."

The Limahuli Garden and Preserve "is set in a verdant tropical valley on the north shore of the Hawaiian Island of Kaua`i. The Garden is backdropped by the majestic Makana Mountain and overlooks the Pacific Ocean."

"In Hawaiian, the name Limahuli means “turning hands,” which recognizes the ancient Hawaiians who built agricultural terraces out of lava rock and planted cultivars of kalo (taro), an important cultural food crop."

"These and other plants that were significant to the early inhabitants, as well as native species, make up the Garden's collections. The property includes a plantation-era garden, as well as invasive species that were introduced by modern man. Limahuli Stream, one of the last pristine waterways left in the Islands, provides a habitat for indigenous aquatic life."

Behind the gGarden is the Limahuli Preserve where conservationists and restoration biologists are working to preserve species native to this habitat.

Limahuli Garden was selected by the American Horticultural Society as the best natural botanical garden in the United States, having demonstrated the best sound environmental practices of water, soil, and rare plant conservation in an overall garden design."

I got most of the above information from the http://www.ntbg.org/ website. I am a little too punchy tired to phrase things myself......

I think the coolest fact I took away from the gardens is the emphasis on research, preservation, conservation and education. The most impressive thing are the programs they have in place to help "feed the world" with a breadfruit program for impoverished countries.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family that is native to Malaysia and the western Pacific islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.

Breadfruit trees grow to a height of 66 ft. The large and thick leaves are deeply cut into pinnate lobes. All parts of the tree yield latex, a milky juice, which is useful for boat caulking. Seriously.

The trees are monoecious, with male and female flowers growing on the same tree. The male flowers emerge first, followed shortly afterward by the female flowers, which grow into a capitulum, which are capable of pollination just three days later. The pollinators are Old World fruit bats.

Breadfruit is one of the highest-yielding food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more fruits per season. The www.ntbg.org on Maui - a sister garden to the Allerton, has been working on their Breadfruit Institute and is shipping thousands of tree shoots to developing countries as part of a sustainable agriculture initiative.

Shipping the breadfruit trees over long distances is only possible because NTBG’s researchers have found a way to propagate the trees “in vitro” and then ship these tissue cultures.

Breadfruit trees also have a beneficial impact on the natural environment creating organic mulch, shade, and a cooler micro-climate beneath the canopy. The trees also give shelter and food for important pollinators or seed dispersers such as honeybees, birds, and bats.

I thought I was going to have a good picture of a breadfruit tree to add to this post, but my camera is being less than cooperative. sorry!

Well, then, there you have it for now. I am exhausted after a long day of doing nothing and have to go and pack. Thanks for listening to my ramblings..... Next week will be something completely different as I am leaving for the Fall Furniture Market in High Point. What a change.......from flowers to furniture. After that trip, I am done travelling for the year! WHEW!

This photo falls into the WHAT THE HELL category........I could not find someone to ask what this is...so if anyone can identify it, please let me know!

All the waterfeatures in the garden are gravity fed...and you can hear running water from everywhere in the gardens.......lovely!

Super cool Adenium - desert rose......love the thorns!

The timber bamboo was HUGE and beautiful...

Beautiful tunnel of bamboo.....

Bamboo palm seeds......

Gorgeous palm!

Red emerging Palm. Red. Wow!

OK....this was the most amazing tree. Moreton Bay Fig. The roots were amazing. These 3 trees were used in the first Jurassic Park movie. I am going to have to rent it again to see the part.

Poipu beach..........nice!