UH Hilo Botanical Garden offers free guided tours for National Public Gardens Day

A free Saturday morning tour at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Botanical Garden will put one of East Hawaii’s quietest public assets on display, showing visitors a living collection of cycads, hybrid bromeliads and towering palms without charging admission.

The garden will offer guided tours from 9 a.m. to noon on May 9, timed to National Public Gardens Week, which runs May 8-17 across North America. One of the featured walks, Ancient Survivors: The Secret World of Cycads, will highlight a collection that includes more than 120 species of cycads and a large palm collection, turning the campus garden into a science lesson as well as a weekend outing.

Established in 1990 by Emeritus Professor Don Hemmes, the garden has long been framed by the university as a living classroom for students, researchers and the broader community. Hemmes still maintains the displays, and he has said the space is dedicated to plant conservation, research and education and is a resource for the community as well as global conservation initiatives.

That conservation role gained added weight in December 2024, when the garden was recognized as an accredited garden by Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The garden is maintained largely through private donations and the work of about ten regular volunteers, with Robert Talbert overseeing the volunteer effort. UH Hilo has also said the site operates without direct financial or operational support from the university, which makes the free public access year-round even more unusual.

The botanical garden’s public profile has grown alongside its plant collections. At a 2024 National Public Gardens Day event, Chancellor Bonnie Irwin planted a rare Hawaiian loulu palm, Pritchardia schattaueri, with Hemmes, UH Hilo biologists, members of the Hawaii Island Palm Society and volunteers on hand. The American Public Gardens Association says its network includes nearly 600 public gardens in North America and internationally, underscoring the scale of the movement behind next week’s observance.

For Hilo families, students and visitors, the draw is immediate: a free, family-friendly chance to see rare tropical plants up close on a campus that many people pass every day. The tours will give the public a closer look at a collection that matters for education, conservation and the everyday life of Hawaii Island.