I have always admired my older cousins. I am the youngest of the generation and thought the world of many of them. My cousin Louise, in particular, was a role model in high school: she was a cheerleader and full of energy. Some thought she was a "goodie two-shoes"! After our last experience at the garden, I was nervous to return, fearing they would remember us and Louise's persistence that we should be able to take the self-guided tour because "the rules", so to speak, were not made clear to her on the telephone. So here I am traveling solo in search of the elusive garden tour. Louise and Keith were hard at work and I was heading south enroute to the National Tropical Botanical Garden for a guided tour of the Allerton Gardens: 100 acres of rare and endangered plants. Since becoming a non-profit, the organization requires a guided tour to see these gardens.
The Gardens have a little bit of everything; I felt like I was at school needing to raise my hand and ask permission. We boarded a small van for the 3-mile ride to the entrance of the garden we would be touring.
One of the first vistas is this beautiful beach; believe it or not, it is “off limits” except to those who arrive by boat. As we know the water and beaches “free”, access is the issue. It is also rumored that local kids have found a way to sneak onto the property for a little boogie boarding! Unfortunately, we would not get any closer to the beach than this picture due to river flooding. (It was off the tour today.)In 1964 the US Congress chartered the preserve as a National Garden. The goal was, and still is, to protect and to propagate native species. The primary mission is to collect, preserve, study and disseminate these native plants. The secondary mission is to study the medicinal quality of plants; most of the medicinal plants are in the adjacent McBryde Gardens. There is a large research center on the property. As we left the visitor center, our guide pointed out that a large meadow was being developed and 1200 units would be built selling at $3m each. How sad is that?
The Allerton Estate was originally established in 1847. Queen Emma planted the gardens in 1870 when she arrived here after the deaths of her husband and son. The cost of the estate was $50,000. The design of the gardens was two-fold: to create a feeling of rooms with visual surprises in each, and for water to "perform" in a myriad of ways. The property is lush, green and perfectly manicured. These are some of my favorite pictures.
Temperatures of at least 60 degrees are needed for tropical plants. The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. The top of the pineapple can be planted and a new plant will grow. (This is not my own experience!)
The Lobster Heliconia was one of my favorites – the flower really looked like a lobster claw!
The Noni plant has medicinal properties. This one was actually photographed in Louise and Keith’s yard. (it was the better pic) The plant has been used in the treatment of hypertension as well as for muscular aches and pains.
The Chinese Banyan trees are fascinating. The tree has aerial roots. As the roots grow and touch the ground the circumference of the trunk thickens in some eerie and magical ways. Does the tree look familiar? Jurassic Park was filmed on the estate; this is where one of the kids found the dinosaur eggs.
The reflecting pools are serene.
A Buddha had a very special place in a plot of bamboo. I find it amazing that they can manicure a small bamboo jungle!All of this knowledge saturated my gray cells; I felt compelled to spend the remainder of the day swimming and reading at Salt Pond Beach.
This beach distinguishes itself by being the only natural salt pond in Hawaii that is still used to make salt. I learned this after the fact, so I never did see the actual salt flat! Two rocky points, creating a relatively calm pool in which to swim, divide the beach.
Magic continues to happen. On the way home, I was caught in a short but intense thunderstorm. When the sun came out, I patiently waited and was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow. I did pull off the road for this Kodak moment.And the adventure continues…
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