Lyon Arboretum Holiday Plant Sale

By Caroline Wright

The University of Hawaii’s Harold L. Lyon Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a Hawaiian rainforest tucked away at the back of Manoa Valley,

and their annual holiday plant and craft sale provides the perfect opportunity for a very green shopping adventure. You’ll be delighted by the incredible variety and splendor of exotic plants and wildlife showcased in paths, trails, cottages, and greenhouses throughout almost 200 acres of tropical rainforest. This is absolutely the most accessible tropical rainforest on the island of Oahu, and the only university botanical garden in the United States to be located in a tropical rainforest.

The Arboretum’s annual plant and craft sale will be held on Saturday, November 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, and a free shuttle service to the Arboretum will be provided from the intersections of  Nipo Street and M?noa Road, and Po’elua Street and Manoa Road.

This year’s featured plant is the pink and white torch ginger, or Maylay Rose, also known as Porcelaine Ginger. Also available for sale will be ti varieties, various orchids, heliconias, tillandsias and other bromeliads, Native Hawaiian plants and ferns, and anthuriums, as well as many other plants, plus handmade decorative wreaths and homemade jams and jellies.

With a trail system that can take all day to explore, a bird-watching checklist that includes both native birds and introduced species (including wild cockatoos), and a world-class collection of plants that includes more than 5,000 tropical species, the Arboretum is worth multiple visits, especially since there is always some spectacular flower coming into season. You can even check their website for “what’s blooming now” to make sure you don’t miss any favorites.

The word arboretum comes from the Latin word “arbor,” meaning “tree,” and you’ll find a fantastic collection of exotic trees here, including one of the largest collections of palms you are likely to see anywhere, as well as an herb and spice garden, a Native Hawaiian Garden, and a Hawaiian Ethnobotanical Garden.

Can’t make it to the sale? Lyon Arboretum is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed Sundays and holidays. Plants are always available for sale at the main greenhouse, for those who can’t leave without taking away a bit of rainforest paradise.

Date(s)/Time:	Saturday, November 19, 2011, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location:	Lyon Arboretum, 3860 Manoa Road, Honolulu
Cost:	FREE
Who Will Love This:	Nature lovers, families, holiday shoppers
Website:	http://www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/

Multimedia

Lyon Arboretum: Saving Hawaiian Kalo Varieties

http://blog.oryxpacific.com/#1

Lyon Arboretum and Aihualama Falls

http://youtu.be/G769JZW4TCw

Trapped in Paradise

http://youtu.be/230Y1aZBkO4

New Hale to be the centerpiece of the Arboretum (KITV)

http://youtu.be/qbIe5lvC0QI

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