Botanic Gardens of Maui

Looking for something fun to do in Maui?  How about checking out all the fun flowers and plants that can be found in the tropical wonderlands of the botanic gardens of Maui!

First up we have the Maui Tropical Plantation located in the middle of the island in Waikapu.  This was a fun stop.  The gardens aren’t that big so it didn’t take too long to tour.  In fact, there’s not a whole lot to see here apart from the tram tour.  But they did have a large gift shop with a great selection of nice, quality souvenirs and gifts.

One of the fun parts of the tram tour was seeing the unique ways well known plants actually grow.  From coffee to bananas to pineapples (next picture!) to papayas to flowers.  We were told about the various plants as we drove around the property – how they grew and were maintained, what people used them for, and other interesting facts about them.

Isn’t it so interesting to see how pineapples grow?!  I think it’s so interesting how such a delicious fruit can grow out of that spiky, rough looking plant.  It’s also cool how the spiky exterior of the pineapple matches the plant it grows in quite well.

While we were on the tour, we stopped and had a little coconut cracking demonstration.  It was fun to see all the different parts of a coconut – from the husk to the flesh.  We also learned about some of the many different uses for coconut – eating the flesh, drinking the milk, using the oil for skin and other health purposes.  Our tour guide was very friendly and informative and made the tour a good experience.  So this garden was a good stop and had plants other than just flowers to see and learn about.

 

Next up, we visited the Enchanted Floral Garden in Kula.  This was definitely my favorite.  They have a good size property so there’s plenty of space to wander around and explore.

Look at all the gorgeous tropical plants and flowers!  I love all the bright and vibrant colors and the unique shapes and styles.  Though they’re all beautiful, the plumeria is my favorite.  It’s beautiful, yet simple; sweet and innocent; elegant but not formal – they’re so pretty!

This garden is also wonderful because of the view.  It’s up on the hillside of Haleakala and has lovely views over the northern part of Maui.  You can see the ocean and look out over the valley and opposite hillside and see Lanai off behind it.  If you’re there, take a moment to stop and enjoy and soak it all in!

They didn’t just have flowers either.  There were fruit trees, cotton trees, and wonderful succulents.  We got to see a chameleon lounging in the trees too – so fun!  This garden absolutely lives up to it’s name – it’s quite a lovely, enchanting place.

 

And lastly, we ended up at Kula Garden which is also in Kula, Maui and not too far from the previous garden.

This garden had more greenery and shrubs and trees than flowers.  They also have some caged chameleons and some wandering Nene geese and some other fun features.  The cool thing about this garden is that it feels very hidden and enclosed by a tropical forest – it’s like a secret garden.  They eucalyptus trees in the back were so great to see – the variegated bark is so fun and pretty!

The gazebo area is so beautiful – it was my favorite part of the gardens.  It was surrounded by flowers and lush green plants.  And how fun are those crazy palm trees!?  Not only are they massively tall, but they’ve never been trimmed so they’re covered top to bottom in the old leaves.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse of some of the botanic gardens of Maui!  Which ones would you like to visit?