O‘AHU – Foster Botanical Garden is now scheduled to reopen near the end of summer 2023
following the completion of an accessibility improvement project and in-house maintenance
from botanical garden and park maintenance staff.
The extended closure is the result of unforeseen circumstances, including a historic wall near the
Conservatory and buried utilityes at the garden’s entrance. These conditions required additional review
and realignment of the accessible walkway to properly address these issues.
The garden was closed on Feb. 13 for a project to improve the accessibility at Foster’s entrance,
bathrooms, community garden, and botanical pathways.
This involves reconstructing the pathways to be paved and graded, thereby making them more
accessible and improving visitor circulation throughout the botanical garden. As a result of these
extensive, garden-wide improvements, the closure of the entire garden was necessary. Regular
community garden access remains available throughout the project.
The botanical garden was initially scheduled to reopen in May 2023, with a later reopening date
scheduled for June 5. Unfortunately, the above-mentioned circumstances have resulted in the
continued closure of Foster Botanical Garden through this summer. We appreciate the patience
and understanding of botanical garden visitors and the general public while this treasured urban
garden remains closed to the public.
The 14-acre Foster Botanical Garden is the oldest of the city’s five botanical gardens. Some of
the garden’s magnificent trees were planted by Dr. William Hillebrand in the 1850’s. It is home
to hundreds of species of tropical plants, trees and flowers, including the ever-popular
Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the Corpse Flower. For more information about the
garden, including a unique virtual tour, visit the Foster Botanical Garden’s virtual tour website,
sponsored by the Garden Club of Honolulu:

bit.ly/VirtualFosterGarden

PAU