January 9 , 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
AMY GREENWELL ETHNOBOTANICAL GARDEN HOSTS 2ND ANNUAL HORTI/CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY
HONOLULU – Bishop Museum ’s Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Kona invites the public to celebrate the native landscape at the 2 nd Annual Grow HawaiianHorti/Cultural Festival. The event will be held on Saturday, February 25, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The festival will feature special talks and discussions on native plants and gardening , cultural demonstrations, and a chance to interact with experts on birds, insects, plants, and Hawaiian arts.
The Grow Hawaiian Horti/Cultural Festival will open with a traditional chant blessing by students from the Kohala-based charter school Kanu o ka ‘Āina. Throughout the day, scientists, conservation professionals, and Hawaiian cultural practitioners will share their knowledge of native plants, birds, and insects in the environment and in their lives, and their hopes for the future of the native environment. In addition, festival-goers will enjoy plant sales, keiki activities, traditional artisan demonstrations, delicious Hawaiian food from Super J’s, entertainment, information booths and much more.
Presenters from across the islands include Kerin Lilleng Rosenberg who will talk about and autograph her latest book Growing Hawai‘i ’s Native Plants . Isabella Abbott will share her expertise as a Native Hawaiian scientist and Bill Garnett will describe his work restoring native landscapes on O‘ahu and Moloka‘i.
Noted local artists Marie MacDonald, Pua Van Dorpe, and Elizabeth Lee will be on hand for a moderated discussion on the plants in their arts. Jack Jeffrey will talk about birds in the Hawaiian forest and Kūki‘o plants man, Kauhane Morton, will share botanical oddities.
Visitors are invited to bring mystery plants in for identification by Bishop Museum botanist Clyde Imada, or insects by state entomologist Pat Conant. Dr. Scot Nelson, a.k.a “the Plant Doctor,” will be available to diagnose sick plants and recommend treatments. Jerry Konanui will talk with visitors on taro and ‘awa, and Bishop Museum ’s Shelley James will demonstrate her new web based taro identification key.
As part of the festival, the Garden will also offer guided tours by Barrie Moss of Aikane Nursery, Diana Duff of Kona Outdoor Circle, and guest docent David Orr, curator of plants at Waimea Valley Audubon Nature Center on O‘ahu.
Admission to the Grow Hawai‘i Horti/Cultural Festival is free. Parking is available in the grass lot next to Greenwell Park near Manago Hotel.
The festival is supported by the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program, and Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations, an initiative under the Office of Innovation and Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education. Support for the project also comes from Kūki‘o and the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Hotel.
The Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
is a Bishop Museum facility, located in South
Kona on the Mamalahoa Highway . During the year,
more than 9,000 visitors experience the Garden
and explore the plants of traditional Kona.
The Garden is a regular stop for school tours,
and people of all ages enjoy workshops on traditional
Hawaiian arts. Admission is a suggested donation
of $4 per person and free for Bishop Museum
members. For more information, call (808) 323-3318.