Akatsuka Orchid Gardens

Akatsuka houses the world’s most beautiful $20,000 orchid!

After 5 years of driving past the place daily, I finally stopped by to check Akatsuka Gardens out. I had the pleasure of meeting Takeshi Akatsuka, the man whose father started this Orchid Garden in 1974. I had the chance to tour their place and I was delightfully surprised at how stunning their gardens were!

Akatsuka Orchid Gardens

During the tour, I was so amazed by all the gardens had to offer. I didn’t even know I could be that amazed by flowers, but with an overwhelming amount of flowers, it was inevitable. Flowers ranged from tiny little fingernail-sized flowers, all the way up to huge palm-sized flowers, in just about any color you could think of. There was a whole wall of flowers that the Akatsuka’s had specially hybridized to have a scent, and if you have never seen a scented orchid before, you should check it out because it’s unbelievable. I spent a good chunk of time walking around and checking it all out because it was truly amazing!

Akatsuka Orchid Gardens plants

Not only do you get to see these amazing flowers, but you also get to learn about how to care for your orchids, because they are a pretty tricky plant to keep alive. At the end of the day, I learned all the things I had been doing wrong and the best tips and tricks to grow healthy orchids! They even gave me a little instructional book with all the tips and tricks printed out for future convenience.

Akatsuka Orchid Gardens vertical plants

I believe the most impressive part was that they had a “living wall” which is a good way to grow plants in small spaces through a vertical system. The setup allowed excess drip water to feed the plants below it, therefore making the most of every drip!

Location

The Orchid Gardens is about 2 miles away from Volcano Inn, heading Hilo bound (east) on Highway 11. You can’t miss it, there is a large parking lot and it is a big building that is easily visible from the highway. Luckily, they also ship their beautiful flowers around the world. You can check out their website for details. Stop by for a visit while you’re here in Hawai’i!

Conclusion

Akatsuka Orchid Gardens was spectacular! I enjoyed learning all about these beautiful flowers. I cannot wait to try all of the tricks on my own orchids at home!

Suggested Read: 

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