Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens — a botanical garden in Hawaii County, Hawaii — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Hōlualoa, about 2.2 km (1.4 mi) away (Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens lies WSW of town).
The Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens (1.5 acres) are nonprofit botanical gardens located on the grounds of the Kona Educational Foundation Center at 76-6280 Kuakini Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi island, Hawaiʻi. Coordinates are 19°36′49.5″N 155°58′6″W. They are open daily except on weekends; admission is free, but donations accepted. Sadie Seymour (1907–1975) founded the outdoor circle to beautify the Kona community. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Scott Seymour on a wedge-shaped plot, and named in honor of his mother. They feature the cultivated plants of Hawaiʻi, arranged in 11 tiers by geographic origin. The first tier contains native Hawaiian plants. Other tiers include Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia (featuring plants such as cuphea, eucalyptus, and ixora); Indo-Asia (lemon grass, and cinnamon, turmeric, and clove trees); Africa (Bismarckia nobilis); and...From the Wikipedia article “Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 65° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 295° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 86° in summer but only 47° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:29 AM | 90° E | 6:36 PM | 270° W | 70° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 65° ENE | 7:06 PM | 295° WNW | 86° | 13h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:14 AM | 89° E | 6:21 PM | 271° W | 71° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:54 AM | 115° ESE | 5:51 PM | 245° WSW | 47° | 10h 57m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Gardens are best on bright overcast days or early mornings when dew is fresh and the wind is calm.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 05m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 31m |
| March | 6:11 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:56 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 36m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:17 PM | 13h 04m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 18m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:31 PM | 13h 12m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 48m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:50 PM | 12h 15m |
| October | 5:57 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:24 PM | 11h 42m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:09 PM | 11h 13m |
| December | 6:27 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 57m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 42° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| February | 4:09 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.5 | 27° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:17 AM – 5:17 AM | 3.0 | 38° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 4.5 | 42° | SE → S |
| May | 10:13 PM – 4:23 AM | 6.2 | 42° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:28 PM – 4:18 AM | 7.8 | 42° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:28 PM – 2:48 AM | 6.3 | 42° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:10 PM – 12:50 AM | 4.7 | 42° | S → SW |
| September | 7:41 PM – 10:51 PM | 3.2 | 39° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:15 PM – 8:55 PM | 1.7 | 28° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.62 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (62%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 79 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 76 |
| Low °F | 50 | 46 | 48 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 53 | 50 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.6 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 6.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this botanical garden
- Kaleidoscopic and abstract images are great for flower close-ups — try the online kaleidoscope tool.
- A macro lens or close-up filter opens a world of detail — try a shallow aperture against a soft background.
- Many gardens restrict tripods or charge for photography; check the rules before you go.
- Backlit petals glow; position yourself so the sun is behind the flower.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring bulbs and blossoms, summer perennials and autumn color; glasshouses offer winter subjects.
Suggested gear: Macro lens, Diffuser, Small reflector. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.