Garden Club donates to Botanic Park garden

30 May, 2012
The Garden Club of Grand Cayman has donated $1,000 to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to assist with developing a Xerophytic Cactus Succulent Garden.
John Lawrus, general manager of the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, received the money from Garden Club members at the Pines Retirement Home on Tuesday, 22 May.
The section of the xerophytic garden will be located in front of the Colour Garden and will showcase a display of xerophytic plants, which include cactus and succulent plants.
“Xerophytic plants such as cactus have adapted to extremes of heat and drought by developing special ways to store and conserve water and would be ideal in the situation at the park,” Mr. Lawrus said. “They often have few or no leaves which helps to reduce water loss. The garden will be an educational display of plants that can provide an alternative to a lot of the water hungry tropical plants that we all desire,” Mr. Lawrus said.
Since starting the donation drive, the park has collect some $30,000 through private donations, but are still in need of another $25,000 to begin the initial landscape installation.
For more information contact John Lawrus, general manager of the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, by e-mail at [email protected]