The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park was filled with excitement over the weekend with hundreds of people flocking to the grounds for the annual orchid show and sale.
The show is held over two days in March each year.
Attendees had the chance to discover the locally grown orchids on display and learn about the unique plants in bloom and the efforts to conserve Cayman’s native orchids.
Along with the orchid display, attendees were treated to the smell and taste of local food, a sale of crafts and produce, and the beauty of the park grounds.
A blooming tradition
John Lawrus, the park’s general manager, told the Cayman Compass, “This has definitely gone on well more than 25 years, in partnership with Orchid Society of Grand Cayman before, but the last couple of years, we’ve been doing our own thing. It’s been a great weekend. A great turnout, [400] or 500 people each day. It’s been a great fundraiser for the park.”
Lawrus noted that more than 1,500 orchids were up for sale.
“We’ve got about 250 in our curated display at the back of the visitor centre, and right now in the orchid boardwalk, there’s well over 30 to 40 in bloom … The prime time for the orchid boardwalk will really be starting in the next few weeks. I’m praying that we do get some rain as it’s already hot and dry … April through June is a prime time [to visit] the orchard boardwalk.”
Lawrus said the event continues to bring awareness to orchids on the island.
“It allows people who are just learning about orchids to come be with like-minded people and take away knowledge, but also to come to the Botanic Park and see what the [park] offers with our orchid boardwalk right next to it. It’s been an educational weekend, but also, it’s a very important fundraiser for us as well, and it’s a fixture on our calendar.”
The hope, Lawrus said, is to just keep growing.
“It’s challenging getting new orchids in through different parts of the world, but we always try to get different orchids in, increase our variety… [We] also make it more an educational event … and get people out to the park,” he said, noting both residents and tourists enjoy visiting the facility.
“The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is something that all of the Cayman Islands need to be proud of,” he said.
Proceeds from the annual event go towards the continued development of the orchid conservation area in the Botanic Park.
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