Public Invited to New Nursery at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (QEIIBP) is opening its gates to the public on the morning of Saturday 28 February to host a free open house event to showcase the progress made so far on their new native plant nursery.

The open house morning will feature a guided tour of the trails and new nursery facilities starting at 9am and also 10.30am and will include a seed propagation demonstration. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about the unique native flora of the Cayman Islands. Admission will be free between 9am and 12pm.

The new nursery facilities are part of a project in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Environment & Sustainability (MHES) and funded by the UK Government through Darwin Plus. The project ultimately aims to support the increased use of native plants across Cayman’s landspaces. The Park’s horticultural team is growing a variety of native plants that will be available for the public to purchase.

John Lawrus, Acting Director at the QEIIBP, said: “I’m excited to take this opportunity to show the progress that has been made with our new nursery facilities. While the nursery is still in its early stages, I am pleased with how far we have come. Supporting our local ecosystem starts in your backyard, and we’re proud to make native plants more accessible for the community.

At the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, we have always valued the conservation of Cayman’s native plants and making the Park an outdoor classroom to educate the whole community on the importance of native plants in our ecosystem. In that spirit, we look forward to welcoming the community on the morning of Saturday 28 February, and thank Darwin Plus for their funding, and the Ministry’s National Tree Planting Programme for their ongoing support.”

Many of the plants being grown at the nursery are threatened. More native and endemic plants growing in backyards and in landscaping will help support species conservation efforts and the environmental resiliency of Cayman’s ecosystems.

For more information on this project, visit https://www.gov.ky/national-tree-planting/ or email info@botanic-park.ky for updates on available plants.

The details of the open house event are as follows:

• Saturday 28 February 2026 9am-12pm.
• Guided tours at 9.30am and 10.30am only
• Admission for the open house is free from 9am-12pm only