History

Ken and Judy duPlooy began living in Belize in 1989. The land they purchased had been cleared by the previous owners for farming and it required some sprucing up. So, Ken began planting this and that to put some colour around place. He was 47 when he began this dabbling in landscaping, before which he had only ever managed to raise a rubber tree plant and five daughters. Since 5 out of 6 talked back he didn't think he'd spend more than a few months on the project. But...

Anyone familiar with gardening in the tropics knows that the growth rate of tropical plants can be quite stimulating to the novice. Ken was no exception. Heady with the variety of the flora and the fact that it grew by leaps and bounds, Ken was soon transformed into an amateur botanist.

His opportunity to really go wild was in 1994 when he and Judy were able to purchase the farm adjoining their property on the Macal River. This land had also been bulldozed for farming and the duPlooy's wanted to 're green' the area and encourage birds and wildlife to return.

Ken wasted no time in turning the vegetative wasteland into a giant field covered with sticks holding up horse feed sacks. His family was furious until they discovered that under each sack was a young plant of some sort being protected from the sunshine until ready for exposure to the elements. There was a combination of plants for plants sake and tropical fruit Ken thought could be economically important for Belize.

Once uncovered the size and scope of the collection began to attract attention from plant enthusiasts, farmers, scientists, botanic gardens and related organizations. The support and encouragement Judy and Ken received helped them decide it was time that the eclectic collection become something more. Ken kept busy covering every square inch of space with new plants while Judy began to gather the resources and information needed to make the transformation to a botanic gardens.Together they officially registered Belize Botanic Gardens in 1997.

If you want to know what happened after that...come see for yourself.