Why Plants Matter:

"Transforming Your Understanding of Plants™"


Welcome To Our Botanic Gardens:

For as long as humans have been creating gardens, gardens have most always begun with one person's vision. That is likely as true of the garden in your backyard as it is true of the grandest gardens in the world. While no one person can be deemed responsible for the actual creation and continued existence of a garden, its' initial envisionment can most often be attributed to one person.

That is true of The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort. Our Gardens are the result of the work and contributions of many people, but the vision for that Garden is attributable to one individual. The individual is not important, but the vision of that individual is - and that is what I hope this "Directors Corner" will be all about.

I believe, if you know the why and wherefore of a garden, you are that much more likely to appreciate and support that garden. Public botanic gardens, such as The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort, also oftentimes evolve from one individual's financial support, yet those public gardens end up requiring the financial support of many to survive.

Public botanic gardens serve many purposes but their primary purpose is increasing humanities understanding and awareness of plants: - their beauty; their value to humans and other living creatures for economic, medicinal, food, clothing, shelter, et. al.; as well as for conservation and scientific research. As the 21st Century advances, perhaps a botanic gardens greatest contribution will become that of increasing the public's understanding of the function of plants in of our biosphere - or put more simply, the living parts of our planet, for 'without plants there is no life.'

So over time, as founding visionary of The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort, I will be sharing my thoughts with you in this section of kkbg.org. I hope by sharing my thoughts about our Garden and it's mission you will better understand not only our Garden but all gardens throughout our world, conceived by humans or mother nature.


March 11, 2011Joe C. Harris, Jr.,Executive Director,Key Largo, Florida
© 2011 - 2020

For further reading:

BGCI: The Role of Botanic Gardens

The History and Functions of Botanic Gardens, Arthur W. Hill, M.A., F.L.S., Assistant Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.