An Open Garden part 4

Some of these orchids were growing on what were piles of waste wood and coconuts within a strong wire enclosure. This is a great way to recycle old wood and coconuts and has inspired me to adopt this method for growing orchids.

An Open Garden part 3

red chinaman's hat

am not too sure of the name of this shrub, could it be some sort of justica?

Jathropha a plant I strongly dislike because of its propensity for bugs

bougainvilleas

This Frangipani from Tanzania blooms are quite larger than the normal ones found on the islands

The stunning colour display of flowering shrubs and plants left me breathless. This garden was at its peak even though the dry season was in full swing.

An Open Garden part 2

In my previous post on this magnificent garden, I promised to post more photos. So here they are. Many of the above orchids were on sale. I was also very impressed with the layout of the garden. The under tree plantings were very creative and colourful. I was in awe of how cleverly the ground covers were used, and this has given me many ideas for my garden. The owner has a dug well for watering his garden so he can water everyday and doesn't have the huge public water bill to deal with . Since it is dry season I will be looking at drought tolerant plants. To be continued........

An Open Garden part 1

Today I visited an open garden in the parish of St. Peter organized by our local horticultural society. It is an amazing garden owned by an expat Dane who has lived on the island for many years. I vote it the most beautiful garden on the island. It covers an area of about four acres with a variety of trees, plants and orchids from around the world. The orchids are to die for! The layout is excellent, utilizing the large trees and group plantings of palms very well. This garden is every gardener's dream garden. I will be posting more, so stay tuned.

Another bloomin' Friday

pink Starburst clerodendron with the blue duranta repens

the Jamaica rain tree is raining with these tiny yellow blooms

yellow cassia

pink angelonia

my favorite rose a floribunda of some sort.

Welcome to my first blooming Friday for the year. It is still very dry however many plants that love the dry are now coming into bloom. Many of the others that have bloomed in wetter conditions are on their way out. I am on an emotional weather see saw. Every time I see a dark cloud my hopes accelerate upwards and then quickly plummet if it were just a teaser. For more blooming Friday, why not take a skip jump or a hop over to Katerina at roses and stuff?

The other side

I don't know the name of this plant but i think it could be family to the ice plant. It was growing on a large rock in full sun. It is a ground cover and ideal for seaside gardens. The leaves of this plant also reminds me of the yellow daisy bush wedelia trilobata that grows wild and is used as a ground cover.

On Sunday we took my visiting mother in law Barbara and my mother to lunch at the Round House in Bathsheba on the other side of the island. The views were spectacular and the trade winds constant. This is the windward side of the island and the nearest coast line is the African continent many thousand miles away. Many surfers hang out here for that big one, as well as many tourists looking for something a bit on the wild side. It is also the holiday spot for many locals who own second homes on this side of the island. It is about a half an hour drive from my house. The food was good. I had coconut shrimps and coconut pie a la mode for dessert.