A New Year a new garden

The back garden was a riot of colour with containers filled with blooming plants.

 

 A spectacular bloom of this phalenopsis orchid.

 I was in awe of these beautiful anthuriums.

Impatiens dotted this container garden

 Thunbergia grandiflora

 On Sunday the local Horticultural Society commenced their open garden program. Located in the parish of St. John the garden covered approximately 21/2 acres. The hub was at the back of the house where there was an explosion of colour.  It is still a young garden  with many of the trees still in their youth. There were stunning sights like the white petrea  cascading along a support and thunbergia grandiflora on the lawn.  

Next week the open garden will be in the Sandy Lane area.  Even though I had announced the beginning of our official dry season in my last blog or two, it has been a very wet January. It has rained every day so far. So please take what I say about the weather with a fistful of salt. 

Happy  gardening for 2013 and have a great week!

Trials and tribulations

 I have been growing these sky vines (thunbergia grandiflora) by seed for the past four to five months. I got the seeds when my friends and I went on a countryside jaunt last September. They are supposed to be the white but I have noticed a difference in the shape of the leaves on one of the plants. Perhaps one may be the blue. The seed took about three to four weeks to germinate.

I am also trying to grow this Pride of Maderia (echium candicans / faustuosum). I grew this from seed and I have never heard anyone on this island growing this shrub. I am excited and hope that it continue to thrive. From what I have read it grows well by the seaside and is drought tolerant.

 

 My citrus crops of oranges and grapefruits have been destroyed by the birds, yes birds. They have pecked the very young fruits to the semi mature ones. This is the first time I have seen this happening. I will have to try to come up with a solution for this problem. I may have to get some fruit nets to prevent this.

They are finally here in my garden. The island is under siege by the Giant African Snail. I have just recently discovered them  and have been trying to control them. I go out at night and on early mornings with my headlamp scoop and bucket.  I collect them and burn them. I have now  baited around the areas where they have been sighted and I have been seeing a few dead ones. They are not too bad as yet and I do hope that they stay away from my plants. Another blogger friend Lotus leaf has them in her garden in India. She has mentioned that there is a natural predator, a bird by the name of a coucal a member of the cukoo family, loves to gobble them up. Sadly we do not have these birds here so we are down a gully with these snails. I read that Florida had them and it took ten years and many millions of dollars to get rid of these snails. Our government was giving free bait to householders and because a lack of funds that has come to an end. There is also a bounty on the snails and many people have been making some money. However that scheme hasn't seem to put a dent  in the snail population. I am also concerned about the use of the bait poison getting into our aquifers and contaminating our drinking water.

A countryside jaunt

Last week with my two good friends Virginia and Dawn in tow, we decided to take a quick trip into the countryside to the eastern parishes of St. Andrew , St. Joseph and St. John.

We were on a mission looking for some thunbergia grandilflora  both white and blue. I had seen some growing in the wild in Chalky Mount  St. Andrew when I had hiked there a few weeks ago.

The views were spectacular.

An Anthurium farm and health spa nestled into the hillside in the distance.

We also came across this plant I believe it is a clerodendron growing in the wild.

This magnificent display  by the allamanda cherry jubilee, yellow allamanda and purple ruellia.

A cute holiday home  in St. John with a view to die for.

We stopped to check out this quisqualis or rangoon creeper that had run amok.

It is a beautiful vine  BUT I would have to contain it.

Or else I will be having  huge problems.

An older style house reflecting our Colonial past

Yes, may I ask why are you staring and pointing that thing at me? Go ahead then, point and shoot fool! Are you happy now? Then be on your way and do not tarry! Maaaaa.

To be continued............