Flowers everywhere

Heliconias at the Horticultural Society's Flower Market. These are just one of the varieties available.Rows of anthuriums are a welcome sight as they had become very scarce during dry season. We get lots of different colours now and they run from salmons and pinks to scarlets and whites. When I was a child, the only anthuriums available were the local pink ones and I still get nostalgic when I see them. My grandmother grew anthuriums in a shaded arbour and I always remember the thrill of going into the darkened nursery with the coconut husks on the ground. There was always the risk of seeing something dangerous like a snake or a scorpion and this memory of fear/excitement has stayed with me.


The heart of the Queen of Flowers. A delicate, exquisite centre.These lovely trees are in full bloom now and they come in both pink and mauve. Native to India and Asia, these stately trees can now be found throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean and belong to the botanical family Lythraceae. They have done particularly well in Jamaica and Trinidad because of the high rainfall and humidity of these islands. According to my "Flowering Trees of the Caribbean"- The six-petalled corolla is between two and three inches in diameter, blooming somewhat larger than crape myrtle...