Why I love this country

These photos are from my friend Carol Stone.
If I ever did have to leave, these are the things that would break my heart. The drive to Mayaro with its unique sound and smell. The corner that rounds from the Sangre Grande old road to Manzanilla always signified summer holidays. The sound of the wind in the coconuts and the ocean breeze meant that we were nearly there. We could see the sea!
I have seen this peaceful scene in many guises.
It is where the swamplands meet the Atlantic sea and it can be idyllic or horribly violent depending on the tides. On the opposite of this scene are the brackish mangroves and this is the only place that I have ever seen an anaconda in the wild. Supple and powerful, wrapped up in the roots of dense undergrowth, we were past it in a flash. A horrified glimpse from the backseat of a car.



This is Mayaro beach. It is quite simply beautiful. Not in the Maracas, north coast beach type of way but in the walk for miles and stare out to the horizon and imagine nothing between you and this sea until Africa way. As children every piece of detritus that was washed up, we imagined coming straight from an exotic ship wreck. It was also the beach that turned deadly beautiful at Easter time with the scores of Portuguese man-o-war that floated onto the beach trailing their lethally beautiful purple tendrils, irresistible to legions of daredevils, popping them with coconuts while running from the searing stray splash.




Sunset at Crown Point in Tobago

My Wish List

These are some more photos from Joanne de Gannes' garden. This water feature is set among the bromeliads and ferns and is very rustic looking which suits the mood of the whole area. This has given me lots of ideas because there is so much shade in my garden, I sometimes despair for colour. Especially in the rainy season.This unusual shrub around the large bromeliad is called excorcaria. I finally bit the bullet and bought some of it today. It is an excellent foliage addition as it provides bursts of colour with its red underside and variegated top.
It is paired very effectively with an unusual red and yellow curly croton and the variegated bromeliad.

Ixora is so common, it's easy to take them for granted. This is one that I had not seen before and the flower is big, round and bi-coloured.
A new canna lily colour.
Well, new to Trinidad. I am so tempted but the last time I tried with Cannas they all died. Hmmm.
This one I do have but it hasn't bloomed yet. The stem/stalk of this ginger (I think it's a ginger) is striped and looks a bit like bamboo. It is an excellent foliage plant even when there are no flowers.

The garden of a landscaper

Joanne de Gannes is a well respected and successful landscaper. She has an impeccable eye for detail and an ability to turn her hand at anything. I was fortunate enough to be able to take these pictures in her garden. These topiaries give an Italian feel to this back yard. Despite the fact that there is no grass, the area is green and lush.
Contrasting shapes, textures and shades of green are particularly effective with this tightly clipped miniature duranta hedge.
In this magical bromeliad walkway, filtered light is turned into an advantage by creating a "forest" walkway of princess palms that tower over the bromeliads and ferns below. Clever placement of coral stone gives the bromeliads something to grow onto and provides different heights for varying perspectives. An unusual ground cover of "baby tears" gives a grass like effect with a more textured finish. This area was also home to several varieties of ferns, calatheas and philodendrons.
A sunken copper is the perfect accent piece for this backyard area and leads into the trellissed walkway. Ceramic geese help complete this picture and are a delightful folly.
Variegated miniature orange. Both the fruit and the foliage of this plant are beautiful and carry the mediterranean theme.

The complicated world of plants

The seeds of the heliconia are what ensures life. These brightly coloured pods that emerge from the flower bracts are irresistible to tanagers and hummingbirds. All heliconias have some sort of pod often in different colours depending on the type of heliconia. Usually they are a contrasting colour to the flower bract. My sexy orange bracts give forth an indigo seed. Like the bromeliads, the bracts often serve as breeding spots for mosquito colonies and it is a good idea to check for larvae every now and then.
I thought that this plant was a philodendron. However, on researching it, I'm pretty sure that it belongs to the genus Monstera (Monstera Deliciosa) which was, for a long time, considered part of the philodendron family. It is commonly known as "swiss cheese plant" . This is the first year that I have seen it produce this inflorescence. I'm not sure if this will develop into a leaf or a fruit. The leaves of the Monstera plant after an evening shower.
The lavender blooms of this lime green coleus are so beautiful that I can't beat to pinch them off. With coleus, I've always been told to remove the flowers to allow for longer life of the plant. Usually I do but with butterflies everywhere at this time of year, I can't bear to remove flowers from anything.

War in the Garden

This is my enemy. Mr Bachac.


Now that I know that the worker ant has big powerful jaws.

My poor vandas never stood a chance.

Fox among the Bromeliads

If you had asked me the least likely thing to make it onto my blog, I may have gotten to fox. But here he is in all his glory. Certainly not from Trinidad. He is courtesy my sister Jennifer's friend Stuart. Thank you Stuart. He is gorgeous. I didn't even know that they had foxes in Miami. Big city that it is, Miami never fails to amaze me with its wildlife. Jen, I'm really sorry that Mummy couldn't see this. I told her about it on the phone and she was really interested. A spark.

Unusual Colour Combinations

I have lots of cordylines in my garden. They are a great addition to any bed because the colours change depending on the amount of sun that they get. Nature does the most amazing colour pairing. Look closely at the pink edge of this foliage. Unusual combination of red and pink to say the least.
My miniature pineapple has a new one again. I just keep putting the tops back in the ground and am slowly building up a small collection. I've never tried to eat them. I'm sure they're just decorative.This I did eat and it was delicious. Remember we saw it as a flower?
I adore begonias. Unfortunately the feeling is not mutual. I have very clayey soil and the hybrid begonias are not as hardy as their common cousins like the bread and cheese. This particular one is quite hardy and I just love the dots on the leaves.

Chancy, please help. This is my new bed. I paired them for the colours but have no idea what either one is called. Aren't the colours lovely?

August Blooms

This dellicately coloured anthurium is one of the most popular in the cut flower market. It lasts for about three weeks in fresh water.
This little vine is the blue pea. I'm not sure of the real name but it is a cheerful addition to any porch as it is always in flower. It will grow easily from seeds that develop in the pods.

Dendrobiums are among the hardiest of the orchid family. The genera is ever increasing as breeders continue to develop hybrids.
More and more of my bromeliads are coming into bloom now. The only problem with bromeliads at this time of the year is that they collect water and can sometimes serve as reservoirs for breeding mosquito colonies. With dengue always a concern, it is a good idea to check bromeliads for mosquito larvae.