As you all know roses are very vigorous growers, and always seem to prefer to be planted out in the ground rather than confined for their lives in containers which they quickly outgrow. Planted outside they appreciate copious dressing of well-rotted garden compost or cow mould throughout the year. You have to make sure they have very good anchorage when planted in open ground that is planted firmly. Don’t be afraid of using your weight by pressing down on the soil around the plant (press the soil up to the roots and not down onto them which may cause damage). Consolidation of soil is also achieved by watering thoroughly which starts them into growth and helps to wash the soil around the roots, and in a few days new growth will be seen. Incidentally this applies to all newly planted plants.
You can get a very good idea of a plant’s origin and uses from its name, and particularly from its specific epithet (the last bit). Of course it’s easy to work out that a plant with the last name Berberis darwinii has been named after Sir Charles Darwin. Rosa banksiae with its feminine ae ending tells us that it was named in honour of Lady Dorothea Banks, the wife of Sir Joseph Banks. Musa textilis tells us this plant gives fibre (manila hemp) used for rope making. The name of the tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum tells us that part of this plant is edible (esculent). The rosemary plant, Rosmarinus officinalis was sold in ancient times in the officiana, where dried herbs were sold, and from which we get the word ‘office.’ Interestingly, rosemary was not grown in England until the late 14th century when a little book on the virtues of herbs was sent from France to Queen Philippa, the wife of Edward III. It is grown a lot in the warmer parts of Britain nowadays, and forms quite good hedges, but never, it is said, does it attain a height greater than that of Jesus Christ. I have grown this plant in the Mediterranean climate of Barbados, but never here, and not for want of trying I might add. If I can get plants or even seed to start I hope to get it going in a dry, sunny Mediterranean-type spot. Thinking of rosemary makes me think of lavender, which is not too dissimilar. It is years and years since I last went to the region of Grasse in Provence in the south of France for the lavender harvest. In the autumn the ground is baked dry in the Mediterranean sun and the scent of lavender clings to everything, because there are many scores of miles of gloriously coloured lavender fields and hedges, all of which have flowers cut off for the oil. It is a glorious sight and a glorious region, but I suspect it is back-breaking work. The workers will certainly need their break of fresh bread and garlic sausages for relief.
I know that the Arum lily or the Transvaal lily is more widely grown in Guyana than it was twenty years ago. It originated in a district of South Africa called the Transvaal, but is found in swampy land throughout east and central Africa. Its proper name is Zantedeschia aethiopica It belongs to the same family as the philodendron and the anthurium, producing a large white ‘flower,’ and large spear-shaped, green leaves. It forms quite a large clump and is excellent for that rather damp, shady spot in the garden, and grows here very well. Another plant of great interest to me is a begonia called Begonia masoniana, ‘Iron Cross,’ which was named after a great friend of mine called Maurice Mason, which he found in Brazil many years ago but which probably originated in China. It is available in the UK and USA markets. This Arum lily and begonia are both plants from which you will get great pleasure and which I recommend strongly. May your God go with you.
