By John Warrington
It is hard to believe that despite promises from various friends I have still not acquired a plant of the Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, which used to be A communis). This splendid tree came to the West Indies in 1793 on the good ship Providence, first to Jamaica and St Vincent, both of which had well-established botanical gardens. (Every child of school age throughout the West Indies must have been told about Captain Bligh’s unsuccessful attempt on the HMS Bounty to bring the fruits home because of the infamous mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, who dumped the first trees overboard, and sent its Captain off in a small boat.) The mainly seedless fruit really never caught on in the West Indies. The female variety produces seeds (called breadnuts) embedded in the pulp of the fruit which are absolutely delicious when boiled or roasted and then eaten. For me, however, the main beauty of the tree is its leaves and its stature when it is mature. It has large, glossy, dark-green leaves which can be up to two feet long and a foot wide, and it has undoubted value in the landscape. As the trees grow they need to be looked after. Branches break, and the remaining snags need to be trimmed and treated with pitch quickly, otherwise rot sets in, and believe me, the rotting process can lead to some spectacular accidents. As rot spreads quickly, whole trees can suddenly keel over in heavy rains, and there’s little or no warning. Trees need to be kept well balanced by careful pruning to make sure this doesn’t happen. To cut out branches don’t use a machete. Use a proper saw, and, I repeat, don’t forget to paint over wounds to prevent the entry of fungus spores.
Ladybirds (ladybugs) are among the most valuable of beneficial insects we find in our garden. They are not only easy to recognise and rather nice to look at, but they eat enormous quantities of greenfly as well. Alas, if you are using chemicals to control the more intransigent pests such as mealy bug and scale, because you are likely to cause the death of many beneficial insects including the ladybird. If you can, please try and rub off or cut off and burn the parts of your plants which are infected with the worst pests, in order to save those insects we want to keep.
Now about sowing seed in pots or boxes. Sieves are considered almost an essential of the gardeners’ tools in Europe because they enable you to sift compost so that the seeds you sow land on a fine surface and are then covered with a fine surface of compost. Using a sieve removes stones and lumpy soil from the compost. They come with different mesh sizes. The most useful are those sieves with a three-eighths size mesh (for sieving potting compost) and with an eighth-inch mesh (for sieving seed compost). Ask your garden sundries supplier to get them in stock.
Finally a word about Phalaenopsis. Shortly after setting foot in a country for a short visit which was to become my home for over twenty years (to date), I was told by an acquaintance that Phalaenopsis did not ‘do’ in Guyana. Or at least on the coast. I didn’t believe it then and have had my original view confirmed time and again. They will grow extremely well, and not only for me but for my sister-in-law who is now a bit of an expert (although she would be the first to disclaim such an accolade). They will not tolerate direct sun and prefer to get about half natural light. They do appreciate occasional ‘orchid fertilizer,’ and should receive only rainwater. They do extremely well when grown in a medium of wallaba chips in a wooden box, if you want flexibility in moving them. Otherwise they will grow well when attached to a tree which gives them shade. Have great success and may your God go with you.
