By John Warrington
Here in Guyana we enjoy occasional periods where the weather is chronically dry with only the occasional drop of rain. Hardly enough to make any significant difference to the water table level. Yet all of us still have to keep a careful watch on our plants whatever the weather conditions. We have to plan for sowing and plant propagation whatever the weather might be, and of all the work that the gardener has to do, the acquisition and the propagation of the collection is about the most interesting work. This is helped by our unquenchable determination to grow things in spite of everything of our climate can throw at us, whether it be prolonged dry spells, or weeks of torrential rains.
Last week I mentioned briefly ‘space sowing’ and the sowing of tiny seed. I will mention briefly this week the selection of plants for the garden, which are chosen particularly for their scent – either of their flowers or their leaves, or even when being cooked.
I have quite a few scented plants used for all of these purposes, but it is not a large collection. My own collection comprises scented shrubs for the night and day as well as for cooking. It includes the evocatively named Lady of the Night (Cestrum nocturnum), the night flowering cactus (Cereus peruvianum) one of many night-flowering cacti that become heavily scented during the night because of pollination by moths. I have a few night-flowering jasmines, also a Gardenia, which is heavily scented both day and night and the Rangoon Creeper, which has an overpowering scent in the early evening and in the morning.There is also the delicately scented powder puff bush which is greatly loved by humming birds, and last but by no means least, I must not forget to mention some of the plants grown for their gloriously scented foliage, many of which will be herbs used in the kitchen.
Many scented flowers are produced only during the night and are clearly for the attention of moths and, dare I say it, bats, and sometimes other small mammals such as tiny mice. As a matter of interest, the scent of some plants is so revolting that their aroma might have been designed to deter human beings completely. Top of the list amongst these is the Durian fruit, which is much sought after by large apes – orangutans and some very odd human beings as well. Orangs will travel for miles and miles in search of it, and of course they eventually distribute the seed in their travels as well. Equally revolting are the scents of some succulents like Stapelia, orchids like Stanhopea, and aroids like the giant Amorphophallus all of which emit an aroma that attracts carrion such as bluebottles and flies, which pollinate them. These last few oddities would not normally be grown in a private collection. At the moment, I am concerned only with pleasant scents.
Other plants which come to mind and are equally worthy of a place are the mints (over a hundred species), the sages and thymes, and plants like lavender, rosemary, ginger and lemon grass – a great favourite in Guyana. In fact, the list of aromatic plants that we could grow is enormous. You only have to look in your plant catalogues, or better still on the shelves in the supermarkets. It is worth remembering that most, if not all of the plants I have mentioned can be grown in well-drained compost in small or large pots, which can form part of your mobile garden, to be brought into the house when you wish to freshen up the place or impress/depress friends. Particularly good in this respect are the citrus, which can easily be pruned into shape and kept small and which give the most gorgeous scent to the house.
Enjoy your garden and take care. And may your God go with you.
