By John Warrington
Small is beautiful. So said the modern prophet EF Schumacher. Whilst I do not subscribe to this statement unreservedly, it has merit when it comes to the use of small or medium-sized plants in gardens which are themselves small or medium sized. As is mine. Additionally dwarf forms or varieties of large species of plants have the greatest value in these situations. When my wife and I bought our own home in New Providence we inherited fruit trees which had obviously been planted when the house was first built and occupied in the mid 1970s. They included two coconuts (one of which fell down soon afterwards), several large mango trees, three Flamboyant trees (one in poor condition), a golden apple and a star apple, a five finger tree – which proved to be one of the most valuable small trees in the garden – and Barbados as well as Suriname cherries. The first tree we cut down was a largish turpentine mango, followed by one of the Flamboyants and the star and golden apple trees – both poor specimens, tall and unkept and producing little fruit of quality.
Naturally having created space, the first thing we did was to try and fill it again! The first tree we planted again was a Buxton Spice mango (in our view the very best and our favourite) which is now bearing heavily, followed by two dwarf coconuts, a variegated screw pine (Pandanus) and a blue gum (Eucalyptus). So the garden was just as full as it had ever been.
Well of course things changed. Over time (twenty-five years), weather, two children, my wife, animals of various kinds and some incompetence on my part have taken their toll on the plant population, and I still have some space to play about with, which I hope to fill shortly.
Friends also introduced me to a superb dwarf golden apple (Spondias cytherea var nana) which bears prolifically and comes true from seed. In conversation I was also reminded of the dwarf pomegranate, which I now have. In addition to these new dwarf plants I also obtained a dwarf bamboo, the very best of all the bamboo species, which never gets any bigger than three feet and has the most beautiful light green foliage and form. One of the greatest marks of civilization is the use of plants with wine and spirits to enhance the taste of the daily intake. Offering rum without ginger, gin without tonic, pork without apple sauce, rice pudding without grated nutmeg or lamb chops without mint sauce is the early sign of the collapse of society. I suspect that this was what caused the decline and eventual collapse of the Roman Empire if the truth be known.
I have managed to grow the definitive mint for use with the lamb chop as far as I am concerned. It is the spearmint (Mentha x spicata). It struggled at first, but the severe weekly talking given by my wife (she who must be obeyed) to our entire plant population to perform or make way has clearly paid handsome dividends. Four hundred years ago Gerard wrote that garden mint “rejoyceth the heart of a man and is good against the biting of madde dogges.” He never said a word about using it on lamb chops. A few moments ago I mentioned my wife’s activities in the garden. This week not being short of water she has been planting petunias. These are plants which rejoice in good weather. Not direct sunlight which is likely to kill them outright, so they have been planted where the shade of the trees will protect them during the hottest part of the day. Take care of yourselves as well as your plants and may your God go with you wherever you are in our glorious country.
