I know that most of you are sitting having breakfast in the warmth of a Guyana morning. In the garden your eyes could well be assailed by the knockout colours of the bougainvillea and the enchanting display of all the other gorgeous plants you can (and ought to) have in your borders – hibiscus, ixora of many colours, mussaenda and jasmine. Take time to enjoy their beauty.
Now you all know what michaelmas daisies are. Plenty in the public parks and gardens, and maybe even in your own. To me it is one of the surprises in this beautiful country. It is a plant of the temperate world introduced heaven knows how many decades ago, and loving every minute of the climate, as I did. The family is much larger than you in Guyana may realise. Plants range from just a few inches in height to five or six feet high, and in colours from white through the entire range of the blue part of the spectrum. After the orgy of strident colours found in the English summer flower beds and borders, there is usually a wonderful contrast between the glorious autumn colours of the trees, and the cool misty blues of the asters (michaelmas daisies) combined with the graceful stems of the ornamental grasses. In Guyana your own small michaelmas daisy (I think you can claim it as your own now) is one of a minority of plants – those with blue flowers. It is not likely that the taller varieties would survive. They have too much foliage to be exposed to the sun here, although the botanic garden in Trinidad did sport a taller one about two feet tall some years ago. Small other varieties lose less water.
One thing you can grow and which you should try to get into your garden is the giant onion, which rejoices in the name Allium aflatuense – Purple sensation. It will flower through the months of May, June and July, and ought to make a splendid backdrop in a mixed border. I am told that they seed easily (but are not invasive), and can be left undisturbed for a long time. That is until you decide that they want reducing in quantity.
And there is also a great deal to be said for trying to grow at least a small amount of the vegetables you enjoy eating. In spite of the cost and lack of space, there is nothing quite like the taste a fresh vegetable picked from your own garden, and nothing quite like the feeling of having grown them yourself. Give it a go. For once let your imagination rule your pocket.
In Europe now gardeners are bombarded with scores of programmes which show how to grow vegetables properly, how to prepare and cook them properly and how to grow and arrange flowers for the table. People are aware as never before just how important the garden and gardening is to their everyday lives. But always the message is clear: Carry out every job in the garden perfectly. Pay attention to detail, and do not skimp on preparation.
Until next week may your God go with you wherever you may be.
