Garden

I have always been fascinated by orchids, particularly the endemic Jamaican species, and have had collections of these on and off over the years. My interest was been renewed over a year ago by a gift from my niece Betty of several plants including dendrobiums, oncidiums, phalaenopsis, vandas and a cattleytonia. I've since added several to my collection and have had to build a shade house in which to keep them.

Jamaican orchids featured on current postage stamps.

My collection of natives includes:

Broughtonia sanguinea

Blooms year-round in several forms and shades of pink to magenta. I have yet to acquire the white, peach and yellow variants which are rarer.

Broughtonia negrilensis

My single plant blooms once a year from November through January. The blooms are more frilly and delicate than b. sanguinea and are quite spectacular.

Brassia caudata

At least I think it's b. caudata and not b. maculata, though I can't be sure as it hasn't bloomed since I've had it. (It was given to me by an ex-lover. I wonder if that is significant?) I've changed its location several times in an effort to coax it into bloom but without success. I have now divided the plant into three, re-potted in charcoal, and am hoping for the best.

Brassavola cordata

Commonly called Lady of the Night because of the heavy fragrance of its cream and white blooms at night. Easily grown, my specimen is now covered in blooms, borne 5 or 6 to the spike emerging from each new leaf.

Brassavola nodosa

Closely related to b. cordata but with larger blooms and not native to Jamaica.

Encyclia cochleata, formerly classified as Epidendrum cochleatum

Blooms constantly with many greenish-cream and dark purple flowers. Easy to grow.

A good reference is Orchids of Jamaica by Ancile Gloudon & Cicely Tobisch, although the photographs are small and often indistinct. If you have difficulty finding this book, let me know and I will see if there is anything I can do at this end.

I have to confess I'm in a dilemma with regard to achieving maximum blooms and general health with artificial fertilisers and chemicals, but without them, I have not had much success with the hybrids. The natives are not a problem. If you know of or have used successfully organic methods with orchids, I would be glad to hear of it.

MANGOES

Mangifera indica

When it is mango season throughout Jamaica, it is that time when pat tun dung, the pots are put away, as many people subsist on the succulent fruit which is borne in abundance.

Introduced from India by the British in their horticultural fervour, mango trees now cover the countryside as well as city dooryards. Varietal names such as East Indian, and Bombay, betray as well their subcontinental origin, while the Number Eleven simply answers to what was written on the crate in which the seedlings were shipped.

Mangoes are high in vitamins A, B1, B12, and C, as well as iron and potassium. They are a good source of natural sugars and fibre. According to Diane Robertson, herbalist and author of Jamaican Herbs and Live Longer Look Younger With Herbs, two mango leaves infused in hot water make a good mouthwash for hardening the gums. Luis writes that in Cuba they "make a mango tincture out of mango leaves! It is good for hair loss applied topically, fertility problems, and impotence. :)" Hey guys, check it out.

AVOCADOS

Avocados persea americana are just now coming in, a welcome addition to every meal or to accompany hardough bread or bulla. Simmonds is the most readily available hybrid, but the common pear holds its own with its strong, sweet flavour. With such an abundance, you're bound to end up with some over-ripe ones, but you can put them to good use. I'll be sharing my recipe for guacamole soon in the kitchen.

NONI ANYONE?

One of the latest health food crazes is Tahitian Noni which is the juice of the hog apple morinda citrifolia. It is reputed to be good for just about everything that ails you. This is because it contains two enzymes, proxeronine and proxeronase, which act together in the body to help it produce xeronine, an alkaloid without which the body cannot function optimally. Noni has been used to treat almost every known disease including AIDS, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, gastric ulcers, sprains, injuries, mental depression, senility, poor digestion, atherosclerosis, drug addiction, pain, lupus, chronic fatigue, lupus, vitiligo, and burns.

According to Dr. Ralph Heinecke who discovered and named xeronine in 1957, "Many locations in the body have proteins with receptor sites for xeronine absorption ... Noni makes people feel better because xeronine converts certain brain proteins into active receptor sites for endorphins, the 'well-being hormones.' Dr. Steven Hall explains that "Xeronine is important because it helps the body turn enzymes on and off ... Anything that improves enzyme activity has wide-ranging effects, because all of your body's functions depend on enzymes."

It grows in the Caribbean but traditionally only the leaves have been used to heal cuts and wounds. Anyone with more information or personal experience of the therapeutic use of this plant, please drop me a line. A useful little booklet by Rita Elkins discusses "how this 'miracle fruit' has emerged onto the Western medical scene, demonstrating powerful therapeutic capabilities and providing the potential for disease eradication, health promotion and longevity."

READING MATERIAL

Not exactly hands-on gardening experience, but I highly recommend Growing Myself: A Spiritual Journey Through Gardening by Judith Handelsman, former garden columnist for Vogue and New Age Journal along with Machaelle Small Wright's Behaving As if the God in All Life Mattered. Both of these attempt to put us back in touch with nature and with that part of ourselves which is connected to the whole.

To really get your hands dirty and to have long-lasting results that you can be proud of, apply some of the techniques set out in The Permaculture Garden by Graham Bell with clear and simple illustrations by Sarah Bunker. This is for lazy people like me who want to establish a garden and have it going forever with minimal input or maintenance.

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