The Bananakeet Garden

This area of STJ is considered dry. Not as dry as heading out to the East End or Salt Pond, but it's not the green, lush area the North Shore is. It's not what you think of when you think TROPICAL. For where we are the garden is healthy and doing very well, but it wouldn't survive on it's own.  It relies on a limited irrigation system and I water with the grey water as needed. The trick is to emulate nature, a little water often, rather than a lot infrequently. Tropical plants get water from the canopy and plants are designed to work best getting water from above, so you plant the tall stuff which catches the rain and directs it to their roots while the large leaves drip water onto smaller plants below.  It's nothing like gardening in the States but it's more exciting and , I think, more rewarding. There's a whole new set of rules to learn. 

And it's unique. Maybe for you people in Arizona and Florida it's common to have lizards following you around when you weed and Hummers flying through the hose spray to get a bath when you water, and giant roaches and spiders under the rocks, but it's a fanciful new world to me. Tropical gardening is really COOL! Sweaty and filthy, but COOL.

This wall was built by West Indian craftsmen. Stone wall terracing is still constructed the same traditional way as it was 200 years ago, the rocks are laid ends facing out, not in a line like a New England wall. Most land here is so steep terracing is the only way to do any gardening. 





Rocks also hold the soil and keep it moist. You often see a small plant growing from between two rocks. You want to get a plant started, put some rocks around it.

Ground Orchids are wild and take over quickly. I picked up ten of these from a driveway at the Caneel Resort, now look! I'm almost sorry I did it, I can't stop the happy fiends!  Hey, plant pilfering is good.  Take advantage of what works!

Gardener Joke
 Q: What's the best time to take a cutting? A: When nobody's looking. HA.

Ground Orchids

Croton

This is the craziest thing, it's the voodoo fountain. It was built by a Dominican fellow, really positive and helpful guy, but what was he thinking? It  looks like some  black spirits are trying to make their way out of it, like they possessed him and made him do this.  I don't like it, it's creepy.

Golden Cane Palm Bloom

The Golden Cane Palm is the staple in any garden here. It grows tall and airy when in the ground, these are over 10ft high, yet they will live fine in a pot.

I smuggled this white Phalaenopsis orchid in my carry on bag wrapped 

in a t- shirt. Every birthday and Mother's Day my mother would have a white orchid delivered to me in a pretty pot, wrapped in FTD plastic. Soon I had a lot of these orchids. Some I gave away but three of them got brought down here. Using fabric strips that would wear away over time, I tied them to a tree that had craggy bark and they loved it. They rarely stop blooming. 

Free, my friends, I set you FREE! 

Please don't call the Dept. of Agriculture.

Bev's Orchid

Fish Tail Palm Just Getting Started

Next Bloom Stage Fish Tail Palm

Spider Lily

Banana

Papaya

Coconut Palm

Traveler Palm

I call this the Water Meter Weed. When is starts to droop it means it's time to water. It blooms in the morning, very pretty little pink flowers. 

Bougainvillea

The Bougs come in many colors these days but the red ones do the best. There's a Boug here that was sick, I tossed it over the hill, it rooted and is blooming. They do have some evil thorns. Pruning them will rip the skin off your arms if you aren't careful.

Ixora

 George made this tray - it's for my Epiphyte garden. You know those air plants sold in gift shops? These are them. Ephiphytes grow on other plants but aren't parasites or a symbiont, they don't hurt the plant they grow on or drain their life away. They usually sprout on trees and rocks, sometimes they fall from their trees so I rescue them. I tried bringing (ok ...smuggling) one back to the States , it died almost immediately. I think he missed his friends - they didn't call, they didn't write..... they don't need soil, just mist and can go without water for a long time, so they make a an impress-your-friends no maintenance porch or rock garden.  

The name 'epiphyte' comes from the Greek word 'epi' meaning 'upon' and 'phyton' meaning 'plant'. Don't forget this, there will be a test! 
An orchid is also an Epiphyte.

Desert Rose in Great Bloom

George's favorite plant, the Desert Rose. He talks to this plant, "hello Beautiful, hello Sweetie, how are you today?"
Sure it's pretty but I don't get it. The thing looks like a stick with flowers glued to the ends. Then the flowers fall off and it looks MORE like a stick. Then it gets leaves that turn yellow so it looks like a stick with dried up yellow stuff on it. I don't get it.

 Here's another homemade Epiphyte garden - just stuck on a piece of branch. There's no end to the Epiphyte creative fun! 

I don't know what these are but they grow wild on STJ and are considered weeds. If anyone knows about them please tell me because they aren't found anywhere and no one seems to care. I've picked them up when I was out hiking, shoved them in my knapsack and planted them. They are indestructible. Indestructible is good.

Aloe blooms! Its Spring and the Aloes are blooming. Bees and Hummers love them. I never knew Aloes like shade and water, I thought they were a desert plant. Wrong. 

So that's the garden in a nutshell. It's pretty easy, just add water!

Alamanda, Oleander and Dracaena

Don't Forget the Fence!