A Natural Garden

 On a sloping ridge overlooking the golf course at Moka, facing the picturesque hills of Paramin, is the home of Sonia, a young housewife, mother of two and a happy gardener.

 Sonia has been gardening since she was a child, encouraged first by her grandparents then by her parents, all of them avid gardeners.  Now, she spends most of her spare time happily puttering around her own garden.

The entrance to Sonia’s garden is very attractive.  As you pass through the pedestrian entrance onto the front steps, you are greeted by a stunning pink bougainvillea clinging to a tall trellis; lush greenery of soft ferns; and colourful shrubs growing all the way down to the front door.

 To the left of the front steps is a steep pathway that winds around the house down to the flat lawn and swimming pool area. 

 Along the way, you pass by large sweet lime bushes (Murraya paniculata), areca palms, ground orchids (Spathoglottis), crotons, heliconias, coleus, two varieties of gardenias, many other shrubs and a lot of trees.

 Sonia’s is a natural garden.  There are no straight lines or formal beds in it.  She lets her plants grow naturally with little or no pruning.

 The property is over 10,000 square feet in size.  When she first started her garden ten years ago, she wanted it to be colourful, so she put in a lot of crotons and other variegated shrubs.  These plants now brighten up the landscape, highlighted against the different shades of green of the trees and other plants.

 Strolling through the garden, you become aware of the cheerful singing of birds and the beautiful tall trees with leaves rustling like the wings of a thousand butterflies in the breeze.  These relaxing sounds add to the serenity of this natural garden.  Sonia entices birds into the garden by providing bird houses and feeders with ripe bananas and other fruits.  They perch and nest on the trees, which include casuarinas, pouis, African tulip (Spothodea campanulata), shower of gold (Cassia fistula) and several fruit trees.

 The trees are very precious to Sonia.  When her husband, Ralph, was putting in the swimming pool, she insisted that it did not encroach on any of her trees.

 Among the fruit trees are two coconuts, a Julie mango, a West Indian lime, a pink grapefruit, several bananas and an orange.

 Sonia also has a vegetable and herb garden just outside her kitchen window.  In it are a robust growing vine of Chinese or poi barjee, cherry tomatoes, pineapples, mint, lemon balm, thyme, chives and other herbs.

 She does not use pesticides in her garden because of her children.  When mole crickets, running from the spraying of the grass on the adjacent golf course come into her garden and attack her lawn, for instance, she just rides out the storm until they disappear.  She then replants the grass.

 Just as her parents and grand parents did with her, Sonia encourages her young children to garden by giving them their own area in the garden to grow whatever they want.  With this new generation of happy gardeners coming up, the future looks good for gardening in Trinidad and Tobago.

--------------------------------------

If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

******************************************
(Click on the Back button to go back to the list of Johnny's articles)