The sky was a threatening grey but by no means was the mood of those heading to Freeport, to visit Chan’s garden, in any way darkened. Even the maxi taxi (minibus) ride was stimulating. We were not sure whether we had taken flight as we seems to be crop-dusting the road. Thankfully all arrived safely at Chan’s home.

Chan, thank you so much for inviting us to visit. What a wonderful time we all had! It was like a breath of fresh air. The garden was not manicured and there were no ornaments to catch the eye, but goodness, the eye was certainly caught many times.

There were extraordinary, giant cosmos and beds of cock’s comb (Celosa) in flower, attracting butterflies while we browsed. Antigua Heath (Russleia) was resplendent with its red tubular flowers – a veritable hummingbird magnet, as their long tongues can reach the sweet surprise at the base of the flowers. The cheeky and innovative Bananaquit though, with its less than fit-for-purpose tongue, has learned to split the flower at its base to steal the hidden treasure. Many flowering Coreopsis or Tickseed were also very much in evident, conjuring up in one’s mind the English country garden or wild meadow.

 An arbor was covered in a mix of Blue Pea (Clitoria) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The Blue Pea was in flower but apparently the cucumber vine has never flowered or borne baby cucumbers. Maybe the recent threats it has received may change that!

Large ochro (Okra) plants were showing off their many ochros. Our host invited us to pick and eat the ochro straight off the plant and a lot of us took up the offer. It was a delightful surprise of not just taste but texture. The ochro was tender and crisp with no slime, and with an enjoyable, delicate taste. Perfect for adding to a salad. Apparently, this should be done at the last minute to avoid slime development. Who knew?

Chan even has a dedicated nursery area where seeds are germinated and where small-scale experiments take place. The entire garden was interesting in so many ways. Chan also dries and bottles edible petals and botanicals for sale. Thanks again to Chan for having us.

Once the exploring and tasting was over, we gathered for the business of the club. Wendy Perreira-Aqui educated us on Poi Bhaji, also known as red vine spinach, creeping spinach or climbing spinach. I’m sure that now several of us will be planting this in our gardens. Our host spoke to us on Wonder of the World (Bryophyllum pinnatum) and its many uses. So very interesting. Thank you for that, Wendy and Chan.

The group was informed of out next meeting at the home of Nigel Russel-Hosein on the 12^th October and they were reminded too of the plant sale booked to take place in November at the Scout’s Headquarters in St. Ann’s.

We were all treated to a very enjoyable selection of local fare before heading back to reality. Another wonderful meeting had by all!

You can check Chan’s items out at https://wa.me/p/5717610644988403/18687865357