It was a very welcome rainy Saturday after a harsh dry spell of some weeks. This threatened our May meeting in Malabar but, as one of our members said, “Rain only stops cricket!” Nothing would dampen the spirit of our club! And as it turned out, the rain held up and the afternoon was cool and the light very soft, allowing the saturated colours to a photographer’s delight.

On the approach to the property there is a small forest of beautiful mature Casuarina fir trees, that gives the air of a fairy tale and builds the excitement. We were all soon to see that the excitement was indeed well placed.

A potted collection of large Achmea Bromeliads made a big impact at the gate and as one entered the property a beautiful, flowering, white bougainvillea could take one’s breath away. Gorgeous carved wooden doors lead into the interior of the property. Both the house and garden showed a definite East/Southeast Asian influence that was relaxed and charming. There was a strong urge to don Kimonos and sip Saki or something of that ilk, and maybe take a dip in the delightful pool in the centre of the property.The garden was divided into a number of small areas around the pool, as well as adjacent to the various sections of the house, and larger areas on the perimeter. One such area had the feel of a Secret Garden. Dotted around the garden were a number of Japanese pagoda ornaments and in the “Secret Garden” there was a delightful, roughly hewn sculpture of a steel pan player, as if to remind us that we are in Trinidad.  The plantings were exquisite at every turn, with perfect specimen plants on display everywhere! A veritable feast for the eyes.

The meeting was attended by forty members and guests. Such was the lure of our gracious hostess’s no-less-than enchanting garden, befitting of her fabulous home. The president reminded the members of the upcoming Annual General Meeting and invited the members to nominate persons for positions on the committee. All positions being available for election or re-election. Our speaker was the esteemed Paul Fajgenbaum, who spoke to us on orchids. The talk was riveting and extremely well received. Our thanks to Dr. Paul for giving us his time and knowledge.This month the photo quiz was replaced by two members, each discussing a plant, and this too was well received. Next month two other members will discuss two other plants.Due to logistics there was no show bench this month.

Our next meeting will be the AGM and this will be held at the home of Sonia-Lisa Ross on 22^nd June. We look forward to seeing you all then.