Promenade Gardens Part 1

While botanic and public gardens in temperate countries tend to intrigue and charm you with details such as fabulous textures, unusual forms and patterns, pretty blooms, making you focus in; such gardens in the tropics tend to make you look up and out-to towering and amazing heights

and brilliant color. The Promenade Gardens in Georgetown, Guyana epitomizes such gardens designed in the Colonial era.

The canon ball tree (Couroupta guianensis) is a spectacular South American trees often planted in subtropical and tropical botanical gardens. This tree is also grown at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables, Florida. The flowers are beautiful and fragrant. The three pics above show the buds, blooms and cannon balls.

In August 1851, the Town Council in Georgetown made a decision to create a public promenade, and a botanist from Trinidad was brought in to create the garden.

travelers's palm

whimsical merry go roud 60 feet in the air

another towering unusual palm

Fruit in the market

In Georgetown, Guyana. Among the more exotic offering are caimite, known here as star apple see link and sapodilla, one of my favorite fruits from childhood.

Click on the picture above to enlarge, the middle hanging bag of orange fruit is of areca nuts, and the bags of purple balls are of caimite. Alas, the above fruit stand above reminded me of American supermarkets, where they fruits are unblemished and pretty but taste insipid. The best fruits were from less fancy stands.

Yellow flambouyant

Splendid (and rare) yellow flamboyant ( Royal Poinciana) in Georgetown, Guyana.



I met a kindred spirit in Guyana-a colleague offered me a lift to my next meeting and as we were driving I told him I have a strange request, that I had seen a yellow flamboyant tree with seedpods yesterday and I'd like to stop and get some seeds. Well he said my request did not sound strange at all, that he is a regular seed-picker and cuttings taker! When we found a tree with seedpods he expertly whacked down 4 pods as he also wanted to plant two in his front yard. And yes, a few people did look at us curiously.

Blooms Day in the Caribbean Garden Jan 2010

We are now month two into the six best months for gardening on my island-though its been an unseasonably warm winter. Lots of colorful and pretty blooms, like these morning glory



antigonon


desert rose


Kalanchoe blossfeldiana-such a sweet plant, blooms for three months every year and then reproduces itself, to form no care foliage plants





Euphorbia milii-I call these "lipstick"




Plumbago, one of the few tropical blues


Always a favourite

Pumpkin Carrot Soup with ginger

A recipe for those cold wintry days and nights…Though I have made this soup before after having it a couple times in local restaurants, this time I made it with fresh local organic calabaza squash and carrots, along with my home grown herbs, and was blown away by the flavor. The freshly harvested produce definitely made the difference. Calabaza or West Indian pumpkin or kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) are rich tasting and very flavorful.

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil or butter
½ small onion or 1 medium shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
hot pepper to taste ( optional)
3 cups fresh peeled kabocha or calabaza squash (butternut squash also works), chopped in medium chunks. Skin can be left on if young tender calbaza or kabocha squash is used. The quantity need not be exact, you can use a little more or less than 3 cups.
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup white wine (optional,I used leftover chardonnay)
3 cups water or vegetable or chicken stock
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 seasoning aji dulce pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
Sprig of fresh thyme and or ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup cream

Garnishes:
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
Chipotle pepper powder or smoked paprika

Method

Heat oil or butter and add onion/shallots, garlic and hot pepper. Sauté for 2 – 3 minutes, until the onion/shallots begin to get translucent. Add the pumpkin and carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add wine and stir.

Add water or stock, ginger, seasoning peppers (if using), salt and herbs. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes.

Let cool 15 minutes. Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth.

Return to heat and stir in the cream. Add black pepper. Taste and add salt if needed. Put soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil, lime juice, dust chipolte or paprika powder if using, then sprinkle with the hazelnuts or walnuts.

6 servings

Snow berries!

Well I was racking my brain on what to post on this month's Picture This and was about to post pics of leafless frangipani in Laos in December when my friend Aoth took these pictures for me in England. I thought they were too lovely not to share. So the first one is my entry ( if this qualifies). Since we both lived our entire lives in the tropics we have no idea what these plants are.

A potty post!

I was thrilled to see these gorgeous glazed pots at the nursery. I hope they still have my favorites by the time I get paid and can buy some! Most of these are from Vietnam. South East Asia is a mecca for home and garden merchandise.



Love this lemongrass shade ( it looks more green/yellow in real)


This shape and the cream color is the prefect complement to my small and meduim blue/grey and green agaves






Cool cats!





This nice cobalt blue will go great with the fuchsia, red or yellow






nice crackled glaze


simple and elegant