Gardening Passion

Gardening Passion is an all-new literary classicism. It is a manifesto for environmentalists everywhere. It has gloriously captured the rhythms of our everyday engagement with the indoor as well as the outdoor spaces. The chapters range from showy plants bearing universal and local identifications, the cultivation of lavish landscapes, favourite trees, foods and beverages, to hosting parties in the garden. The book speaks to the creation of elegant gardens, aesthetics in the garden and of various ways to decorate both the interior and exterior of your home. My goal is to disseminate information at all levels; to promote awareness in horticulture, to communicate better gardening techniques, and to encourage gardeners to strive to accomplish beautiful home gardens. There has been a generated interest in Jamaican flora which has been spreading worldwide. This could be attributed to Jamaica’s flamboyant and winning participation in the internationally renowned Royal Horticultural Shows held annually in the United Kingdom. My early exposure to Horticulture fostered an interest in pets as well as wildlife, some of which influenced the plants I selected to cultivate. I also included plants that are of sentimental value to me as some were given by friends, some by people who had no particular interest in plants and other plant enthusiasts whom I have met along the way. I tried to include as many plants as possible, from easy to grow and adaptable, to plants that need extra care while I included some succulents and cactus for tough and sunny areas. Much attention has been given to house plants and other shade-loving plants. I also included my experiences of the night time garden, and some advice on how to share and enjoy your garden. In my selection of plants I evaluated certain attributes, such as their flowers, fragrance, foliage and fruits. Gardening Passion is comprehensive, easy-to-read, and beautifully illustrated to take the guesswork out of gardening. Be cognizant that gardens change with the seasons, so plants, techniques, materials and lifestyle are constantly broadening the choices you have. Gardening Passion provides the information you need to create lavish landscapes, beautiful gardens and suitable accessories. Additionally you can indulge in other activities; be it cooking, brewing, arranging flowers or decorating the interior of your house using supplies from the home garden. Pause at the welcome chapter. Acquaint yourself with the exhibition, and then take a step into a gallery loaded with home-grown plants that are identified by both their botanical and local names. Having left the gallery, timely turn the pages. Indulge in the 645 original photographs. This groundbreaking resource book is an indispensable reference, comprised of 282 pages, illustrated by photographs which are artistically embedded in the manuscript. Gardening Passion is intended for students, horticulturists as well as enthusiasts. It was a sunny afternoon in spring, when three of my gardening fans stopped by and proceeded to look around the garden. The gleaming sun setting in the far west pitched its light on the trees and formed elongated silhouettes on the green lawn. The annuals and the perennials were in full bloom, the birds were chirping overhead and the fishes were swimming in their quiet pond. As we strolled and as my visitors acclaimed, I teasingly handed them more blooms. Each bloom brought on an elevated level of fascination accompanied by excited outbursts. It was a question innocently posed by one of the ladies that startled me and triggered my desire to write. While standing there in awe and holding some blooms in her well-manicured hands, she lovingly raised them to her bulging bosom, tenderly held them there, she innocently enquired, “If I plant these, will they grow?” Months after the encounter I pondered her question. The answer compelled me to share my experiences in the cultivation of plants and flowers. For years I have been prompted to show my modest collection to the public. With this book, I will be able to defend what has been declared: “It is selfish to keep all this knowledge to yourself.” Since then I have set out to write; not a fiction, not a biography, but a textbook with much passion on gardening. I wanted to include everything; garden-oriented people, accessories, places of horticultural interest and a wide assortment of gardening activities. I also wanted to include photographs that I have been collecting as a hobby. I did not own the tools required for modern writing, but I had the tools I knew about; a pen, paper, my dictionary of treasured sentiments and a clipboard. I reached for them, sat under a shade tree in the garden, tilted my head back, closed my eyes and searched keenly around the garden settings. And so, on day one I wrote the outline for the table of contents. Then the scampering through old volumes of newspapers, scrap books, books and magazines began. I did not miss out on the field trips, horticultural shows, garden visits and nature walks and snapping photographs became my second nature. I discovered later, that a book of this calibre required a team who would apply professional services. I thought that it was now high time to throw in my towel. Patience, however, took hold of me for yet another time. I entered the world of graphics and I laboriously applied the graphics skills and techniques I was taught. It has been eight years since this book has totally consumed my attention. I often felt that I had bitten off a little more than I could chew but there was always a voice that reminded me, that I had reached too far on the journey of achieving my writing goals to turn back now. The journey to write this book has been strewed with failures, disappointments and near mishaps. It meant burning the midnight oil, becoming reclusive and making grave self-denials. It even meant turning a blind eye on the garden at times. The tedious journey has ended with much triumph, exuberance and victory.