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**Bamboo (Clumping variety, leafy plant) Bambusa
Several years ago we planted clumping bamboo in our shady terraced hill garden, as a sun block for our driveway and as a hedge at one end of our property. We didn't know the variety name and we still don't.

We took culms from a bamboo here in Montserrat that was about 30 feet tall with 3 to 4 inch stems and the gardener told us it was “West Indian bamboo” which doesn't seem to exist on the internet.
Our bamboo is now a stellar performer! Even the rather conservative folks here from Britain and the United States consider it beautiful. Most of them have dreadful tales of running bamboo and all are startled to see that ours is not a monster.
From: I read somewhere that clumping bamboos are native to the high Himalayas which seems very peculiar seeing how happy and healthy ours are at sea level in the tropical Caribbean.
Photographed: In the garden beside our driveway at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Growth: When you bring home your bamboo shoots set them in the center of an area where they can spread in a natural circle. They will prefer a sunny or semi sunny location, fertile soil or the addition of regular fertilizer (bamboo is in the grass family) and routine rain or watering. As the bamboo settles in and begins to grow you can determine which of the stalks you will let grow. If one is heading in a direction that you don't what it to grow, simply remove the shoot when it is small. You may also feel free to prune the bamboo a bit if you wish.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2008

**Banana Passion Fruit, Caruba, Banana Poka, Bananadilla Passiflora mollissima
The two photographs below were taken on the roadside in a small village outside of Taxco, Mexico. The village, higher up in the mountains and an hour away from Taxco, lies along what was always a difficult road, but is now greatly improved. Here in the village called Tenerillas there is sometimes snow in the winter and year round it is almost always cool and humid because it lies at cloud level. The vegetation there is lush with hardy tropicals as a hard freeze would be extremely rare.
Benefits: In Mexico, the fruits of this vine are considered an excellent treatment for high blood pressure aside from their value as a delicious base for a fruit drink.
From: One source reported the vine coming from the higher altitudes in Venezuela through to Bolivia and Peru. Another source said Brazil, but didn't mention altitude.
Link: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/banana_passion_fruit.htm
Photographed: Along the roadside in Tenerillas, a small village about an hour's drive outside of Taxco, Mexico, in the State of Guerrero.
Planting and Care:After stopping to talk with the owner I took some ripening fruit from the vine in Tenerillas, Mexico, whose flowers you see below and brought them to Montserrat in the Caribbean. I kept them refrigerated for several months and finally got them planted. The seeds have proved very hardy as I now have several small plants thriving. I suspect that here in the Caribbean they will prefer a little shade during the hottest time of day.

Normally this vine grows best at higher elevations, above 5000 feet. Our home is just about 800 feet above sea level so we have our fingers crossed. If we are lucky, the mature flowering banana passion fruit vine will add yet one more hummingbird attractant to the garden and will give us its aromatic soft yellow fruits all year round. It is said that in the best setting one vine will yield two hundred fruits when it is mature.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2008

BASIL

**Basil (1), Sweet Basil Ocimum basilicum
What would a garden be without one or more varieties of this fragrant herb. Here in Montserrat, we have had good luck growing the traditional large leaved soft basil which we harvest regularly to make great quantities of pesto which we freeze in ice cube trays so we have easy serving size portions whenever the mood strikes. We also have learned to quick saute fresh basil leaves in olive oil to freeze for other uses, like chopped frozen on homemade pizza or chopped into a homemade tomato sauce. Gourmet Magazine also has a great number of recipes for using fresh basil.
Benefits:
1. Once flowering, basil is used throughout Mexico to shoo away flies and it really does work! Pick a few flowering stems and treat them like any other flowers from your garden. Find a pretty vase, fill it with fresh water and load it up with basil.
2. Basil may also be a healthful energizer. Try making a light tea from several leaves and see how you feel.
From: Basil is said to have originated in such diverse continents as Africa and India/Asia.

Planting and Care: Here in the Caribbean this type of basil seems to prefer some shade during the hotter parts of the day. Plant it in rich soil where it will receive regular rainfall or routine watering. When the plants reach about eight to ten inches tall, begin to harvest the upper leaves. Take a sharp knife and cut just above a leaf joint. If you don't harvest the leaves regularly, the plants will begin to flower and the leaves will grow smaller and a little bitter. When this happens the plants are no longer useful in food preparations, but will work fine as insect repellents. When your basil has been in the ground for a couple of months and seems to be growing woody, harvest several soft (not woody) stems with several leaves. Place these in water in a bright, but not sunny, window. They will quickly root and you will have fresh basil to plant. You can do this for several months, but at some point you will have to start over from seeds so when one of your plants goes to flower leave it until it begins to seed. Then pull it up gently on a wind free day. Shake the dry plant over an old sheet and collect the seeds for the next gardening season. Let them dry for a day or two then put them in a small plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to plant them.
Varieties: The basil you see pictured above which was photographed in our garden in Montserrat is probably Lettuce Leaf. These plants are able to grow well here in what can be a hot, dry and VERY windy climate that just as easily in a few days can be a very rainy temperate climate.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2004/2008/2010

**Basil (2), Mint (in Montserrat) Caribbean Perennial Ocimum basillicum (L.) Willd.
This plant has small leaves, less than an inch long, a terrific flavor and, best of all, it is a very tough plant that can grow in tropical sun.
Benefits: Here in Montserrat it is used as a tea.
From: The American tropics and subtropics
Planting and Care: This plant will root easily from a six inch cutting placed in a glass of water on a bright, not sunny, windowsill. Once rooted it can be moved outside, first to a semi shady area in a small pot and then to a bright sunny spot in the garden. It is a lovely plant and will grow to be about two feet tall before it always seems to succumb to some insect, most often mealy bugs. So, although it is a perennial we keep individual plants only about a year before renewing them with a fresh cutting.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2004/2007

**Bay Rum Tree, Bay Leaf Tree, Wild Cinnamon Tree Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J. W. Moore syn. P. acris or Caryophyllus racemosus
The bay rum tree is very attractive and can be grown on a relatively small plot of land as a garden centerpiece. Its leaves are dark green and shiny resembling the shape of the bay leaves used in cooking, but BEWARE bay rum oil is toxic so the leaves are probably toxic too. Its flowers are not memorable for their beauty, but they provide a lovely enduring scent in the garden.
Benefits: Growing to up to 40 feet tall this tree is the source of bay oil used in making the popular bay rum cosmetic products that are said to have originated in Montserrat. One hundred pounds of bay rum leaves yields one pound of an essential oil called myrcia. Bay rum is made from a combination of bay oil or myrcia, orange oil, pimenta oil, alcohol and water. Parts of the bay rum tree have also been said to have curative powers in external applications for muscle and joint strains and pains.
From: The West Indies
Photographed: In our garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Trees live so long and are large enough to dominate areas of your garden so choose well where you will plant this one. It prefers full sun and routine rainfall or watering though ours which are fully grown have suffered through several droughts with little apparent damage.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008

Beach Roses and Rose Hips
Photographed: By the sea in Sakonnet, Rhode Island, in the northeast USA.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

BEANS

**Asparagus Bean, Yard Long Bean Dolichos melanophtalmus or Vigna sesquipedalis or Phaseolus sesquipedalis'
This is a prolific climbing type of green bean which as the name implies is very long, not a yard, but at least a foot. We planted these beans along with Italian pole beans. The local large rodent called an agouti ate all of the latter so we are very fond of the asparagus bean for its survival characteristics. Even though the plants look terrible they produce enough beans every day or so to make the evening meal green and they are delicious.
Photographed: In our garden in Montserrat
Planting and Care: Plant a few seeds by a 10 foot pole in full sun. With regular rainfall or watering you should begin harvesting in about sixty days. The seeds for this type of bean can be identified because they are a muted red in color.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2009

Black Beans
Link: http://www.iit.edu/~beans/black.html

**Green beans Phaseolus vulgaris
Green beans seem to do well in the Caribbean even when I've used old favorite varieties that I loved in my New England garden. I read that the following types should work well in a tropical climate: Extender, Contender, Harvester
Planting and Care: Work over your soil well incorporating a bit of lime and as much organic material as you can spare. Plant your seeds about one inch deep and one inch apart. We tend to plant them in November for an early February harvest because insects are not so prevalent in that season.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2007

Bear's Breach, Greek Akanthos Acanthus mollis
This is a plant we first saw in the Botanical Gardens in Athens. Aside from lovely winding paths and many large trees providing wonderful shade this garden is disappointing. The Bear's Breach is the only memorable plant we saw.
Photographed: In the Botanical Garden at Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Grow this plant in bright semi shade with regular rainfall or watering for best results. The leaves and tall flower stalks, up to five feet, make this a stunning accent plant.
Link: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/
Plants/Acanthaceae/Acanthus_mollis.html
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008/2010

BEGONIAS

**Begonia Landscaping
Begonias range from the prosaic shady garden hardy plant in carefree New England summer gardens, usually with nondescript pink or red flowers, to large leaved indoor specimens with beautiful flowers. These latter plants would be perfect in our shade garden, but we have so far no access to the plants themselves here in Montserrat and no starter plants from elsewhere. We're going to change that just as soon as possible!
Photographed: At the driveway entrance to Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: In general begonias prefer not to be planted in a full sun area of the garden. They do best in very bright semi shady areas. They like it warm, not hot and they never like it cold. Despite all of these preferences, begonias are old staples in the garden and in the house plant department and they will do just fine in most situations.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010/2011

Painted Leaf Begonia, Rex Begonia
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO2010

Begonia Mystery #1
Photographed: At the Hotel San Buenaventura on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Hardy Pink Begonia Begonia grandis subsp. evansiana, B. evansiana
This is a wonderful perennial little care everflowering begonia that deserves a place in every garden. See the white version below. It is lovely also, but seems just a little less exhuberant.
Photographed: At the Hotel San Buenaventura on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: This is a perennial and easy care begonia that will reward your efforts on its behalf with almost continuously blooming pink flowers as you see in the photographs. While it is said to prefer light shade or only morning sun, I've seen it growing and in bloom in full sun and deep shade as well. Give it routine rainfall or watering and a rich loamy soil to keep it at its best.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Hardy White Begonia
See Above
Photographed: At the Hotel San Buenaventura on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #3
Photographed: At the Hotel San Buenaventura on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #4
Photographed: At the Hotel San Buenaventura on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #30A
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #31A
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #33
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #35
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #36
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #38
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #39
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Begonia Mystery #40
Photographed: On our garden terrace at our apartment in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

BIRD OF PARADISE

Bird of Paradise Strelitzia reginae
This is one of the plants I covet, but do not yet have growing in the garden. When I get one, I know just where to plant it so that its exotic flowers and very large leaves will be at their best in the four foot height they usually achieve.
From: South Africa
Photographed: In our apartment garden in Oaxaca, Mexico, in February 2010.
Planting and Care: This stunning plant likes to live in the sun with its feet firmly planted in rich soil in a setting that receives regular rainfall or watering. It will do well also in semi shade, but reduce its exposure to watering or rainfall as well as to the sun. Once it is fully established it will become quite hardy, surviving drier periods pretty well.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2007/2010

Giant White Bird of Paradise, White Crane Flower, Tree Bird of Paradise Strelitzia nicolai
As you can see in the photograph to the left, this is a HUGE member of the Bird of Paradise family. These plants were more than feet tall and I casually mistook them for some variety of bananas until my husband called my attention to them -- truly extraordinary.
From: South Africa
Note: Physical contact with this plant may produce allergic responses in humans and animals so it is best to wear gloves when trimming or otherwise working with it.
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Full sun is optimal, but bright semi shade will also be fine. Also see above.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Bird's Nest Anthurium See the "A" Page -- ANTHURIUM -- BIRD'S NEST

**Blackberry Lily, Leopard Lily Belamcanda chinensis
We were given thinnings of this plant from a neighbors garden, but told nothing about what it was or where and how it preferred to live in the garden. Okay, good practice; it's an orphan so put it first in semi shade with regular, but not too much water. The roots soon put up leaves and I thought for sure we had a new type of iris in the garden. I was very happy. We waited and waited and after several months stems appeared and grew a good four feet before blooming with lovely orange speckled flowers that last long enough to make the whole exercise well worth the effort.
From: North America
Photographed: In our deck garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Leopard lilys look almost like irises and most of the year you'll have an ever enlarging clump of tall thin medium green leaves so it makes an excellent background plant for flowers growing only to a foot or so. I wouldn't even dream of growing these from seed, but if you come by some small plants put them in full sun or semi shade with regular water or on the dry side and they'll do just fine.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Black Eyed Susan Vine See the "T" Page -- THUNBERGIA -- Black Eyed Susan Vine

Black Pepper Piper nigrum
Black pepper is obtained from dried unripe fruits. White pepper results when ripe fruits are fermented to remove their skins and then dried. What surprised me when I received a pepper plant as a gift, is it turned out to be a tree not a bush as I had imagined. The tree is beautiful and yields after about five years. This is one of our trees that lives in Taxco. I haven’t been able to get one in Montserrat.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2004

Blue Solanum Shrub, Paraguay nightshade Solanum rantonnetii, Lycianthes rantonnetii
This pretty shrub might also be called a small tree as it grows ideally to a height of up to 10 feet. It is almost always covered in lovely small perfectly blue flowers.
Photographed: In the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Plant this shrub in full sun in a drier part of your property. It is fast growing and will tolerate the high temperatures and dry periods of the tropical and subtropical environments very well. Give it a pruning after a main blossom period and it will keep a nice shape and give you even more flowers.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

**Boatlily, Rheo, Moses-In-The-Boat, Oyster Plant Tradescantia spathacea or Tradescantia discolor or Rhoeo spathacea
This is a low growing spreading ground cover plant with leaves that are green on top and purple underneath.
From: The West Indies and/or Mexico
Note: The sap from this plant is said to be a skin irritant, though I have not found it to be so myself.
Photographed: In our shady terrace garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Growth: This plant seems to be in the wandering Jew family. It is hardy, surviving drought or lots of rain, direct sun or deep shade and all with absolutely no care other than what Mother Nature delivers. As with all of us though, it does look better if given a little care.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008

Books on Tropical Plants and Tropical Gardening
See The "L" Page -- LINKS and REFERENCES FOR TROPICAL GARDENING

Botanical Garden Jardin Etnobotanico, Reforma s/n esquina de Constitución, Centro, Oaxaca
Clicking above will take you on a tour of this relatively new and very exciting garden in the City of Oaxaca, Mexico. Huge and perfect cactus specimens have been saved from destruction during state construction projects such as highways and damns. The cactus are now planted and preserved in this large walled garden.

Note: the link will take you to the S page of our web site, Oaxaca-Today.com. Just scroll down until you get to Sights and Sites and the Botanical Garden.

Hotel Atitlan Botanical Garden, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
This part of the highlands of Guatemala is lush with flowering tropical plants with the blue waters of Lake Atitlan making an exquisite backdrop. Only recently did we discover that there is a beautifully designed and lovingly cared for Botanical Garden devoted to exotic species. We are very grateful for their work and have noted throughout this site where we have photographed plants in their garden. Visit the hotel and gardens at Hotel Atitlan.com
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Urbino Botanical Garden, Urbino, Italy
This little garden was a delightful surprise to find in mid spring. Bulbs were up and in flower, but the spring clean up was still in the works. Winter was over, but summer had yet to arrive.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

**Bougainvillea Bougainvillea spp
This is one of our very favorite flowering plants. We have these bright fuchsia, pink, purple, salmon, orange, and white flowering vine like bushes all over our garden though we love best the hot pink ones growing by the pool.
From: Brazil
Photographed: The photograph on the right was taken looking from the road toward our garage at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Plant bougainvillea in the sunniest spot you can find in your garden realizing that they do love to have something to lean on. They do well with little or no care, so don't pamper them with extra watering. It is best to prune just after the plants have flowered, but in reality you can do it when you wish. Hard pruning, in other words seriously cutting back the plants, is not particularly injurious to the health of the plants and will net you a vision as in the photograph on the right! These plants were just a year old.

To see more bougainvillea Click Here or click either photograph.

Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008/2010

Brazilian Clusia, Porcelain Flower Clusia orthoneura, Clusia Braziliana
From: S. America
Planting and Care: It will do well in full sun or semi shade as we have seen it thriving in each setting. I would describe this as a small tree rather than a shrub so I may have gotten the identification wrong. The flowers are exquisite and have been on the trees now for four months.
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

BRAZILIAN PLUME FLOWERS

Brazilian Plume Flower (Pink), Thelma's Pink Justicia, Thelma's Pink Brazilian Plume Justicia x 'Thelma's Pink', Justicia carnea 'Thelma's Pink' and/or Justicia carnea, Justicia carnea
Benefits: Aside from its exhuberant growth and lovely flowers, this plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.
From: Brazil
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: This pink flowering shrub will grow to be quite tall at its best if planted in a bright semi shady area. It likes rich soil and routine rainfall or watering.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Brazilian Plume Flower (Red), Brazilian Red Cloak Megaskepasma erythrochiamys
From: Central America
Benefits: This is an attractant for butterflies and hummingbirds.
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: This tall red flowering shrub will grow to be 10 to 15 feet tall at its best if planted in full sun or in a bright semi shady area. It likes rich soil and routine rainfall or watering and an acid soil. It's wise to prune the flowers on top as a way of keeping the plant under control as well as being a way to encourage more blooms.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010

BROMELIADS

Photographed: The flowering plant below set off in a black frame was photographed in our garden in Montserrat. The other plants were all photographed at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, most of them at the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan.
Planting and Care: These plants prefer a semi to a fully shady place in the garden and they like an acid soil or a nook that collects rain and old leaves set somewhere in a large tree.
All Text and Photographs are Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008 or ©KO 2010.

Silver Vase Aechmea fatsiata
From: Brazil
Planting and Care: This bromeliad likes strong diffuse light and warm, but not hot temperatures. Keep it reasonable moist. Buy a plant that is close to the size you want because it is a slow grower and will take a long time to "fill in."
Photographed: In the dining room at the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

Vriesea splendens
From: Venezuela

Guzmania Guzmania 'Sunnytime'

**Brown Bud Allamanda See The "Y" Page YELLOW ALLAMANDA

Bulbine Bulbine frutescens
Bulbine is a very hardy plant with flowering stems growing to about one foot in height. Normally the continually blooming flowers are a combination of yellow and orange as in the photograph, but there are also less common varieties with only yellow flowers.
Photographed: By the side of the road at the beach in Panajachel, Guatemala.
Planting and Care: This pretty plant is almost immune to insects and diseases and grows in full sun with very occasional rainfall or watering.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

Butterfly Bush Buddleja davidii
Benefits: As is probably evident from the name, butterflies and hummingbirds like the flowers on this plant.
From: China
Photographed: In the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: This relatively small bush has lovely flowers which are produced over several months. Plant it in full sun or in a semi shady area. It will be quite hardy once it has settled in; it will live through dry periods, but not very well if it is subjected to very wet periods.It is not too fussy about its soil and is tolerant of a full range on the pH scale.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010