**Bhaji See The "S" Page SPINACH

**Balfour Aralia See The "A" Page ARALIA

**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.
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

**Bamboo Palm See The "P" Page PALM TREES

**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 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
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.

**Banana Poka -- See Banana Passion Fruit above

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 fry 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: 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.
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 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.
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 Photo Copyrighted © KO 2004/2008

**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 a a tea.
From: 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 Leaf Tree See Below BAY RUM TREE

**Bay Rum Tree, Bay Leaf Tree, Wild Cinnamon Tree Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J. W. Moore syn. P. acris or Caryophyllus racemosus
Growing to 40 feet 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.
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.
Text & Photo Copyrighted © KO 2008

**Beach Mulberry See The "N" Page NONI

BEANS

**Asparagus Bean, Yard Long Bean Dolichos melanophtalmus or Vigna 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.
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
Tropical Climate Varieties: Extender, Contender, Harvester
Soil: Deep and fertile.
Fertilizer: 4/16/4 or 5/20/5
Diseases: Most are spread by insects so control bugs.
Planting: We plant them in November for an early February harvest because insects are not prevalent in that season.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007

Kidney beans

**Mung beans, Green Gram, Golden Gram, Vigna radiata (L)
The mung bean is what we know as the most common "bean sprout" in most of the world. These are the wonderful crisply fried sprouts so essential in Chinese cuisine. Like us, many people wrongly think that sprouted soy beans produce the Chinese dishes. Mung beans are as easy to sprout as alfalfa and about one tablespoon of seeds produces about one quart of sprouts. When the sprouts are fully developed give them a rinse and a drain and store them in the refrigerator. They will keep for several days.
Benefits: The beans themselves are high in protein, about 25% by weight. They are also said to have detoxifying properties. Try cooking them with coriander, cumin and ginger. If you spout the beans you will be getting vitamin C not in the beans themselves. And, mung bean flour is said to be useful in caring for the skin.
From: Burma and India
Links:
http://www.iit.edu/~beans/mung.html
Planting and Care: Plant your seeds about 1" deep and be prepared to wait because these beans take more than three months to reach their height of from two to three feet, to flower and produce mature bean pods. When they do produce you won't be disappointed as each pod will contain about 10 to 15 seeds. Mung beans make a good green manure crop and are nitrogen fixing. They are also both heat and drought tolerant and so make one a good choice for growing in a
tropical summer which is a very difficult time
for most vegetables and other plants.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted © Krika.com 2008

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.
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 Copyrighted © KO 2008

Beets Beta vulgaris
Native to Europe extending toward the east to Asia and to North Africa the lowly beet has been the staple food of many peoples, both in its vegetable form and so as a source of sugar. All too often beets are overcooked and fall into the same group of inedible vegetables as overcooked cabbage and broccoli. When well prepared beets are delicious! In New England they grow like weeds, but here in the Caribbean we have yet to see one appear in the garden despite out best efforts. We'd like your advice if you have some to give us.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007

**Begonia B. Cleopatra, B. hiemalis, B. pink shasta
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!
THE GOOD NEWS: Just a few weeks ago we ran into other plant and garden lovers on the island and they generously gave us two pieces of their glorious begonia. They are now rooting in water; photos will follow.
Text copyrighted © KO 2008

**Bell Pepper See The "P" Page PEPPERS

**Be-Still Tree See The "Y" Page YELLOW OLEANDER TREE

**Bhaji See The "S" Page SPINACH

Bird's Nest Fern See The "F" Page FERNS

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
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. It will do well also in semi shade, but reduce its exposure to watering or rainfall as well as to the sun.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007

**Black Crab See The "W" Page -- Wildlife - Black Crab

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 Lily of the Nile See The "A" Page AGAPANTHUS

**Blue Trumpet Vine See The "C" Page CLOCK VINE

**Boatlily, Rheo, Moses-In-The-Boat 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.
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 Copyrighted © KO 2008

**Bok Choy See The "P" Page Pok Choy

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

**Border Grass, Liriope, Lily Turf Liriope muscari
This is a grass-like border plant with a peculiar ability to adapt to and change its form depending on the level of light it receives. In the shade where ours lived for three years, the leaves were thin deep green and about 10" long. Someone told me that border grass would be happier in the sun so I moved them to our driveway garden, using them as a border for our amaryllis. At first they suffered terribly, looking on the verge of extinction. I was about to move them once more, when they began to grow shorter, wider and less deep green leaves and in the spring here in a tropical environment to flower with spikes of tiny purple blossoms.
From: Japan and China
Planting and Care: Border grass is one of those peculiar survivors which will adapt itself to full sun, semi shade or full shade and a likewise variable amount of water. With a little care when first planted, border grass will provide you with a very attractive and tough plant to stabilize soil loss on slopes.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008

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

**Burma Creeper See The "R" Page -- Rangoon Creeper

**Buttercup Tree Cochlospermum vitifolium 'plenum'
If not for its luscious yellow flowers, I would consider this a weed tree; something to be removed so that something better could take its place.
From: Mexico through South America
Planting and Care: This is a very soft wooded tree that will grow to about thirty scraggly feet if left on its own. It's appearance is much improved if it is heavily pruned after blooming.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007

**Butternut Squash Cucurbita moschata
This wonderful vegetable grows well in the Caribbean, or at least it does in Montserrat, holding up to the sun and heat better than we ever expected. In New England I always planted it directly in the the garden. Here we plant seeds in small pots and then transplant the small plants to the garden; otherwise the yield from seeds is very low.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007