Dahlia Dahlia
This tuber based plant is one of our favorites. We planted seeds here in Montserrat which grew well and were nicely flowering when an eruption of the Soufriere Volcano delivered a layer of volcanic ash over our entire garden. Following the ash fall, we had acid rains which killed the dahlias along with many of our other plants. We are going to try again with the dahlias as soon as we can get some seeds.
From: From Mexico and Central America.
To see more dahlia pictures click here!

Text & Photographs Copyrighted © KO 2008

Dasheen Colocasia esculenta
Loving water and growing well in full sun or semi shade, dasheen is related to the elephant ear, but is tougher in dealing with the Caribbean sun. Elephant ear plants look terrible in the full sun of late spring and early summer while dasheen does just fine.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2007

**Datura See "Devils Trumpet" Below

**Desert Rose, Adenium Adenium obesum or Adenium arabicum
In appearance the desert rose seems to be a member of the frangipani family.
From: The Middle East
Planting and Care: Plant it in the sun and keep this plant dry or the results will be very disappointing. When well cared for it will grow to be about five feet tall with its branches spreading to about four feet wide.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted © Krika.com 2009

**Devil's Ivy See The "P" Page POTHOS

**Devil's Trumpet, Datura, Jimson Weed Datura innoxia Mill.
This is a beautiful very short lived wild plant that will give you great pleasure if you can accommodate its needs and growth pattern in your garden. It will grow as we have seen in a dry pile of sand and will flower at least once before drying up and disappearing. Here in our garden in a much less difficult environment it flowers a few times, looks terrible for a while and then dies. In that process though it will give off many seeds so there is always a small plant growing when the older one expires.
From: Central America
Planting and Growth: Plant these daturas in a hot, dry and desperate environment in your tropical garden -- a place that is dry a lot of the year. It will delight you with its beautiful soft white flowers. The one in the photograph is about three inches across.
Problems: "None that we have yet found, but give us time." That sense of future troubles was right on target. This datura is subject to spider mites, but it is still less vulnerable to the many problems of the Devil's Trumpet Tree below.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted © KO 2009

** Devil's Trumpet Tree, Purple Horn of Plenty Datura metel
These leafy very small trees are bushy and usually covered with large or even very large beautiful softly colored flowers pointing upwards. The plant is entirely poisonous, flowers, stems and leaves, and is responsible for many deaths.
Planting and Growth: Plant them in full sun or in a place with a little shade, then give them plenty of water and lots of fertilizer.
From: Central America or Southern China
Problems: It is susceptible to spider mites and since the leaves are soft and furry, it will also be susceptible to the volcanic ash here in Montserrat. To treat the insects we use a professional insecticide sprayer, but ours is filled with soapy water which works just fine. Use a light mix of a lemon scented powdered clothes detergent (the simplest you can find). A light mix might be about 1 teaspoon mixed into one quart of water. Spray this on in the evening as sometimes the bright tropical sun can burn plants with a recent wet soapy residue.
Text and Photograph copyrighted ©KO 2008

To see more photographs of this type of plant please click the picture on the left

**Devil's Twine See The "L" Page LOVE VINE

**Dieffenbachia, Dumb Cane Leafy Plant Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.)
This is another one of the many poisonous plants common in the Caribbean. We have three of them growing in our shady terraced garden.
Planting and Care: Dieffenbachias are popular house plants in northern climates especially in public buildings as they tolerate low light very well and all in all require little care. Planted in a tropical setting keep them out of the mid day sun. They will do best in a bright shady area where they will receive routine rainfall.
From: Tropical America
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008

**Dill Anethum graveolens
Fresh dill is used in making dill and kosher dill pickles and in flavoring salads and more. Walk through your garden brushing your dill plants with your hand as you pass and simply refresh yourself with the aroma.
Planting and Care: Dill does not transplant well so seeds should be planted where the plants will grow. They will eventually be about three feet tall or more so keep that in mind when selecting a place to plant them. Dill prefers to grow in a place with full sun and a well drained ordinary soil.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008

**Dinner Plate Aralia See The "A" Page ARALIA

DISEASES AND DEFICIENCIES

These two plant disorders seem to me to be the most serious problems in a tropical garden environment and to the novice they are often difficult to distinguish. If you are in an area close by a governmental or university agriculture department, make use of their expertise. If you encounter a problem in your garden that you do not understand or cannot identify and treat, call them right away for a consultation. We have had extremely good luck here in Montserrat with advice given to us by a Guyanese fellow employed as an agricultural products inspector for the customs department and to advise local farmers.

What follows is information on the plant diseases and deficiencies we have encountered in our gardens and the solutions that seemed to work. It is far from a complete list of the problems you may encounter, but we hope you will find the information useful.

Deficiencies

Chlorosis -- Leaves appear to have splotchy yellowing, that does not follow veins. This is an indication that the plant is missing one of the minor, but essential ingredients for its health, probably a mineral. We've had good luck solving this problem quickly using Miracle Grow, but it really is an indication that the soil is inadequate. Using compost and composted manure is a more long term and healthful solution.

Diseases

Damping Off -- Almost all gardeners are familiar with this. You plant your seeds in little pots and not long after the little green shoots appear, they fall over dead. That is a scenario I experienced in New England; here in the Caribbean, our twelve foot tall hibiscus hedge fell over dead. That puts things quickly in perspective.

DRACAENA

**Dracaena, Dragon Tree Dracaena marginata
A popular house plant in colder climates, our was thriving here in the terrace garden when we left for a holiday. When we got back it had died from the extended drought here in Montserrat in the spring and summer of 2007. According to a local friend, "It wasn't a drought; it was a barbecue!" We have a new plant and are hoping for a more hospitable climate this year.
From: Hawaii
Planting and Care: Although the plant will grow in the hot sunshine of the Caribbean, I think it prefers a place with a little less sun along with routine rain or watering. It will grow quite tall, but its appearance can become spindly so think about pruning it every year or so. Stick the cut stems in a watered garden and you will have new plants to find homes for in a few months.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008

**Lucky Bamboo, Lucky Lily Dracaena sanderiana
This is the poor plant that had the terrible karma to be introduced to the commercial market as a "lucky bamboo" as part of the feng shui craze. It finds itself growing in a twisted glass bottle and I can't imagine how that would feel. Can you?
From: Western Africa and now widely grown in gardens throughout the Caribbean
Planting and Care: This is an easy to care for plant which probably was what sealed its fate with the twisted glass tubes. From having one for a few years I think a bright semi shady spot in a garden that receives routine rainfall or watering would suit it perfectly.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008

**Dragon Tree -- See Dracaena above

**Drunken Sailor See The "R" Page -- Rangoon Creeper

**Dwarf Heliconia Heliconia angusta
Just as the name implies these are smaller versions of the exotic tropical heliconia. There are many varieties of this plant, though I'd have to say none are really spectacular, but bunched together under a tree they are quite nice.
Planting and Growth: A semi shady spot with regular water will bring these plants to life. They will quickly spread so, beware!
Text & Photo © KO 2007

**Dwarf Poinciana See The "P" Page PRIDE OF BARBADOS