Oleander Nerium oleander L.
You'll see no stars by this bush; we eradicated every one on the property as it it too known to us as a California highway bush -- they are planted everywhere along major highways and roads in California because they are indestructible. Sadly, they have become popular here in Montserrat for the same reasons that the California Department of Transportation chose them -- they can't be killed! But, in truth they just aren't that interesting and I think we can do better.
Cautions: Oleanders are producers of serious allergens, so anyone with a lung disease or plant allergies will suffer dreadfully if an oleander is in the neighborhood and blooming. As well, a tea made from its leaves is a traditional abortifacient. Indeed the plant is poisonous and can cause dreadful reactions and death.
From: Far eastern Europe.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008

Olive Tree Olea with Olea Europea being the main source of olive oil
These twisted centuries old looking trees need a cool winter and a long hot summer to produce the olives that are our main source of olive oil. In Greece on the island of Corfu in areas away from tourism, lands in the center of the island away from the heavily visited coastal beaches, much of the dry rocky land is devoted to growing olive trees. Beside winding narrow almost maintained roads, there are groves of olives -- beautifully shaped trees appropriate to this harsh environment. Beneath the trees are black carpets of net to catch the falling fruit (along with leaves, bugs, bird feathers and bird poop). The nets are gathered up; the contents emptied into the back ends of small pick up trucks which are driven a short distance to the local oil factory where these olives become a coveted liquid -- virgin olive oil.
Varieties for eating: Manzanillo, Picholine or Ascolana.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008

ORCHIDS

**Ground Orchid Spathoglottis plicata or Orchis or Oncidium
We have read that for the best these plants have to offer, they should be planted it in the sun where their purple flowers will be a delight. Equally as often we have heard that the ground orchid is happiest when it lives in partial shade in a sweet (limey) soil where it will produce magenta or white flowers in early summer.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2004

**Lady of the Night Brassavola nodosa (Linneaeus) Lindley
This is a white flowering orchid that is not so showy as to be coveted, but wonderful in its hardiness and its habit of blooming frequently.
From: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
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Orchid (unknown Mexican)
This is a plant I bought several years ago at the market in Taxco just before Christmas, when many villagers from small outlying towns bring plants and mosses to be used in making creches. I don't know where it came from or what it is called, but it thrived in a pot on our terrace and flowered regularly.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted © KO 2008

**Orchid Brazilovia
This is the orchid that lives in the small tree by our lower vegetable garden. It was a gift last year so we don’t know if the flowers will be white or yellow.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2004

**Orchid Schomburgkia
We have two varieties. One has a dark purple flowers and thrives in the big tree closest to the house and the other with an orange-brown flower lives at the base of the big mahogany tree. Though wonderful in bloom, the flowers do not last very long.
Text & Photo Copyrighted © KO 2004

**Vanilla Orchid Vanilla planifolia or Vanilla fragrans
From: Tropical Central America
Planting and Care: This orchid originated in a moist tropical environment; it likes a semi shady place to grow and abundant moisture. When also given a humus rich soil, vanilla will be off and running, growing as much as 100 feet in just a few years.
For more information: http://www.faeriesfinest.com/faerie-notes/N001.html
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008

**Orchid Tree Bauhinia spp. or Bauhinia purpurea
This relatively small tree has lovely orchid like flowers and large light soft green butterfly shaped leaves. It is charming in the garden and requires very little care.
From: India and China
Planting and Care: Plant this small flowering tree in full sun in an acid soil with a pH less than 7.5 and it will zoom to its 25 or 30 feet of height. It is a fast grower and once settled in, it is a tough tree highly resistant to drought.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008

Organic Foods and Organic Farming
Reasons for eating organic foods and raising organic produce are evident, but when the bugs get going all too often it is easy to reach for the commercial poisons. And doesn't the idea of not ever having to weed sound wonderful? Well....here are some reasons you might want to put a little more commitment behind your choice to go organic. This excerpt is from an article on the web that I saw in Yahoo Shine.

12 Foods That Are Worth the Organic Splurge, Sarah McColl, Shine staff, on Tue Feb 16, 2010
The dirty dozen below have the highest levels of pesticides when grown conventionally. The thin skins on many of them make it easy for pesticides to penetrate to the food and impossible for us to wash away the chemicals. Opt for USDA certified organics of these foods and you're ensuring your salad wasn't raised using man-made chemical pesticides, fossil fuel- or sewage-based fertilizers or genetically-modified seeds.
1. apples
2. sweet bell peppers
3. carrots
4. celery
5. cherries
6. grapes (imported)
7. kale
8. lettuce
9. nectarines
10. peaches
11. pears
12. strawberries

Oregano, Greek Oregano Herb Origanum vulgare syn. Majorana
From all I've read and from all the folks I've talked to in Taxco, Mexico, and in Tobago, oregano and majoram are the same thing. I don't really think this is true, but I don't have anyone nearby to give me an alternative. I do know that when we cook with Greek oregano it really is a different experience from cooking with our local majoram/oregano. Who can imagine living without a fresh sprig of oregano; not us. We had big pot with a thriving plant in Taxco, but we gathered from the plant no seeds for our garden in Montserrat. A wonderful substitute in the Caribbean is local majoram which tastes almost like Greek oregano. Spread liberally on a homemade pizza along with fresh basil; it's an unbeatable combination.
From: The Mediterranean. In 2007 we traveled to Greece, visiting many islands along with the mainland. Wherever we went I asked about Greek oregano seeds and was always told that the plant was essentially a weed. It grew everywhere so no one grew it in their garden and no one save the seeds. I was very disheartened.
Planting and Growth: If you have Greek oregano seeds think of them as similar to majoram. Oregano likes a sweet soil (alkaline), full sun or semi shade and a reasonable amount of water.
Text and Photo Copyrighted © KO 2008

Oyster Plant
We are waiting to plant the seeds we collected last year from the Athens Botanical Garden to see if they are from an oyster plant. They are lovely large plants with subtle shady garden types of flowers.
Text Copyrighted © KO 2008