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OUR TROPICAL GARDEN

 

Click below to see our garden plants alphabetically listed by common name.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
O page
**Okra Hibiscus esculentus
Benefits: I consider okra inedible, but the dried vegetables are beautiful and make a wonderful dried flower arrangement with just a little imagination.
From: Africa
Planting and Care: This is an easy grower in a Caribbean environment. It seems to require little, but hot sun and sometimes water to thrive and produce prolific amounts of the vegetable okra. Unfortunately, I can't bear the slimy quality of the vegetable, but if you can this is one of the best plants to get started with in your hot climate garden.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Oleander Nerium oleander L.
You'll see no stars by this bush; we eradicated every one on the property as it is 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 even by the gardeners here on island! But, in truth they just aren't that interesting and I think we can do better.
Benefits and 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 2008/2010 
 
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 
 
 
 
ONIONS
 
Climbing Onion, Sea Onion Bowiea volubilis, Schizobasopsis
 This is a strange little decorative plant that I would not recommend trying to eat.
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Care: Plant this strange little plant in a pot that will reside in the sun or in a semi shady place. Don't give it too much water and you can sit back, watch it grow and wonder at nature's varieties.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Onions
Photographed: On Hacienda San Buenaventura land by Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
 
 

Orange Tree Variety Unknown
Photographed: In our apartment courtyard in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010

 
 
 
 

ORCHIDS

**Ground Orchid Spathoglottis plicata or Orchis or Oncidium
We have read that to get 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 in its habit of blooming frequently.
From: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008
 

Orchid (unknown variety)
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.
Photographed: On our apartment terrace in Taxco, Mexico.
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 Phalaenopsis orchid
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
**Orchid Dendrobium
This is our ever flowering orchid that finds its home in the crook of our largest mahogany tree. You can’t beat this plant for its stamina or for its hardiness. It survived the volcanic ash fall of July 2003 with flying colors. It was blooming the day we arrived and is still blooming today, six months later. Cut stems last a week or more.
Photographed: In the crook of our largest mahogany tree at our home in Montserrat.
Text & Photo Copyrighted ©KO 2004/2010
 

**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.
Photographed: At the base of our largest mahogany tree at our home in Montserrat.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2004

 
 

 
**Vanilla Orchid Vanilla planifolia or Vanilla fragrans
From: Tropical Central America and Mexico.
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 Mystery 1
This one goes to prove that not all orchids are exquisitely beautiful.
Photographed: In the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 2
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 3
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 

Orchid Mystery 4
Photographed: Growing in a tree at the lower edge of our property at our home in Montserrat.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 5
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 7
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO2010
 

Orchid Mystery 10
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 12
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 13
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 14
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 16
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 17
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 20
Photographed: In the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 21
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 22
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 24
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
Orchid Mystery 60
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
 Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010
 
 
 

**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
 
Oregano, Greek Oregano Herb Origanum heracleoticum or 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 marjoram 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 marjoram/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 marjoram which tastes almost like Greek oregano. Spread liberally on a homemade pizza along with fresh basil; it's an unbeatable combination.
Benefits: Oregano is said to enhance your bodies ability to more effectively deal with bacterial or viral diseases. As if that weren't enough it also aids digestion. Inhaling the steam from oregano tea may give you some relief from a chest cold.
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 saved the seeds. I was very disheartened.
Photographed: In our banana garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Growth: If you have Greek oregano seeds think of them as similar to marjoram. Oregano likes a sweet soil (alkaline), full sun or semi shade and a reasonable amount of water.
Text and Photo 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, Yahoo 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"
 
**Oyster Plant Please See the "B" Page -- Boatlily

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Click below to see our garden plants alphabetically listed by common name.
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