In Britain, and I suspect in many other places on this planet, the doyenne of Indian cookery is a marvellous lady called Madhur Jaffrey. Her influence has been enormous. Because I have spent some little time in Britain in recent years she has had a tremendous influence on me as well. Her influence has been so great someone even established a chilli farm in Kingsbridge in south Devon, and claims to have some of the hottest varieties of chilli known to man or woman. It has one of the largest collections in the world, a thriving mail order business and a very impressive range of jellies, sauces, and preserves. The proprietors – Fothergills − are currently marketing a variety of chilli called ‘Prairie Fire,’ which is supposed to have the strength of several atomic bombs. It is a dwarf chilli, grown from seed and available, and if you can grow any capsicums (peppers) in your garden you can grow this little beauty. You just have to write off to this little nursery in southern England and ask them for it. It ought not to cost too much, and is worth some trouble to get hold of. They have a website which is www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk
One of the greatest sights in the tropics is that of a collection of cannas in full flower. It is one of the most accommodating of plants, and if you had to choose you could put it near the top of your list of plants that like it hot. You may know that its common name is the Indian Shot. Why? I will tell you. In the ‘olden’ days of the British Raj Indian natives had no access to the metal shot to fire from their guns. The outcome was that, with typical Indian ingenuity they got the idea that the seed of the Canna plant was just as good as the real thing.
And so it turned out. Here in Georgetown we are particularly lucky to have the Canna fairly widely planted. The Promenade Gardens used to have a marvellous display outside the fence along Waterloo Street. Probably due to my absences from home I have not seen it for a few years, but it was always an eyecatcher, as was the block of Cannas planted on the corner where the East Coast Highway and the Kitty Public Road converge. Year after year this triangle of land makes you almost reach for the eye shades. I have noticed that over the past dozen years or so that Cannas are becoming more widely planted throughout the city, though not yet in the quantity they ought to be. At home in New Providence my Cannas grow beautifully, in spite of being rather neglected − and that is the beauty of them. When neglected they grow exceedingly well in full sunlight.
The level of lime in your soil determines how well the majority of your plants are going to grow. Most prefer slightly acid soil. This will enable them to take up all the essential minerals they need for normal growth. Too much lime and they will develop all sorts of peculiar diseases, many of which cause the leaf veins to become prominent and the spaces in between to become an unhealthy pale colour. Other deficiency diseases cause stunting of growth, poor fruit and flower production and premature death. Most deficiency diseases can be corrected by reducing the level of lime in the soil which enables trace elements to be absorbed all the better. Ask at your local garden centre for suitable chemicals.
Take care on the roads and in town and may your God go with you.
