Peggy Chin

Tagetes commonly called Marigolds originated in Mexico. Every year from early March, thousands of Marigold seedlings are planted around the world in all the famous parks and gardens: Hampton Court and Kew in London, England; Botanic in Munich, Germany; Ball’s in Chicago, USA; Edwards in Toronto, Canada; and in France, the Netherlands and China just to name a few.

Clerodendrum thomsoniae commonly called Bleeding Heart Vine originated in West Africa.

Chrysanthemums commonly called Mums originated in China. The Chinese grew Chrysanthemums as early as the 15th century.

Lilium longiflorum commonly called Easter Lily originated in Japan where it blooms abundantly.

Euphorbia milli commonly called Crown of Thorns or Christ of Thorns originated in Madagascar and comes from the Euphorbiaceae family.

Ceiba pentandra commonly called Kapok tree in Asia and Silk Cotton tree in the Caribbean originated from the American tropics, Asia and Africa Silk Cotton trees can be found in many Caribbean countries and here in Guyana too.

A few Sunday ago, workers from the M&CC trimmed the historical Silk Cotton Tree at the Archer’s Senior Citizens’ Home on D’Urban Street.

Golden Pothos commonly called Devil’s Ivy is known worldwide. Devil’s Ivy is an undemanding climbing plant with green and yellow or white variegated leaves.

(Continued) If you would like to try grafting and budding, you would need the following:Sterilized budding knife One healthy rootstock plant – disease free (approximately 18 – 24 months old) One healthy shoot (scion approximately 6 – 10 inches long) Budding tapeIn the case of citrus, a lemon rootstock can be used with a shoot (scion) from a lime tree.

(continued) The choice of the rootstock depends largely upon being resistant to nematodes and gummosis disease, which is a serious problem in the Caribbean.

  Grafting and budding are horticultural techniques used to propagate cultivars which are more vigorous when grown on another plant.

Malabar Spinach commonly called Poi callaloo or Poi bhaji is native to Southern India and is grown widely in the tropics.

Want to grow your own veggies and don’t know where to start?

I have written so much on trees in the city and it all seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) commonly called fine-leaf thyme and its cousin Spanish thyme originated from the Mediterranean and are used in many Caribbean dishes.

Zingiber officinale commonly called ginger comes from the Zingiberaceae family and originated in South-East Asia.

Hibiscus sabdariffa called Sorrel or Roselle comes from the Malvaceae family and is native to West Africa.

Norfolk Island Pine or Christmas Tree, Araucaria excels, originated from Norfolk Island, off the coast of Australia in the South Pacific.

(Continued from last week)   Poinsettias are now available in Guyana and are on sale at plant shops.

You know it’s Christmas time when Poinsettias begin to appear everywhere you look, along with Christmas trees.