Our Planting Season

Corpus Christi will be celebrated on June 19 and Trinbagonians will be looking to plant something. Pat Ganase talks with Chancy Moll at San Antonio Farms. Photos by Pat Ganase

 

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the next best is now. If you planted one 20 years ago, no doubt you are enjoying the result of that foresight, in fruit or flowers, in the beings that are attracted, in shelter or shade. If you want your children to remember you, plant a tree with them this month.

 

Gingers grow over ten feet tall, with many flowering forms. This is the Beehive.

Known popularly as Hawaiian torches, these gingers are available in colours from white to red.

A wide variety of Heliconia – lobster claw – is available.

Whatever your religion, we can observe the tradition of putting a tree in the ground at Corpus Christi. That’s the time that the rainy season has truly set in, the soil has been softened. And there is a belief that anything planted on the Church’s holy day will thrive. There are nurseries, plant shops, garden centres all over our two islands. Some people prefer to get their new plant material by taking cuttings or seeds from what grows well in friends’ gardens. But there’s value in going to shops; you’ll see the plants at their best and you will get advice about where they will thrive: soil, water, sun and land aspect.

 

San Antonio Farms is the oldest plant nursery on the island, operated by Ernest Moll since 1958. Ernest had come to Trinidad from Barbados to set up the propagating station at La Pastora in an effort to rehabilitate declining cocoa. When he and his partners acquired the nearby San Antonio estate, they started with a hydroponic operation. But Ernest was interested in horticulture, he was in love with orchids. As a member of The Orchid Society, he was part of the first team from Trinidad to the Chelsea Flower Show in 1974. In addition to orchids, the team took heliconias and other local flowers winning gold for that first outing. The next Trinidad entry at the show took place ten years later.

 

Peter Moll, horticulturist, knows that gardens depend on fertile soil. On his tractor, he moves a load of manure for the San Antonio soil mix.

Dr Chancy Bachan-Moll: an education from trees and nature.

 

When Ernest died, his son Peter, formally educated in horticulture, took over the business. However, it was Peter’s marriage to Chancy Bachan that formed the partnership that has allowed the business to blossom into this century. They created the San Antonio Garden which is one of the most inspiring private gardens on the island. Chancy says that she has learned everything about plants “on the job” over the last 30 years. Her degree was in international relations, history and politics, heading for a career in law. Today, she is conversant in heliconias, coleus, crotons, local flowering trees and plants, and the wildlife that often meanders through the estate. She took a leading role in The Garden Club of Trinidad, which produces an annual pictorial calendar. In 2018, they published the full colour book Gardening in Trinidad & Tobago Our Style which shows some tropical gardens at their best, and might be considered a guide to ornamentals for the Trinidadian gardener.

 

As you cruise the garden shops in this planting season, here are some words of advice from Chancy: “Choose what you like. Start small.” You may begin your growing in pots on a verandah. Even if you have yard space, introduce new plants in a small area, see how they grow, whether they “like” the spot you chose; allow them to spread.

 

Chancy supports the idea of planting at Corpus Christi, and hopes that it is passed on to the children as an on-going tradition. “Whatever you plant, let it bring you joy and fulfilment. Plant for the birds and bees. Connect with nature. We have been moving away from the natural world. Let us return to observing trees and the birds that inhabit them. Everybody should plant something. Yes, plant food. But also plant just to see something grow and bloom. It is a tradition that must include children and youngsters in the activity, make it a holiday to re-connect with nature. Give meaning to what you plant.” Chancy has been encouraging her four year old grand-daughter’s interest in plants, and the birds and creatures they attract.

 

It's not surprising that the first wealth came from the plantations in Trinidad: cocoa, sugar-cane, citrus.  And the Santa Cruz valley was one of the earliest cultivated on the island. Here, the largest cocoa estate was La Pastora, some 50,000 trees and a stately house, once owned by Don Antonio Gomez who was Ralph Woodford’s senior judge (1813 – 1828).  The San Antonio estate across the river from La Pastora was owned by Sir Joseph Needham, Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago (1870 to 1885). Later it was owned by Major Knaggs, head of the colonial police, and who had a small zoo.

 

A very old Calabash tree becomes the centre for ground cover and climbing plants.

Crotons, coleus and cordylines have colourful leaves.

San Antonio Farms has survived over 67 years. Fire destroyed the original house which had been visited by the princes, Albert and George in 1862, but the plants stayed resilient. Only recently, one of the last giant samans had to be felled. Today, San Antonio Farms include an equestrian centre run by the Moll’s daughter Sandhya. The marble staircase, stone floor, and basement of the great house are the foundation of a conservatory around which a garden has grown up. The Conservatory and Garden can be reserved for special events. Over the years, these have included Moving Table dining; drawing and painting en plein air; engagements and weddings; photo sessions and memorials; product demonstrations, teas and fashion shows. Being in the garden, enfolded in nature, is calming and replenishing.

 

Consider tending your own garden. Begin small. You can grow with your croton or heliconia. Living and growing with plants, aware of the changing earth, engenders resilience and perseverance. Give gifts of plants and trees.

 

The Conservatory is a venue that may be reserved for private functions and events

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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