IN A SMALL CORNER of Upton, St Michael, flora and fauna enthusiasts enjoyed a nice afternoon stroll recently through the garden of Jennifer Weetch, vice-president of the Barbados Horticultural Society.
She was one of the many “green thumbs” who took part in the Barbados Horticultural Society’s annual open garden programme.
The programme, which runs from January through March, gives plant lovers and gardening enthusiasts the opportunity to see both their favourite and interesting plants and flowers, along with getting inspiration for their own gardens.
Maintaining such luscious prize-winning plants and flowers can be a costly task. For Weetch, one such cost was maintaining and sustaining a consistent watering schedule for her garden, despite the drought that is currently affecting the island.
“Sometimes I feel very guilty because I know that some people don’t have water and I’m watering, but I can’t let the plants die because there’s too much investment in them . . . both time and money,” Weetch explained.
Keeping this in mind, Weetch said she spaces out the watering sessions to once every two days. She also mentioned that she considered installing a rainwater dispersal system for the garden, but finding proper placement for it proved to be a challenge.
“It has to be aesthetically pleasing,” she said. “I can’t put it just anywhere in the garden. So up to today I was looking at water butts, a very popular thing in Britain . . . . So I’m looking to see if I can invest in some of those, but definitely I need to get more water storage.” (SM)
