Blooming ‘Jamaican sunset’

by Elizabeth Shaheen
Scaling a monolithic tree, tumbling dramatically down a mound, dizzily spilling over a retaining wall, covering a garden trellis, clipped and shaped into formal or whimsical designs, verticals and creepers comprise some of the most ornamental tropical flora.

In our garden and evident throughout most of the year are the glamorous blooms from Allamanda cathartica, “Jamaican sunset”.

Its rich, chocolate-brown buds reveal matching hearts when they open into a generous, three-inch, bugle-shape, contrasting most agreeably with the dusty-yellow petals.

Allamandas are among the most admired of tropical ornamentals and withstand the salty air of seaside gardens, thus making them just the thing for Bahrain’s sandy soil and salt-laden air.

Both Allamanda cathartica - with yolk-yellow blooms - and Allamanda violacia with rich, violet-pink trumpets are an exotic sight, especially when mingled together. Their mid-green leaves occur in whorls, three-to-five inches long and are a slightly hairy texture. Our plants enjoy semi-shade or full sun in a humus-enriched soil. They do well in a mixed border, as a specimen plant or plant one in a container.

I find it safe to prune allamandas in winter.

The Mexican native Antigonon leptopus is a strong, woody-stemmed climber that is deciduous in Bahrain’s gardens, for in winter, it sheds its leaves and the plant appears to be dead.

It soon gathers momentum in spring. It has become naturalised in the tropics. Using its tendrils, which form on its inflorescence, it can rapidly twine itself along hedges and up tree trunks.

Its common names, the “chain of love” or “Queen’s jewels”, ring true, for it has enrapturing, free-flowering, clusters of bright pink jewel-like flowers and heart-shaped leaves with rippled edges and sturdy stalks.

It revels in full sun. Water the chain of love freely during the summer months and sparingly during winter, while dormant. The tuberous roots are edible.

We enjoy several species of Asparagus in our garden. The genus was named by Theophrastus (c. 372-287) the Greek botanist, frequently referred to as the founder of scientific botany.

One of my favourites is Asparagus setaceus syn. A. plumosu, which will merrily climb up a support. It has a haughty air, tossing its lacy fronds out, away from the stem and readily puts up suckers, to show off, in other areas of the border.

It bears tiny white flowers in summer that nod from the leaf axils succeeded by metallic, purple-black berries.

Given its loveliness, it’s a beast to tidy-up, for its thorns scratch my hands and arms unmercifully.

Campsis grandiflora will come into bloom with the warmer late spring early summer weather. Its natural habitat is China and it is a dazzling climber.

The ‘Chinese trumpet vine’, as it is commonly known, has self-adhering roots, which hitch themselves on to anything.

It is perfect for cladding a pergola, together with other choice verticals, over walls, or anything that needs a swift apparel, even the trunk of a date palm and reaches a height of 23-30 feet.

The blushing-orange, trumpet shaped flowers are produced in pendant bunches, bringing a radiant gleam to any sunny area of the garden.

The opposite pinnate leaves are an attractive mid-green, which it casts off for the winter, returning at the first hint of spring.

It effortlessly puts up suckers,which need to be removed. Any segment of root remaining in the earth will develop into a new plant ! It luxuriates in any soil.

You can hard prune it after flowering or in winter to encourage flowers and control its growth.

From a sturdy pillar is Clerodendrum x speciosum, creating a purple fountain from its balloon-shaped calyces, each with a rosy overtone. This twining scrambling hybrid vine is a cross between C. splendens and C. thomsoniae.

Plant in well-prepared humus enriched soil and water liberally throughout the summer months and more conservatively during winter and spring.

Tidy up all clerodendrums after flowering, to keep their vigorous growth in check.

The beautiful ‘butterfly pea’ Clitoria ternatea is a lavish climber, so named after Ternate in the Spice Islands, but its natural habitat stretches from tropical America to tropical Asia.

The intense purple-blue flowers have an exquisitely etched crystal-white throat and bloom throughout the warm and hot summer months.

Flat seedpods succeed the flowers and readily self-sow in Bahrain’s gardens. During winter it looks a little cheerless, but come the warm weather, it adds its unique air of grace to the garden.

Grow in full sun against a wall, along a fence, or up supports, or prune regularly to encourage a bushy habit.

There is a double flowered form available, also a seldom seen all white form, C. alba.

All these exotics are available from Bahrain’s garden nurseries for you to extol their beauty in your gardens.
Elizabeth Shaheen - GDN - 1 Apr, ‘07