Some weeks ago, this column pointed out that many of the fruits which once used to be very common and very widely enjoyed by Guyanese have almost now been forgotten.

We called upon the Agricultural Authorities to resuscitate the cultivation of such fruits and disseminate knowledge of them as an Independence Jubilee project. The project could still be accomplished as part of the remit of the Ministry.
In similar vein, this week we call upon the Ministry to assist in the dissemination of knowledge of flowers and ornamental plants which once used to adorn the homes and gardens but which are now being forgotten. Today in Guyana, there has been a great deal of education about and promotion of a healthier environment, with the aesthetic (beautification) being a necessary part of the healthy environment.
There are many ways the aesthetic is captured when working for a healthy environment. For example, layout and planning of towns and villages, the architecture used, the colours of buildings and streets, the type of street-lighting and so on. But the time-honoured way of having a pleasant and healthy environment is by the use of plants, trees and flowers.
Until a generation or two ago, homes in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and the villages generally had gardens often with hedges of flowering plants. With Indian homes, it was a deep tradition to cultivate flowers, since flowers were used in pujas and decorated the altars in mandirs.
Among poorer folk, such as those who lived in the rooms and tenement yards in Albouystown or Tiger Bay in Georgetown, they invariably had plant pots or boxes where they grew flowers such as fairy roses, chrysanthemums, geraniums, marigolds, jump-and-kiss and bachelor buttons. With these they would grow herbs such as mint, toyo and ginger for making of “teas”.
From the beginning of the 19th century, at various times, certain shrubs and flowers were fashionable. For example, at the turn of the 20th century, coralitas were very common for fences. In the Kingston Ward of Georgetown where the wealthier resided, for example, all fences bloomed with coralitas until the fashion changed and coralitas were replaced. Today, many coralita vines still survive in the Young Street parapet bordering the GBTI where the gardeners had thrown them, as a reminder of those past times.
Hibiscus fences were very popular, often with bell-hibiscus. Bell-hibiscuses are rarely seen to-day. Hibiscus fences have held their own for much over a century. The white scentless jasmine fences were once a great favourite and the last prominent survivor is the jasmine fence around the Georgetown Town Hall which was planted at the end of the 19th century. Bell-hibiscus also still survives in a part of the Town Hall’s fence.
Lillies were very common and tended to be planted at the sides or in front of houses. The bell or trumpet lily was more valued than other types. When the fashion changed, these gave way to other flowers. Some bulbs which were thrown out of the gardens of High Street, Kingston took root on the parapet and to-day one could see descendants of them on the parapet outside the GAWU headquarters.
Roses of all types and colours had always been popular and the most loved and appreciated was the perfumed creole red rose. Roses were found everywhere until about twenty years ago when they inexplicably began disappearing. Roses are the flower most celebrated in poetry and song and their absence is a loss that needs to be quickly addressed.
Other flowers which were once common in yards and gardens were Queen of Flowers in their different colours: scarlet and pink oleanders, the scarlet giving off a pleasant perfume. Other popular perfumed flowers were the stepanotis, the jasmine and the mimosa. The mimosa gives off its perfume in the evenings and it could be smelt and enjoyed long distances away,
Sun flowers were a great favorite with children who would patiently wait to see the flower turning to face the sun as it moved across the heaves. Morning glory always recalled the freshness of the mornings. Dahlias, chrysanthemums, marigolds, blue-bells, cockscombs, anemones and carnations were mainstays of most gardens.
The golden showers and the lancianas were the two most popular orchids and were grown on any tree or tree stump or in hanging baskets. The lancianas bloomed twice each year and always during the Christmas Season; it was thus known as ‘the Christmas orchid. ‘It gave off a pleasant haunting perfume. Also grown in hanging baskets were various types of ferns.
The main flower trees as distinct from smaller shrubs and plants, were the frangipanni of different colours and the pouis with mainly the gold and cyclamen flowers. A yellow or gold pouis survives in the property now occupied by the Prime Minister in Main Street. When its flowers fall on the green parapet, they create a memorable sight in that part of Main Street of an emerald carpet with gold flowers.
Though crotons are not flowers but plants with very colourful leaves, they were cultivated in yards and gardens and treated in the same way as flower plants. Some crotons were stunningly beautiful and need to be revived.
Today, the main flowers found in gardens are bougainvillas of various colours and buttercups. The revival of flower cultivation, and especially those flowers and ornamental plants which used to be so common in the past would enrichen and beautify the environment of Georgetown and the rest of the country and bring much pleasure to the population.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of the Environment could easily adopt such a programme since it would entail very little cost.