"If you had come earlier, you would have seen the buttercups in bloom,"

Barbara Martins beams. Her garden reflects the different seasons of the year with blooms which open and close as the Earth shifts on its axis. In another month or two, this woman says, her orchids will be fully loaded with blossoms.

There are some plants, however, like the beautiful crown of thorns, which are forever in bloom and which add to the aesthetic appeal of the immaculately-kept plant kingdom.

Martin, an ex-banker, is justly proud of her garden, which is a work of art nestled into a corner of Norbrook Acres in St. Andrew. Tutored at her mother's knee, she has seized every chance to put what she has learnt to good use.

What she has done in the six years since she started this particular garden is astounding and has to be seen to be appreciated. So, we have brought you the photographs.

The garden stretches the full circumference of her palatial home with different areas dedicated to clustered species including several orchid beds.

Peaceful corner

Near a saga palm surrounded by pink bromeliads is the fern-filled Franks Place, a peaceful corner designed for meditation in memory of her father, now deceased.

"He was a very calm and fun- loving and peaceful person," Mrs. Martin says. She owns some 30 varieties of these ferns, most of which were sourced at Nature's Paradise and Evergrow in Kingston.

In the backyard are pear, mango, custard apple, guava, a fruit called lugan (fiji), a cherry tree, a fig tree and a banana walk. Hurrricane Ivan took down a lot of those trees but Barbara Martin has managed to replant several.

Also behind the house is a green- house which is beautifully arranged with hanging orchids, African violets and other plants.

"I do enjoy gardening," Martin admits. "I am up by 5 a.m. every day picking and pruning. My children are jealous. They say the first thing I attend to every day is the plants." It's true.

- Outlook Team