Cayman Islands at Chelsea
This year’s Chelsea is a first on so many levels for The Cayman Islands, the self-governing British Protectorate located in the warm waters of the Caribbean, 240 miles south of Cuba and 270 miles north west of Jamaica.
Besides being first-time exhibitors, it is also the first time that many of their native plants will have been seen at Chelsea, if not in the UK. They range from trees and palms, through endangered orchids, to fruit and crop plants that have sustained the islanders since colonisation started in the early 19th century.
The three islands - Grand Cayman,(the largest at 35km long and 14km wide), Cayman Brac (19km long and 3km wide) and Little Cayman, (the smallest at 16km long and 3km wide) have already built an international reputation for some of the best reef diving in the Caribbean, but they collectively have much to offer the naturalist, gardener and plant enthusiast.
The islands have a distinctive flora containing 716 species, of which 28 are endemic (found nowhere else) and area, for area, exceeds the diversity of the Galapagos. In essence the main plant communities comprise mangrove swamp and dry forest, which covers the jagged, porous limestone formations which makes up most of the islands. The forest is composed of a variety of trees such as mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), the distinctive red birch (Bursera simaruba), the culturally important thatch palm (Coccothrinax proctorii), and in the drier parts native cacti and succulents such as the columnar Cephalocereus swartzii and Agave caymanensis.
The islands are home to 46 species of breeding bird including the Cayman parrot, the national bird. Of many other animals most notable is the remarkable blue iguana. Critically endangered, this is now the subject of an international breeding programme; having been reduced to just a few breeding pairs in the 1980s it has now increased to a thriving population.
Andrew Guthrie, Manager of Grand Cayman's Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Park, and leader of the exhibit at Chelsea, is keen to show the floral and cultural diversity of the islands.
Focus of the display is a recreation of a traditional Cayman cottage and sand garden that forms part of the Heritage Garden in the Park. Timber-built and clad with a tin roof, it will be painted in pastel colours: pink, blue and white, typical of the traditional colonial-style buildings that remain along coastal routes. Older buildings were made from wattle and daub and thatched with woven leaves of the silver thatch palm, Coccothrinax proctorii. One of the signature plants of the sand garden and the Islands’ national tree, the palm was also used for making rope, baskets, bags, hats and shoes, which will be exhibited in the garden. Also to be included is the bullrush, Zamia integrifolia. A native cycad of ancient origin, its large starchy root was once used to make porridge and baby food. Other fruit trees and herbal plants included will be mango, papaya, banana and cassava. Ornamental plants will include hibiscus, jasmine, croton and rose, an old colonial favourite. All will be grown in the bright white coral sand that forms the beaches of the reef-fringed islands.
Native orchids
Cayman Islands orchids up for auction
There are 26 orchids native to the islands, four of which are endemic. Some of these are under threat from land clearance and development, and two of these will be exhibited at Chelsea.
The wild banana orchid, Myrmecophila thomsoniana var thomsoniana, is the national flower of the Cayman Islands and gets its name from the elongated pseudobulbs which resemble a hand of bananas.
Dendrophylax fawcettii, known as the ghost orchid and only found on Grand Cayma, is a strange leafless plant that flowers in May and June with pale green and white blossoms.
Two other orchids (not exhibited) indicate the plight of some of these orchid species. Both are highly endangered and actively protected. Tolumia caymanese, a tiny orchid with bright pink flowers, is also found only on Grand Cayman and the bee swarm orchid, Cyrtopodium punctatum, with bright yellow and black flowers of which only one plant was discovered when the park was first developed.
Orchids, both native and exotic, are celebrated each year in the park in a special two-day festival in March, held by the Cayman Islands Orchid Society, which this year attracted more than 10,000 visitors.
The Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Park
Founded and officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1993, the Park is the main focus for raising awareness and active need for the conservation of the native flora and Caymanian culture among the islanders and the international community.
The park contains a 16.2 ha (40 acre) tract of native forest, which is estimated to contain 50 percent of the native flora. A woodland trail allows visitors the opportunity to see all types of vegetation, from swamp, to arid zones to more lush areas growing in richer pockets of soil.
The park also acts as a recreational amenity by attracting visitors to see the many display gardens, which contain a wide variety of exotic tropical and subtropical plants.
The 26.3 ha (65 acre) site is jointly owned by the Cayman government and the National Trust of the Cayman Islands.
Native plants
Gardeners in the Cayman are discovering the value and beauty of their native flora and the park actively encourages this by raising and selling native plants from its nursery.
Local gardening clubs are also helping influence this and have helped in the selection of a range of reliable and important native plants, with pictorial labels to inform buyers of their landscape value.