Saving Paradise

Lucina is busy preparing the Heritage Garden for the official opening in October. She has everything going the way she wants. She is  a hardworking woman this one, and when I am taking a break, I like going out to talk to her about the crops, spices and herbs, and to just marvel at the beautiful garden, which I know from “before” pictures was just a patch of soil.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was the other day when I saw her passing outside my window lugging two poles. So I followed her outside, just as I heard Terence exclaiming, “bring your camera Liz, Lucina is building”. Turns out Lucina’s prized passion fruits had come down when the trellis that supports them was blown over by the wind. It was a beautiful constructed trellis, under which were two benches and a table made from timber off-cuts. A nice place to sit under. One could sit there to relax and catch the breeze or watch the bees pollinating flowers. We have had meetings under there. And lunch and tea breaks. We were also looking forward to the fruit. (To replace the Noni juice in the fridge:)).

Lucina has now managed to put the trellis back together. I expected to see a carpenter wielding some manly tools. But no, she did it all by herself. She even managed to rescue some fruit. The rest of the vines and leaves will end up as compost to continue the cycle of life in the garden.

A few hours later I met her on the corridor covered in sweat and searching for the shower. I gave her a sympathetic smile, which her bubbly self returned. “Every day something new”, she said. Yap, this garden teaches us something new every day. It teaches us that gardens need love, caring, patience and perseverance. Just like we all do. And just like the work we do for nature, the environment and wildlife does.

The Heritage Garden – a demonstration garden and nursery – was established to help people create and maintain gardens of medicinal and edible plants, useful herbs and vanishing food crops. To read about the impact it has had, see related stories in Zwazo No. 19: “Visitors flock to peek at neighborhood nature”, and “Edible Landscaping”.