“I believe that once you have a home, if you’re a homemaker, you should have plants…They are like companions. They help you to improve your personal relationship with your family. They bring out the love in you and make you love more deeply.”

– Hyacinth Shakes-Warren

By all accounts, businesswoman Hyacinth Shakes-Warren is the consummate wife and mother, the quintessential Proverbs 21 woman full of class, kindness and love with a firm yet gentle dignity and sense of purpose. While many men are gardeners too, the Unlikely Gardener has observed, in colloquial parlance, that some of the realest women who have mastered the art of marriage and family life have also mastered the art of gardening. This is possibly so because growing in soil, growing in love and growing children all take a lot of time, kindness, understanding, patience and care.

Hyacinth’s journey begins like this: She was always a flower person with a fondness for African violets and anthuriums, along with her mother’s namesake, the zinnia.

In 1986, the birth of her son Robert led to the birth of her love for orchids. Hyacinth recalls, “I had Robert in ’86 and got a beautiful purple orchid as a gift, and thought this thing was just mesmerising. The bloom lasted so long! After it went off, I put it to one side with the African violets. I didn’t pay it much mind until it sent out two spikes and then I started to enquire about it.”

The gardener’s soul & evolution

There’s an instant kindred spirit amongst plant people. This is especially so of orchid lovers. Hyacinth’s orchid enthralment grew even more after she met Shirley Craig, Jacqui Robb and Paulette Henry who embraced her with open arms as a new Orchid Society member. She explains, “You’re excited for anyone else who starts to grow them…there’s an instant connection.”

Hyacinth, ever the entrepreneur, having collected thousands of plants, then started making orchid arrangements. Monetising her passion, she also started renting the plants.

Only the very serious orchid enthusiasts, especially those with accommodating husbands, have shade houses and Hyacinth’s shade house is her haven. Giving us a peek into her personal journey she confides, “When I go in there and I talk to them, if I am not happy about something, it takes everything negative away. It’s just really awesome and there’s always a new orchid that can be added to the collection.

Hyacinth has purchased numerous orchids from Betty Ashley and many others. However, she has a special place in her heart for Claude Hamilton, whom she reveres as her teacher. There was a period when Hyacinth had an incalculable amount of orchids which did not allow sufficient time for her garden care. Consequently, she lost over 500 plants due to neglect. The orchid is time-consuming, high-maintenance and sometimes spiteful lover. Today, however, in her words, she is “now more mature, has more time and has reconnected with them.”

For the orchid or plant lover, the connection that you experience with your plant is unlike anything else. As Hyacinth aptly puts it, “I have a dog; he’s a good friend too, but there is nothing like my connection with orchids.”

Breathing life into your home

Plant people are innately nurturers. Hyacinth, who is also an avid vegetable gardener, is undoubtedly a nurturer. She believes strongly that once you have a home, you should bless it with plants. For anyone concerned about the cost of plant care, she says, “You don’t have to have expensive plants to have plants around you. For example, I never liked crotons but I picked a couple on the road and planted them and have now discovered their beauty. I picked zinnias from a local church and sprinkled the seeds and they’re growing well.”

The strong believer that a house must always be a joyful home encourages, “Every home maker should have a little area that they plant something in. You need to be mixing in the ground and you need to bond with the soil. It is a stress reliever and it keeps you calm. It helps the air around you. Flowers and trees keep you closer to nature. They help you to bloom and keep you happy. People always wonder why I am always smiling. That’s why! Appreciate the things that the Lord has out there for free.”

Gardener’s advice for a rainy day

As those of us fortunate enough to have a solid roof over our heads take comfort in our homes during this very rainy season, many plants revel in the soaking and soggy delight. As with all acts of nature, some will fare well in the rainy season and others which are most vulnerable must be safeguarded. The orchid, depending on where it’s situated, must be protected. Hyacinth’s rainy weather advice prompted me to engage in a black ops mission, “Operation Phalaenopsis Rescue”. It entailed running out into the rain to bring to shelter several potted Phals. Her advice for this rainy period is as follows:

1. Take up all of your potted Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas and move them to shelter to keep them dry. For the Phalaenopsis, ensure that its crown is dry to prevent crown rot. Use a cloth/tissue to remove the water from the crown and if necessary turn on a fan to ensure that they are dry.

2. Watch the Dendrobiums to ensure that they are managing the rainy weather well. Once you see black spots on the leaves and the leaves look like they are getting soft, that signifies dangerous fungus. This fungus spreads quickly, is contagious, and if not cauterised, will lead to plant loss.

3. Spray all plants during the rainy period with fungicide and use a sticker.

4. Don’t give up on struggling plants. Take care of them and most will revive.

For reminding us that there is still so much beauty that abounds and an infinite amount of love which surrounds, thank you, Hyacinth, for your big heart full of love!