“Every soul on earth is equally precious, even those of plants…” — Suzy Kassem

Elaine Peart-Ormsby’s gardening prowess, like her pet name “Precious”, was inherited from her matriarch. It was a latent talent which revealed itself later in life as all truly joyful things tend to do.

She narrates, “My personal journey began when I emancipated myself from ‘rental’ slavery on August 1, 2001, when I moved into my own home. My house was unfinished at the time and in order to camouflage the structure, I planted lots of blooming plants such as bougainvillea, oleanders and allamandas, along with a few roses and palms… It was then that I caught the ‘disease’ called gardening and such began my journey.”

The precious journey

A “Clarendonian” true to the craft, Elaine’s repertoire and knowledge bank grew exponentially between 2007 when she purchased her first orchid and 2008 when she joined the Clarendon Horticultural Society, emerging on successive occasions as a prize winner in the medium garden category. By 2019, through camaraderie with fellow aficionado and having attended several seminars, Elaine became a member of the Jamaica Orchid Society.

Today, Elaine’s masterpiece of a garden boasts over 200 orchids, a variety of adeniums, cacti, succulents, euphorbia, palms, gerberas, ferns and a host of other plant species. She also cultivates a wide array of fruit trees and crops in sections of her garden affectionately christened “Plantation Valley” and “Garden of Eaten”.

Unlike the majority of gardeners on the Rock, Elaine is self-sufficient and does her own tending, weeding and whacking without need for an extra pair of hands. She follows a strict garden regimen which she is happy to detail: “Monday through Friday each morning, I spend at least half-an-hour in the garden… Upon returning home from work, I spend about three or four hours, sometimes until midnight, in my garden. Weekends are spent in the garden from dusk until dawn; however, some weekends may find me scouting for items to beautify my garden… I have no reservation in telling persons that I do not have time for the cellphone, television or sometimes to grab a meal. All spare time is spent in the garden. It is. Habit that eventually becomes a dedication… as one of my garden signs say, ‘I live in the garden, I only sleep in the house’…”

In 2020, encouraged by her daughter after months of persuasion, the dedicated Elaine Ormsby-Peart stepped into the arena of gardening online and started her own YouTube channel in an effort to share her passion with the world. Despite the fact that she’s not one for public speaking, she persevered and has really enjoyed the experience and exposure garnered from “Precious Blooms Jamaica”. Check it out.

Trespassers will be composted

It’s safe to say that Elaine puts the fun in gardening and has a sustainable consciousness which those of us with gardening proclivities should adopt. She believes in recycling and repurposing discarded items and confidently asserts that junk yards have become a go-to for garden décor. “I like to create and design my own garden signs and quotes. These attractive signs have also been placed to direct visitors and guests to different sections of my garden,” she shares. Her self-made signs are not only talking points but add both character and drama to her green space.

Elaine’s most amusing garden sign, accompanied by an imitation skeleton, reads: “Here lies a trespasser.” The sign, visible to passers-by, is the talk of the town. Elaine recounts, “I was told that a student from the nearby primary school asked the school’s security guard if it was a real person buried there, to which the security answered ‘yes’. This little boy then exclaimed, ‘Who me? Not even near di fence me naaw go!” Of course, in keeping with her exceptionally developed sense of humour, Elaine loves the masterpiece of a sign because it heightens the imagination and keeps trespassers away. Also of note is another humorously spooky caution: “Trespassers will be composted”.

Starting your new garden

For the beginner, Elaine was kind enough to share some key tips for garden design with a sustainable bent:

1. Design your garden in a section of your home where it is easily seen by guests and visitors.

2. If you have a small space, grow plants that pop to enhance the beauty of your garden.

3. Whenever you make a purchase, always find out the condition under which the plant was grown to avoid damaging it due to the change of environment. Yes, plants do get stressed.

4. Consider container gardening if you are a person who loves to rearrange quite often or if your garden soil is poor in nutrients.

5. Ensure that plants requiring frequent watering are not placed amongst those that are the opposite.

6. Recycle discarded ground provisions from your kitchen to make your own compost which will be used to add nutrients to your plants.

The simplest things

Elaine’s garden story of precious blooms is testimony to the saying that it’s the simplest things that are truly precious, bringing us the most joy. Let’s bask in the simplicity of it all and give thanks for every precious breath that we are so blessed to take.