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Published: Sunday | September 4, 2011 0 Comments
A family picnicking among the giant trees at Castleton Gardens. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
The lush Castleton Gardens in St Mary.
A variety of blooms add colour to the beautifully landscaped grounds - photos by Ian Allen/Photographer
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Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
The greenery of Castleton Gardens, St Mary, is split by the grey tarmac of the Junction Road, making it the only public garden in Jamaica to be located on both sides of a major roadway. On the lower side and smaller side it is bordered by the Wag Water River, making for an inland beach of sorts which Superintendent of Gardens Raymond Ramdon says is a hugely popular spot, especially on public holidays.
"People come like they are going to the beach," he said as, along with facility manager, Jacqueline Ogilvie, he took The Sunday Gleaner through Castleton Gardens.
On its geographically higher side, Castleton Gardens is not only larger, but the flora grows more densely. Here, much of the land within the garden's perimeter is on steep hillside and is under heavy, untamed vegetation. Still, Ogilvie says visitors often make trails and penetrate the thick foliage. In total, 17 acres of Castleton Gardens are in use.
In 2002, The Gleaner's 'Pieces of the Past' feature reported that the Poinciana (1869) and Bombay mango (1869) were first planted at Castleton, followed by the navel orange and tangerine (1870).
Distracting backdrop
On the Wag Water side of Castleton Gardens, the sound of motor vehicles whizzing by on a rare straight section of Junction Road is a distracting backdrop to a pleasant enough environment. The gardens are well kept and many of the trees were labelled in a project done by the GraceKennedy Foundation. Among those identified are the Poor Man's Orchid, Pink Poui, Blue Mahoe, Royal Palm, and Cannonball Tree, with their respective scientific names provided.
GraceKennedy Foundation's input is a rare private-sector contribution to Castleton Gardens, and Ramdon tells The Sunday Gleaner that the annual budget to cover Castleton, Bath, and Cinchona Gardens, as well as Holland Bamboo and Fern Gully, is just $26 million.
However, in 2005-2006, after Hurricanes Dennis and Emily, the Office of National Reconstruction did significant work at Castleton. Included in that was the restoration of gazebos - one of which had been down since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
Since then, Ogilvie said "nothing much has been done", although there has been significant rehabilitation of walkways with the assistance of a private contribution of cement, Castleton's staff members doing the work.
"We have been getting a lot of compliments in terms of the care of the landscape," Ogilvie said.
Ramdon said that there are plans in the works for the Tourism Product Development Company to do significant work at Castleton Gardens. Although negotiations are still ongoing, it is hoped that among them there will be storyboards, directional signs, more trees will be labelled, the fence and two main gates will be refurbished, and there will be additional gazebos. And Ogilvie said every May for the past six years, in honour of Earth Day, which is actually in April, Castleton hosts its expo in the gardens
Published: Sunday | September 4, 2011 0 Comments
A family picnicking among the giant trees at Castleton Gardens. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
The lush Castleton Gardens in St Mary.
A variety of blooms add colour to the beautifully landscaped grounds - photos by Ian Allen/Photographer
1 2 3 >
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Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
The greenery of Castleton Gardens, St Mary, is split by the grey tarmac of the Junction Road, making it the only public garden in Jamaica to be located on both sides of a major roadway. On the lower side and smaller side it is bordered by the Wag Water River, making for an inland beach of sorts which Superintendent of Gardens Raymond Ramdon says is a hugely popular spot, especially on public holidays.
"People come like they are going to the beach," he said as, along with facility manager, Jacqueline Ogilvie, he took The Sunday Gleaner through Castleton Gardens.
On its geographically higher side, Castleton Gardens is not only larger, but the flora grows more densely. Here, much of the land within the garden's perimeter is on steep hillside and is under heavy, untamed vegetation. Still, Ogilvie says visitors often make trails and penetrate the thick foliage. In total, 17 acres of Castleton Gardens are in use.
In 2002, The Gleaner's 'Pieces of the Past' feature reported that the Poinciana (1869) and Bombay mango (1869) were first planted at Castleton, followed by the navel orange and tangerine (1870).
Distracting backdrop
On the Wag Water side of Castleton Gardens, the sound of motor vehicles whizzing by on a rare straight section of Junction Road is a distracting backdrop to a pleasant enough environment. The gardens are well kept and many of the trees were labelled in a project done by the GraceKennedy Foundation. Among those identified are the Poor Man's Orchid, Pink Poui, Blue Mahoe, Royal Palm, and Cannonball Tree, with their respective scientific names provided.
GraceKennedy Foundation's input is a rare private-sector contribution to Castleton Gardens, and Ramdon tells The Sunday Gleaner that the annual budget to cover Castleton, Bath, and Cinchona Gardens, as well as Holland Bamboo and Fern Gully, is just $26 million.
However, in 2005-2006, after Hurricanes Dennis and Emily, the Office of National Reconstruction did significant work at Castleton. Included in that was the restoration of gazebos - one of which had been down since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
Since then, Ogilvie said "nothing much has been done", although there has been significant rehabilitation of walkways with the assistance of a private contribution of cement, Castleton's staff members doing the work.
"We have been getting a lot of compliments in terms of the care of the landscape," Ogilvie said.
Ramdon said that there are plans in the works for the Tourism Product Development Company to do significant work at Castleton Gardens. Although negotiations are still ongoing, it is hoped that among them there will be storyboards, directional signs, more trees will be labelled, the fence and two main gates will be refurbished, and there will be additional gazebos. And Ogilvie said every May for the past six years, in honour of Earth Day, which is actually in April, Castleton hosts its expo in the gardens