Matthew Biggs Gardens

Matthew Biggs on Costa Rica, Colombia & Cuttings!!

I'm always overflowing with optimism when we arrive at a destination and the rainforest reaches the sea, and Golfito in Costa Rica is no exception. Even in the dry season a myriad textures and shades of green welcomed us to this picturesque little port and after docking, we boarded an ancient school bus and trundled off towards the gardens at Rio Claro. Even early in the day, the sun shone and humidity hung heavily, conditions which eventually became too much for the bus which slowly ground to a halt near the brow of a hill. There was only one solution 'Everybody out' and the able bodied descended the steps and a group of happy gardeners trooped over the hill, followed slowly by the bus, whose driver took this event as a signal that the only way to reach our destination was to put his foot to the floor, and create enough momentum to last the rest of the journey!

We arrived at Rio Claro to be greeted by the spectacular sight of Brownea grandiceps, one of the finest flowering trees in the tropics, bedecked in football sized globes of vivid orange flowers. We were then divided into two groups, the first, listening to Mr Robert Beatham the garden owner, talking about medicinal plants, the remainder were taken round the garden by his son. Mr Beatham, an eccentric, ex-pat American, announced that he was suffering from assorted melanoma's, then proceeded to take us through a whole range of plants displayed on a giant table, from familiar 'Lemon Grass' to obscure native plants, all which seemed cure cancers, cholesterol and high blood pressure! Somewhat different to the British Parmacopea whose primary concern, it appears, in times past, was to provide cures for syphilis or loss of libido! We added our thoughts on medicinal plants, tried eating coco beans and the seeds of 'Oil Palm', crushed and sniffed leaves, nibbled on samples, which tasted alternately horrendous (so they must do you good!) or marginally palatable and painted our skin with the natural dye from Bixa orrelana, a rainforest plant, which is a food colouring and the orange colour in Leicester cheese. It is true that plants are the source of many modern medicines, with the 'Foxglove' being one of the more familiar examples but some of the plants that were mentioned need further scientific research, before they can be recommended for the specific medicinal uses that Mr Beatham the ascribed to them.

We then went out into the glorious garden, with its informal plantings of Heliconia's, Palms, Dracaena's and other plants that we instantly recognised as the houseplants we grow at home. One of the highlights was a planting of several Licuala grandis, a spectacularly elegant palm with rounded, beautifully pleated, paddle-like fronds. Beyond the garden, in an 'Oil Palm' plantation, one of the workers, wielding a pruning saw attached to a handle at least 30 feet long, proceeded to show his strength and dexterity by cutting down a bundle of fruit hanging way above his head. After what seemed to be barely seconds of intense effort, the whole cluster came crashing to the ground, to a round of applause and he picked off the fruits and showed them around. After this grand finale, we enjoyed a leisurely walk among the plants and back to our friends before boarding the bus for a fast but uneventful journey back to the ship.

Shampoo Heliconia – the inflorescences really do smell of shampoo when squeezed...

Our next visit, to Turbaco Botanical Gardens near Cartagena in Colombia, confirms it as one of the great little Botanic Gardens of the world. The semi- formal part of the garden, with its tiny chapel, waterfall and stream, is planted with giant clumps of ornamental 'Ginger's', ferns and exotic members of the Banana family; the remainder feels as though the rainforest has broken through the boundaries and marched into the garden to reclaim its own. Walk through the sinuous paths among the buttress roots of giant trees, like the ramparts of a castle, then look up into the high canopy strewn with long, thick liana's and epiphytes, including orchids, bromeliads an ferns, lined branches and it obvious that it has succeeded. Here the guides regale you with facts about the practical uses of trees, 'this one is good for making furniture', 'this is good for medicine' (again!) and point out the associated fauna - monkey's, leaf cutter ants and bright orange beetles, which seem to be busy, doing nothing.

This garden confirms everything that we know about the diversity of the rainforest but to see it, hear the sounds and experience the heat and humidity, has greater impact than anything that you would see on the television. It was a privilege just to stop, look, listen, and wonder at such magnificence, its roots stretching back through time and to marvel, as gardeners so often do, at the power and beauty of plants. Anyone contemplating a trip to the humid tropics, will find it one of the most exciting and exhilarating experience of their lives - the shapes, forms and vibrant colours of the leaves and flowers surpasses almost anything that the temperate world can provide. As a gardener, you owe it to yourself to see Flora Exotica, at least once in your life - it's an exhilarating experience, that should not be missed!

Finally, Will Giles, Matthew's co-host on this trip,  sent us this photo of Matt - Matt was determined to have his hair cut in Central America – and what a cut he had!