| InsideOut Spring 2016€¦ · A Travellers Palm always makes a grand gesture. InsideOut Spring 2016 | 119 ... “It’s a great, healthy lifestyle and very rewarding, not to mention

116 | InsideOut Spring 2016

A garden sanctuary

IO BY LINE

Photos by Stephen Clarke

BY CATHERINE MACGILLIVRAY

Gardens

InsideOut Spring 2016 | 117

Gardens

The old adage that one man’s trash is another

man’s treasure is certainly true for one

couple creating a new garden in Cayman.

Terry Siklenka and his green-fingered wife

Maxine have established a lush oasis almost

entirely from plants which were already

dumped, destined for the trash heap or were

about to be cut down.

“Firstly, I let everyone know we were starting

our garden,” says Terry. “After that, I began

receiving calls from friends, and friends of

friends, asking us to come and dig out a plant

they no longer wanted. Over time, I made

friends with quite a few local gardeners with

lots of plants and cuttings heading to the dump,

or if they were throwing anything out, they

would call me and drop them off to me instead.

“Most of the plants were dead or near death but

we managed to find and save the odd little gem.”

Terry received telephone calls from all over

the island inviting him to remove unwanted

plants such as coconut trees that CUC wanted

cut down to protect power lines.

“I paid to relocate them and the owner was

very happy that they didn’t just get thrown

away,” he says. “Another gentleman wanted to

expand his veggie garden but had palm trees in

the way. I got a call and several of us had to dig

two large silver thatch palms and a bull palm by

hand. They are now relocated in my yard.”

Terry and Maxine joined the Garden Club of

Grand Cayman within months of moving to the

island in 2012, which also proved a good source

of obtaining plants and cuttings as members

often swap cuttings.

In addition, Terry has acquired plants from

the Native Plant Nursery at the Queen Elizabeth

II Botanic Park, Vigoro nursery and from the

classified sales website Ecay.

Mystery gardensOftentimes, Terry didn’t even know what kind

of “rescued” plants he was putting in the ground

and simply waited to see, if it survived, what it

turned out to be.

“For this reason we created two small gardens

that are our mystery gardens,” he explains.

“These areas are fun to watch, as many times

we were not sure what would come up until it

started to grow or flower. At this point we would

look it up and identify the plant, find out the

best conditions for it and then re-locate it.”

These plants are moved to a different areas in

the yard to suit requirements such as height and

space needed for them to thrive.

A Lantern Hibiscus in the garden of Maxine and Terry Siklenka.

Some of the best examples of small “treasures”

that have grown successfully include the sweetly

scented ylang ylang tree which is a main component

of Chanel Nº 5 perfume, and a Java plum which

has lots of small purple fruits that taste like

currants and make great juice and smoothies.

Other surprises include dragon fruit plants, a

Hong Kong orchid tree that started off as a stick

in the ground, and an African tulip tree which

was a branch that Terry treated with rooting

powder and is now more than 10 feet tall with

stunning red tulip-style flowers.

Prior to moving to Cayman, Terry and

Maxine lived in Canada where they had a small

fruit hobby farm but this is their first attempt at

cultivating plants in the tropics.

And when they bought their Patrick’s Island

home in December 2013, the only landscaping

on the property was a couple of large Bismark

palms at the front and a few Christmas palms

dotted about on the half-acre lot.

“I guess the advantage was that Maxine and

I had a clean slate to work with,” Terry reflects.

“It is an ever-evolving garden as we learn what

plants go where, the conditions they need and

then moving them, as they grow, for space.”

Gardens

118 | InsideOut Spring 2016

Oftentimes, Terry didn’t even

know what kind of “rescued”

plants he was putting in the

ground and simply waited

to see, if it survived, what it

turned out to be.A Travellers Palm always makes a grand gesture.

InsideOut Spring 2016 | 119

“We need to make sure we are looking

after the native plants, some of which are

originally found only in the Cayman Islands

and are endangered,” he says. “These plants

are acclimatized to the soil and pests and most

don’t need to be watered like imported plants.”

Native greenery is interspersed with local and

exotic blooms for dashes of vibrancy and color

including a few orchids, Sumatra and Canna

lilies, gingers, bird of paradise, bougainvillea,

night jasmine and hibiscus.

Terry and Maxine do have help for regular

maintenance but they worked on every aspect of

the garden themselves, including the design as

well as trimming, moving and relocating plants.

“It’s a great, healthy lifestyle and very

rewarding, not to mention cost-efficient,”

Terry points out. “When we sit in the garden

surrounded by all the delightful plants, and it is

so wonderfully peaceful, the love and labor we

put into it is all worth it. Oh, and picking your

own fruit doesn’t get any better than that.”

To create a gorgeous garden without spending a fortune, Terry suggests the following approach:

Plan it out and take your time.

Make it a labor of love, not a chore.

Share cuttings with other gardeners.

Join the Garden Club of Grand Cayman.

Buy plants from nursery and charity sales.

Grow native plants which have low maintenance and water requirements and are pest resistant.

Terr

y’s

tips

A Greek urn, actually a water feature, adds character in the outdoor space.

Local plantsFor the most part, Terry has found that

indigenous Caribbean plants, and particularly

those native to Cayman, are the most successful

in his garden.

The garden provides plenty of seating and shade for guests to enjoy.

An Ixora plant in vibrant coral.

Gardens

120 | InsideOut Spring 2016