Barbados had a marginal hurricane on October 30th, 2010 so the garden was not at its best in November, when this review was written. We lost some trees, some uprooted and some blown down; suffered many huge royal palm branches crushing our flowers.

As we recovered and removed the debris we had un-seasonal rains in November and December, even a shower last night that has helped the smaller plants to bounce back and to push out flowers. It is amazing to see how quickly this rainy forest has resumed it business of growth. It seems to happen when we sleep.

In the colder countries the fires complete a circle of life in the temperate forest. Here in the tropics it is the tropical storm or hurricane which fulfills this role. Plants are entrepreneurial and rush to fill the spaces left by the sudden departures. We think about these things while enjoying the new blooms, the new growth, the new additions that we bring to the garden, in the hope that they will like to live and thrive in our location.

This month we presently have lots of beautiful, seasonal flowers; e.g. the African Tulip trees, the Heliconia bilix, Heliconia wagnerianas, red gingers, pink and red begonias just to name a few. Lots of flowers now. Of course during the course of the year there is always a changing feast of different blooms, whose existence was and continues to be planned in such a way as to always be bounteous. In November it is a plethora of spiral ginger lilies. We have 2 main types, with about 4 new varieties growing, soon to begin flowering for the very first times at Flower Forest for your future enjoyment.

Flower Forest is a mature garden of 30 years, notably with great trees, many majestic royal palms, also presently in flower. You can stay below these 100 foot palms in the cool shade and see the petals of the palm blooms dropping around and onto you, kind of like in the film "Avatar"- it's magic.

Hear the bees buzzing, 100ft up there, pollinating, and see baby royals growing at your feet from the very prolific seeds. Watch the hummingbirds gathering nectar from the powder puff trees and the 'Pride of Barbados' flowers; glimpse the mongooses furtively quietly making their runs throughout the garden, hear the monkeys crashing through the tree-tops as they return to their Flower Forest bedrooms in the late afternoon, leaping high above in the trees but never falling.

Flower Forest is a fantastic experience, and it's getting better as we continue to improve. I have managed this beautiful, special enclave for only 2 years, and consider it a privilege to have been trusted with the honour to do so. I was on a Board that managed both Orchid World and Flower Forest, have worked to improve both properties.

If I live, I plan on continuing in this mission and will work shoulder to shoulder with our welcoming garden and pavilion staff as we speak. To know us is to love us. We will grow for you, feed you, entertain you, and show you something fantastic, not to be missed.

We do hope that you will not be disappointed the next time you visit, and we certainly hope not to get hit by another hurricane. It is a special place and we will work to ensure that there will be fantastic flowers blooming in the dry or wet. When I see a review like this I am saddened-- yet ever more determined to make Flower Forest even better!

We'll work hard to make this a Bajan experience not to be missed when visiting Barbados. Please come-you will not be disappointed.