Karleen Smith has been passionate about gardening her entire life. “It’s brought me great solace,” she tells Style Observer (SO) as she walks us through her impeccably landscaped property. Her passion would prove beneficial and indeed recuperative as the result of a stroke.

“Gardening provided therapy in the mid ’90s during my recuperation period from a major stroke in October 1994,” she informs.

Smith describes her garden as beautiful and lush with a large assortment of plants, fruit trees, vegetables and a plethora of orchids. She does not exaggerate! Her property yields a wide variety of flowers. Think: Roses, periwinkles, ferns, bougainvillea, 10 o’ clocks, anthuriums, crotons, among others. And fruit trees like sweetsop, soursop, ackee, mangoes, orange, June plum, pineapple, avocado, jackfruit, green bananas, and pumpkin. It’s a veritable farmers’ market.

Naturally, there are challenges. Smith lists occasional drought (which requires a lot of domestic water use), insect infestation, and her dogs as some. Plus, the cost.

“There’s no way to fully overcome the challenges,” she explains. But “the dogs have been trained, and the sunken garden has helped a great deal with water conservation as it reduces run-off, allowing water to soak into the ground”.

We wrap our tour at her favourite spot in the garden, notably the sunken garden, which she reveals “has been the backdrop of decades of memorable occasions… on balmy evenings, it is perfect for al fresco dinners and during the days it’s my safe haven”. It is from this safe haven that she shares advice to first-time homeowners desirous of having as beautiful a garden as hers. “Begin by doing it in sections, constant watering, and periodic spraying. Keep your pets away from the garden.”

Happy belated birthday, Karleen! SO promises to revisit.