Bath - a picture of neglect

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

The Bath Botanical Gardens in the community of Bath, St Thomas, has the distinction of being the oldest in the country and, after the St Vincent Botanic Gardens in St Vincent, the second oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

It is also the smallest of Jamaica's four public botanical gardens, The Gleaner recorded in its Pieces of the Past feature in 2002 that the property is one hectare. Apart from being the smallest, the Bath Botanical Gardens also stands out by being located squarely in the community - and this seems to be its major problem.

With its main entrance on the major road running through the community and houses on the road at the perimeter of the garden, directly across from the main entrance, the Bath Botanical Gardens is naturally a throughway. In addition, some of the men hustling visitors headed to the Bath Fountain, gather at the gardens' main entrance - which is also directly across from the narrow road leading to the famed hot springs.

Accessibility has led to abuse. There is plastic rubbish in the ruins of the Bath courthouse, its historic value indicated by a sign that leans unnaturally on its metal mount. Otherwise, generally, the gardens are well kept, the 16 towering Royal Palm trees at the left of the entrance being its most imposing physical feature.

Any sense of tranquility is quickly shattered by the group of men at the base of a huge blood vein tree, who are waxing philosophical at high volume and in extremely graphic detail about sexual strategy and prowess.

Historic planting

Going around the garden is a short, easy stroll along a well-maintained concrete pathway. Some of the trees are labelled, among them the ylang ylang, cotton tree, jackfruit, ostrich feather palm, Norfolk Island palm and skinny Christmas Palm. Pieces of the Past states that the Bath Botanical Gardens was stocked with "breadfruit, ackee and Otaheite apple brought by Captain Bligh. The croton, jacaranda and bougainvillea were also first planted at Bath".

There are literally signs of another historic planting, as a small breadfruit tree was planted by Portia Simpson Miller and a lychee tree by then Deputy Prime Minister of Britain John Prescott.

Still, there is a sign of those who pass through - an empty bag of potato chips on the otherwise well kept grass. A small lily pond in the making, with concrete sides laid but with no water in it, is a sign of hoped-for improvement. And it is obvious that despite the challenges efforts are being made to keep Bath Botanical Gardens tended.

Pieces of the Past records that "Frequent flooding in the 19th century by the Sulphur River wreaked havoc on the gardens and that, along with the realisation that the soil was not as nutrient rich as had been hoped, caused its relocation to Castleton in 1862. Bath Gardens is still maintained for its historical value".

It is evident that there are those who do not value that history. Still, there are also those who continue to utilise the garden for relaxation; as The Sunday Gleaner is leaving a woman and a group of children take a seat on the grass under the Royal Palms.