Shamba Times Volume 6 Issue 1

Volume 6 issue 1 We celebrate KHS North
January 2019 Coast District’s 50th year!

Kenya Horticultural Society North Coast District Inside this issue: 2
3
The Shamba Times North Coast District News 4 and 5
50 years plus in a coastal garden 6 and 7
Coastal trees and the Podcast 9
The NCD Garden Shop 10 and 11
From the Kitchen Garden 12
Our Monthly Talks
Odds and Ends

North Coast District News

Chairman’s Notes The NCD is 50 this year!

It’s time to celebrate. Think gold! Formed in 1969, when the Mtwapa and
Kilifi ferries were the only way to reach
2019 marks the 50th anniver- our district by coast, and when Watamu
sary of the North Coast District, really wasn’t much of anything, when
which was formed under the smoking was in vogue, men’s hair was
umbrella of the Kenya Horticul- lengthening rapidly, Benson and
tural Society, where it has re- Hedges and Dubonnet were common-
mained ever since. Happily we place, Driftwood was still … well Drift-
still have members of the dis- wood, and Malindi played host to up-
trict with us today who were county farmers, and a smattering of
members of the society fifty tourists, when piki-piks and tuk-tuks
years ago, though some of the were pretty much unheard of in our dis-
more notable members who trict, and where the sun shone, the sea
served the district on its com- shimmered, and there was enough rain
mittee as well as in the chair are sadly no longer with to garden with ease, the North Coast
us. District of KHS was born. 50 years ago.

In 2019, in The Shamba The Kenya Horticultural Society was estab-
Times, we intend to rec- lished in 1923 for the purpose of stimulating
ognize this milestone in and increasing interest and knowledge of gar-
the best way we can, by dens and plants in Kenya. The North Coast
looking back over fifty District extends from Vipingo in the South to
years at the district’s no- Malindi in the North. Annual membership is
table achievements, by Ksh 1000 per person (Ksh 1300 per couple).
visiting its fifty year old Corporate Membership is offered at Ksh 2000.
gardens, and by interviews with members who have Members gardeners are accepted for limited
been with the district since 1968, as well as by scour- membership at a fee of Ksh 500 per annum. Of
ing old newspaper cuttings and raiding members’ course we welcome new members, so why not
photograph albums for memories of the last fifty see if you can introduce a new member to us
years.
Officers of The North Coast District
Our KHS North Coast District
AGM in March will celebrate Chairman Mr Crispin Sharp
our 50th anniversary with a [email protected]
presentation on the history of
the district and its highlights, Vice Chairman Mr John Golds
to be followed by a very spe- Hon Sec [email protected]
cial celebration lunch. Hon Treasurer Mrs Vanessa Aniere
Shop [email protected]
This month, we climb coastal trees, we find art in a Mr Rupert Partridge
50 year old garden, we delve into the original Gar- [email protected]
dening in East Africa gardeners’ manual, we munch Mrs Elfried Hoogeweegen
on bean-sprouts from Vanessa’s kitchen garden, and [email protected]
the NCD Garden Shop pops up. We visit members’
gardens and, as usual, we report on NCD’s events
and meetings of the last three months and share
with you some Odds and Ends. There’s a diary of fu-
ture events, and hopefully something for everybody in
this edition of The Shamba Times. Enjoy!

2

Fifty years in a coastal garden

Gardening at Ninety. By John Golds

The journey of my Bilgewater garden began more than 50 years ago when I became the
proud owner of 10 acres of beachside bush in Watamu. First job was to clear the bush

and then to begin gardening i.e. creating a brand new
garden as it was back then. But let me be frank, to use
the word gardening in the sub-tile of this piece is
hardly accurate. Sadly my gardening is now restricted
to advising my senior gardener, Katana Baya and his
assistant Naseeb on new projects and in particular the
creation of additional garden ‘rooms’ which I find have
become one of the great joys of having a garden.
Today, In my coastal garden in Watamu I have 5.5 acres with a wide variety of flowering plants and more
than adequate water to keep the lawn green and the plants flowering and healthy. The garden enjoys a

wonderful view to the ocean, and Whale Rock. I
sit across from my latest pond full of flowering
water lilies or look across the swimming pool
and other ponds, or towards my collection of de-
sert roses all of which have been planted by my
gardener who always ensures that his best
plants are put directly in my line of sight.
At ninety (in fact 91) I am firmly in the class I
used to refer to as ‘verandah farmers’ who had
never really trodden their land. Great harvests
come from land dotted with the farmer’s foot-
prints, and the same may be said about great
gardens – but there’s comes an age, when one
must sensibly allow the gardeners to do their
work, and simply enjoy the fruits of their efforts.
I increasingly find it difficult to bend down to pull up those
weeds, stretch up to remove that unhealthy looking branch or
even to dead-head the flowers or those colourful but nibbled
bromeliad leaves, which if removed at an early stage can
speed up the generation of new blooms.
Instead I spend a lot of time in the garden choosing a ‘room’ of
my choice by the hour or morning and thus remain a happy
and contented gardener at ninety. My gardener comes to me
with a photo on his mobile of a particularly fine flower or plant
somehow not growing near one of my sitting areas. or indeed
for a chat and to bring up the subject of a new project he
wishes to start. Our current plan, the source of some disagreement between us, is to create a Mediterra-
nean rock garden full of small flowering succulents and similar plants at
the entrance to the house. My gardener likes the idea, says the sunlight
is just right and we can create a nice slope and have plenty of rocks to
generate the correct layout but that the new garden iwill reduce the park-
ing area available for cars when the garden is open to the KHS.
Despite my advancing years, my garden remains always available to
any KHS enthusiast seeking advice, though usually these days from my
gardener, not me, and I suspect the days of too many cars for the park-
ing area are over. Today my garden is for me to enjoy, to please me and
to feed my soul, and that is good enough for this ninety one year old gar-
dener, and I would think for all other gardeners of the same age.

3

The Taylor’s Takamaka
Tree

By Wendy Taylor

One recent evening whilst sitting in the garden of David and Anne Taylor enjoying a sun-downer,
my eye was drawn to the profusion of bright green fruit hanging in clusters on a low- branching
tree thick with a covering of shiny, dark green leaves. What species of tree was this, I won-
dered? “Ah!” says David “that is our Takamaka tree”...and thereby, hangs a tale.

Coming to them in the guise of a rubber plant or ficus elastica, the tree
happily settled in its new home some five years ago. After a couple of
years, it began to produce fruit so clearly not a rubber plant. A botanist
friend identified it as Calophyllum inophyllum with a number of different
common names including Tamanu Oil and, perhaps more local, Taka-
maka. Considered native to Africa in Kenya, as well as Comoros, Mada-
gascar; Mauritius; Seychelles; and Tanzania including Pemba Island, it
has a widespread distribution: when the fruits drop from the tree, they
float on the seas to other coastal areas in the tropics where they sprout
and take root favouring, unusually, the salty, sandy soil.

What was also interesting to
learn was that oil can be pro-
duced from the oil-free nut con-
tained within the fruit! Described as a ‘botanical oddity’
for, when the ripe, now yellowish-brown, wrinkled fruit is
cracked open, the blond nut kernel inside contains no
apparent oil. But when the kernel dries on a rack for a
month or so, it turns a deep, chocolate brown and be-
comes sticky with a rich oil. Using a screw press, the
oil is squeezed from the dark kernels. It is a rich, dark
green and luxurious oil, possessing significant anti-
microbial, antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities, too.
Good for beauty purposes and for medical ones as well.
Moreover, the oil has the unique capacity to promote
the formation of new tissue, thereby accelerating wound healing and the growth of healthy skin, a
process known as cicatrisation.

Determined to extract some oil from the fruit of his own Takamaka tree, then after drying the ker-
nels David set about the process with a borrowed simple, hand press previously used for produc-
ing essential oils. Whilst not entirely successful - there was too much mass with the press clog-
ging up and little oil excreted, that which was produced was tested out on a friend, whose skin
complaint was completely remedied! Now keen to perfect the art, David is on the hunt for a suit-
able press. So, before long, we may all be able to benefit from the oil of the Taylor’s Takamaka
tree.

Additional Source: Oil of Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum), article by Chris Kilham, The Medi-
cine Hunter, 2011.

4

Podcast

How well do you know your coastal trees?

Can you name the trees to which our cast of pods, pictured below, belong? There are
nine pods shown below, but how aware are we as to which trees these pods belong?
You will find the complete answers at the bottom right of Page 13 of this edition.

A BC

DEF

G HI

A word about pods

A pod is a case that holds a plant’s seeds. Many of the trees or plants that feature seed pods belong to
the Legume family. A fruit of this family is characterised by the case having seeds attached to one side
and splitting along both sides when ripe and bursting open to liberate the seeds - a process known as
dehiscing and hence, the fruit is a dehiscent type. Different types of such seed pods are defined by their
sizes or appearance: Long Seed pods ranging from 20-50 cms. long; Short Seed Pods not more than 8
cms. long, numerous, flat and brown; Flattened Seed Pods; and Curly, Twisting Seed Pods. Other types
of dehiscent fruit are follicles and capsules.
Aside from these definitions, a pod can also be a pouch-like form on a plant which houses the seeds,
such as the baobab fruit.
Happy hunting in your own garden, or in reference manuals, in the search to identify all nine.

5

T‘’ he NCD Garden Shop

Everything a coastal gardener needs,
reads, and more!

The gardeners’ pop-up shop that comes to every meeting!

First established in 2010, the NCD Garden Shop has been a
regular feature at all our events and meetings ever since. This
truly is a pop-up shop as the shop has no permanent site, but
is set up at each venue where NCD meets—in gardens, semi-
nar rooms, lecture halls, driveways and hotel lobbies—you
name it, the shop has been there. The original idea was to pro-
vide members with a supply of plastic planting bags, and to
make purchasing KHS calendars and notelets easier. Since
then the range of garden-related items that the shop sells has
grown considerably, as the price list here shows.

The NCD shop has been responsive to
our members and sells what gardeners
and garden owners actually want. Since
2010, herb and salad seeds, imported
specially from the Netherlands, have
been made available and sell well, Gar-
dening wire and tie-ups, difficult to source
locally, are also best sellers and, despite
the recent very dry years, it seems there
is a never ending demand for more rain
gauges.

Books about gardening sell well too, including the locally de-
vised and produced gardeners’ manuals that accompany our
gardeners courses and that every gardener ought to have. On
the next page of this edition of The Shamba Times, we feature
KHS’ latest major publication, Gardening in Eastern Africa,
copies of which the NCD shop is always happy to order and
bring down to the coast for our members.

Bone-meal is a big seller from the NCD garden shop, as are
liquid plant feeds, particularly EM1. Many of our members are
also on the look out for good quality clay and terracotta pots
for their gardens, and the shop has found a good source of

these, though they are rather bulky
and difficult to transport to every
meeting. Members who want pots,
particularly large ones, should take
advice from the shop as to the best
way to get hold of them.

NCD members may not be aware, but
the pop-up shop that you see at each meeting contributes a very worthwhile
stream of revenue to the district’s finances. Please let us know what new prod-
ucts you would like to see made available. Shop till you drop at the pop-up shop!

Please contact Elfried on 0733 839 267 or at [email protected] for further information.

6

‘’Gardening in
Eastern Africa

The book every gardener ought to have

In 2017 a new edition of Gardening in Eastern Africa was fi-
nally published, 83 years after the first edition and 17 years
after the last. At 677 pages, it is a perfect gift and a must have for anybody who
loves gardens, every page a treasure. The first edition of Gardening in East Af-
rica came out in 1934 under the aegis, like this latest one, of the Kenya Horticul-
tural Society. It “proved a success and sold out after two years,” according to the
second edition (1939), A third edition was published in 1950, and is both an ency-
clopedia of gardening in this part of the world, as well as a history book and a fas-
cinating read.

In the 1950 edition, the chapter on coastal gardening was written by an outspoken and amusing
character called H.B. Sharpe, who served in
the Colonial Service and had what can only
be described as very well entrenched views
on gardening. Included in his recommenda-
tions on planting in coastal climates is the
necessity to form a society for ‘the preven-
tion of cruelty to plants’!

Like the new 2017 edition the original was
very well illustrated, including with plates of
plants painted by no less a luminary than
Joy Adamson of Elsa the lion fame.

And so to the latest edition of this gar-
dener’s bible, now called Gardening in Eastern Africa, not
East Africa. And what a joy it is. Much more ecological than all
the previous versions, it has a chapter on permaculture and
organic gardening, a fierce chapter on alien invasive species,
chapters on useful dudus in the garden, and a chapter on me-
dicinal plants. The chapter on climate is more than rainfall and
temperature figures (although those matter a lot); it tackles
climate change. Then there is a vital chapter on “water-wise”
gardening, which is utterly crucial now.

If you are a person who is mad keen on a particular type of
plant, a collector perhaps, you will not be disappointed. There
are separate chapters on palms, cycads, roses, orchids, the
achingly trendy and cute succulent, and bougainvilleas, the
last revised by Josephat Muindi.

This book was a labour of love, and we have a lot to thank the
Kenya Horticultural Society (KHS) for. In a sensitive introduc-
tion, Peter David Patterson and Vishy Talwar, the two chairs
since 2012, recognise that our gardens are getting smaller and
that we need kitchen gardens for small households, including for high-rises. They conclude that
gardens are “no longer just nice to have; they are essential. Pollution levels are dangerous and we
all need to embrace that plants help against some of the biggest environmental threats we face”.

Adapted from a review for The Star by Cathy Watson of the World Agroforestry Centre. October 2017

7

Members’ Gardens

Vanessa Aniere’s garden created in white

sand at CheShale

We all know there are many types of gardens and of gardeners.
Most Kenya gardens were carved out of thick bush with the help of
the gardeners and some hefty slashing with pangas. Mine was no
exception. When I built my present house in 2005 at CheShale, I
chose to be back from the sea in this house as I wanted it to be
lush and green. This was very ambitious when all I had was sand
and palms, but slowly as the bush has been cleared to leave only
some chosen wild shrubs and mature palm trees, it has taken
shape.

Mine is not a garden filled with purchased plants and irrigated by tanker-loads of water, but rather by gen-
erous plant donations and plenty of pilfering from other gardens. I am lucky my well water is still drinkable
(apart from when the odd goat falls into the well) but with the agreement of the neighbours we try not to
waste water by over-watering, and large lawns are rather frowned upon, so mine is the size of a 50 cent

piece. I collect as much rain water as possible though
when my construction budget came to an end, I was
forced to use cheap guttering and could not run to a stor-
age tank. Water and food are like gold in a sandy garden.

Anyone who has built a pond knows the enjoyment it
brings, not only to you, but to the abundance of wildlife it
attracts, and at the same time creating an all-important
micro climate. I have avoided the expense of fertilisers
and chemicals and make as much compost as possible
which is not always easy with only palm trees for fodder
to feed the compost monster with. I feel wonderful when I turn over my leaf mould and there is that heav-
enly muddy smell.

The smell of compost is not quite as good as being woken up in the early
hours of the morning after the first bout of the ‘long rains’ with the perfume
of my wild Feretia apodanthora and the Cladostemon kirkii that suddenly

come into bloom at the same time. It mingles
with the lily Crinum asiaticum which has been a
saving grace in the sand with its night time per-
fume and abundant production of suckers to
spread around.

It is a special moment lying in bed with the
dawn breaking, wild flower perfume wafting in on the breeze as the palm thrush
high up in his palm house sings his heart out calling for his mate nearby.

Oh, the magic of a garden!

8

From The Kitchen Garden

Ideas for growing your own food to harvest and cook

By Vanessa Aniere

Growing your own bean sprouts for hot and cold dishes

I love to grow my own bean sprouts: not only is it so easy but the sprouts are fun and very good for you.
Most beans will sprout but it is best to buy mung beans (Vigna radiate), alternatively known as green
grams or pojo in Kiswahili, which are readily available in the shops (as illustrated). Mung beans are
packed with healthy nutrients, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium and fibre.

I have my own bean-sprout grower but some people simply use a jar or even a bowl of water. I start by
washing a handful of the beans and then placing them in the bottom tray of the
bean-sprout grower with water to cover and soak overnight. Throw away the wa-
ter and then separate the beans into the different trays of the bean, as shown.
Similarly, if using a jar, having soaked a handful of washed beans in water, re-
place the water every day as it gets a bit putrid. After about three to four days,
the sprouts will be ready to use. I like to use mine when they are short and fat
and before the first two leaves appear. I prefer to remove the outer skin, which
can be done just by washing very thoroughly. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

How to Use Bean Sprouts

Raw Bean Sprout Salad
Simply blanch the sprouts by placing in hot water for a second and remove. I
make a mayonnaise dressing by adding a little soya sauce to the mayonnaise
with a small amount of grated ginger and garlic to your liking. Mix well, toss into
the sprouts and eat raw.

Simple Stir Fried Bean Sprouts
For approximately two portions:

1 generous handful bean sprouts
2 small onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-size piece of ginger
1 tablespoon of oil
Sprinkling of soy sauce
A few drops of sesame oil

Slice the onions and grate the garlic and ginger together. Heat the wok with the cooking oil of your choice
(I prefer coconut oil). Toss in the garlic and ginger until you get their aroma without burning and then
throw in the onions. Toss and stir fry till slightly soft and add the bean sprouts. Do not over-cook as you
want everything to be crunchy. Sprinkle with some soy sauce and a light drizzle of sesame oil for flavour
and serve.

This recipe can be adapted using different types of ingredients such as chicken, beef or any seafood - to
be added after stir-frying the onions. Boil noodles and toss them into the stir fry for that final touch.
Chopped chives or spring onions are the best decoration.

On the plate from top left deep-fried Chinese Water Spinach / Ipomoea aquatic (see The Shamba Times
of July 2018); stir-fried bean sprouts; wok-tossed soft-shell crab and soy sauce; deep-fried rice noodles.

9

OurNCD Monthly Talks

month

lyThe Greater Amboseli Ecosystem Conservation Project

It was the killing by poachers of 49-year old Igor, the elephant
drinking in the photograph of that name, that spurred Nick
Brandt, the photographer, to set up the Big Life Foundation in
2010 together with conservationist, Richard Bonham, and en-

talkstrepreneur, Tom Hill. Craig Millar, who is head of security and

has worked with the foundation for six years, gave 53 of us a
fascinating and erudite account of the multi-faceted conserva-
tion project operating in the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem,
which covers 2.5 million acres and includes Amboseli, Tsavo,
Chyulu Hills, Lake Natron and Kilimanjaro.

Today, there is a strong,
well-resourced anti-
poaching operation with
250 trained, local rangers,
31 outposts, 15 anti-
poaching Land Cruiser
vehicles, three tracker
dogs, aerial surveillance
for rapid response and photography, and an extensive
network of informers. There has been a major reduc-
tion in poaching and killing not only of elephants but of
other animals and species, too - lions, giraffes, rhinos,
and birds. This trickle-down effect of the original con-
servation focus has meant a broadening of the Foun-
dation’s mandate to the protection of the eco-system
generally.

Clearly, an important part of the eco-system is the Maasai community, whose traditional co-existence with
the land and the animals has increasingly been at risk through, for in-
stance, population explosion; over-stocking of livestock; overgrazing
and desertification of the land; the continuation of the warrior-based cul-
ture of lion-killing; ranch-land sub-division with an escalation in human-
wildlife conflicts. To address such challenges, Big Life Foundation has
been guided by the principle that sustainable conservation can only be
achieved through a community-based collaborative approach. To this
end, it has also developed and applied a range of innovative, best prac-
tices: from the employment and training of local males as rangers sup-
ported by a network of informers - family members and friends of the rangers - to the predator compensa-
tion programme; the bi-annual Maasai Olympics as an alternative to the warrior-lion killing tradition; and,
the elephant-proof fences along elephant movement corridors to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and to
facilitate compatible land uses in the light of a shift towards agriculture and farming.

10

NCD Monthly
Talks continued

The Extraordinary Palm

The scene had already been set for Simon Walsh’s illustrated talk, The
Extraordinary Palm : Palms in Nature and the Man-Made Landscape, as
soon as one stepped through the gate of Evi Walsh’s Tropical Nurseries:
lofty specimens of palm trees stretching their fan-shaped (palmate) or
feather-shaped (pinnate) evergreen leaves or fronds upwards and out-
wards to form a canopy and a myriad of other shorter palms of all shapes
and sizes, comprising the understory. Over 40 of us then sat and learnt
so much from Simon - together with the contributions from the floor -
about this extraordinary tree. With over 2,500 different species world-
wide mostly growing in tropical and subtropical regions, the North Coast
is a wonderful location for palms particularly indigenous/naturalised ones
including Phoenix reclinata: wild date palm, Cocus nucifera: coconut
palm, and Hyphaene compressa: doum palm; as well as other common
coastal palms such as Veitchia merrillii: the Christmas palm with its bright
red fruit, Dypsis lutescens: Golden cane palm, and, Roystonea regia: Cu-
ban royal palm...and many, many other less common palms which thrive
at the coast, as evidenced in the MTN garden. Apart
from the huge biodiversity, other aspects of the palm
such as its trunk structure and root system make it
somewhat extraordinary or at least quite different from
other, timber trees. We also gained tips on propagation
- all palms produce seeds, and on cultivation - fertilising
and mulching are “musts” but keep the collar clear of
mulch! and, information on pests and diseases. KHS
NCD extends its thanks to our host, Evie Walsh and our
expert on palms, Simon Walsh, for this very interesting
event.

The Man Behind the Lens Barefoot Solutions in Turkana

“At long last”, writes Vanessa Aniere, “I was able to Jess De Boer’s enthusiasm for permaculture in Tur-
attend one of Peter Derry’s photographic courses, kana was very much in evidence during her talk on
having always admired his beautiful flower photo- her project in the Northern Frontier of Kenya. Her
graphs which we have be-
positive excitement shone through as she talked to
come so familiar with in
us about the difficulties of growing anything in this
our calendars and in the
dry and arid area. She was full of interesting statis-
some of the editions of
tics on her work and her message was very simple:
The Shamba Times.” On
“Permaculture is simply working with nature and not
18 October, a group of
against it.” We must adapt to our environment and
nine NCD members picked up invaluable tips from not turn it into something it does not want to be es-
Peter important to the composition of all photo- pecially with its very limited supply of borehole wa-
graphs. Peter’s talks do not involve expensive ter!
equipment, which is very helpful to those the gar-

deners who attended using their smart phones Some thirty of us attended the talk on 27 September
rather than digital cameras. For those members and came away full of admiration for Jess’ efforts on
who were unable to attend, look back at previous this worthwhile project. Anyone wishing to learn
issues of The Shamba Times and find Peter’s ex- more can check out the web site https://
cellent Flower Photography series.
www.barefootsolutions.com

11

Odds and Ends

Garden Art The Sacred Lotus

This striking Ndoro Vanessa Aniere writes:
sculpture from Zim-
babwe is one of The Lotus flower, Ne-
nearly 400 pieces of lumbo nucifera, grows
African art displayed in muddy water and
in the beautiful gar- rises high above the
den of Robusta in surface only to bloom
Malindi. The owner with remarkable
and curator of this beauty. Untouched by
remarkable collection the murkiness below, it
of sculptures is epitomises the purity of
Carola Rasmussen, the heart and mind.
who worked as a Because of this, it symbolises the Buddhist be-
journalist and film lieve of purity, heavenly beauty and fragrance.
maker out of Harare The Lotus is the national flower of India and, in
for many years and Hinduism, it represents heaven as each petal
who has acquired a very significant collection of opens as the sun rises, expanding the soul.
Zimbabwean stone sculptures, which she has now
brought to Malindi. The sculptures are catalogued Knowing all this, I was delighted when my son,
and are for sale, along with other high-end African Justin, returned from Thailand with some lotus
crafts. A wide variety of pieces are displayed in seeds. He generously shared these with other
the garden designed and created more than 50 enthusiastic pond owners including me. I
years ago by Helen Cockburn who was renowned watched my seeds sprout and then gently
for her orchids. Helen’s orchid house is now part placed the seedlings into my pond. Mine died
of the garden gallery, but much of the garden re- as did all the others but Justin’s thrived in a
mains in beautiful shape and is very well worth bucket of muddy water below the surface of the
visiting. pond only to show us their full glory about one
and a half years later. This time Justin chose
Carola welcomes visitors to Robusta to view the sculp- not to join the land of the lotus eaters, reputed
tures and to browse in her delightful garden shop— to have lived in NorthAfrica in the 5th Century
perfect for presents! Contact Carola direct for an ap- BC, by eating the flower or the seeds even
pointment to view on 0789 120 921. though these days it is known that the seeds
are very high in magnesium and contain anti-
NCD 2018 Rainfall aging enzymes which repair the damaged pro-
tein in our bodies.
The total rainfall measured in the
North Coast District for 2018 was Watch this space
41" = 1,041.4mm. Of course the as we wait with
district is quite large, and rainfall varies greatly bated breath for
from place to place, and our 2018 rain measure- the birth of more
ment has been collected from John Golds’ garden of these beautiful
in Watamu, being roughly in the middle of NCD. symbolic flowers
rising from the
The expected annual rainfall for NCD for the year muddy depths
would be between 40—50 inches , so we have below to brighten our lives with their beauty.
had a reasonable, if unspectacular, year of rains.
Here’s hoping for even more rain in 2019.

12

And finally, for your diary.

Thursday 24th January 2019 at 1000 at John
Gold’s home, Bilgewater, in Watamu.

Peter Patterson on Ponds

- with Vanessa Aniere and John Golds and everything you
need to know to build and maintain your own garden pond.

February 2019, on a date to be confirmed, at Bio-
Ken Snake Farm in North Watamu.

Snakes, toads, lizards, crocodiles …..

This highly engaging event for our NCD members returns to
our diary this year—by popular demand!

Thursday 14th March 2019 at 1000 at Driftwood
Club, Malindi.

KHS North Coast District AGM and
50th Anniversary Celebration Lunch.

A very special occasion that you must not miss!

2019 Podcast

We value your membership The answers
and would like to remind all our
KHS North Coast District members that 2019 A: Delonix regia / Flamboyant tree
subscriptions to the society are now due. B: Kigelia africana / Sausage tree
C: Sterculia foetida
Your subscriptions allow the NCD to put on our D: Moringa oleifera
meetings/events/talks and visits each month, to E: Pithecellobium dulce / Manila Tamarind
produce The Shamba Times each quarter, and F: Ceiba pentandra / Kapok tree
to provide annual support to the national KHS. G: Dichrostachys cinerea
H: Majidea zanguebarica
Subscription rates remain unchanged into 2019 I: Adenanthera pavonina
and can be paid to the NCD treasurer at
MPESA 0702767177, or pay direct to your local
representative.

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