Spread over seven acres, Sophia and Paul Harris’s garden is a mixture of habitats that allows wildlife to flourish.
Sophia, a lawyer who has lived at the Red Bay property with her husband for more than three decades, describes it as more wild than formal.
“It’s a very West Indian garden,” she says. “There are parts of it that thrive on the beachfront and parts of it that have interwoven with the mangroves, and there are parts of it that thrive somewhere in between.”
Over the years, Sophia and Paul have worked with three designers to create the garden as it is now, including their vision of entwining the trails and gardens through the mangroves.
Hurricane Ivan wreaked havoc on the garden in 2004 but it was reestablished and has since matured into a lush sanctuary.
“The gardens are very much loved and give the property life and soul,” says Sophia. “We see numerous birds going from tree to tree, flower to flower, and it’s heart-warming. We have loved our gardens and I think they have very much loved us back.
“Studies show that time spent in gardens or with nature, lowers blood pressure etc. It goes without saying, we very much experience that sense of well-being from being at home in our gardens.”
WETLANDS
On either side of the house there are important wetlands, where the garden has been designed in harmony with wildlife.
“The ducks, the hickatees, moorhens and the tarpons all know us and come when they hear our voice,” says Sophia.
Having first-hand experience of the wonders of the wetlands, Sophia is hopeful that a balance can be found between development and preservation of the important water ecosystems.
PEACE GARDEN
Across the road from the house, an area of the property is called the Peace Garden, which is very much Sophia’s mother’s domain.
“She goes over three times a day and tends to her plants, the chickens, ducks and hickatees,” says Sophia. “Needless to say, my mom loves the Peace Garden.
“I have always appreciated gardens and nature. My mother is definitely the consummate gardener, so perhaps that’s where it has come from.”
PLANTS
The property also has two orchid houses as well as a large cabana, which Sophia plans to convert into an aeroponic house.
“We have numerous Cayman orchids, Honduranian orchids and other types of orchids, stag-horns and Spanish moss, all growing on trees,” she says.
“My mother does very well with orchids, although my favourites are the Dendrobium anosmum (superbum), and I look after those. There are also numerous ground orchids on the property.”
Other plants include water lilies in the koi and goldfish pond, ginger lilies, different species of heliconias and many more tropical plants. There is also a huge ylang ylang tree and various types of palms.
Indeed, there are so many plants that Sophia describes the amount as testament to the large tracts of time she has spent at garden centres on island, getting to know the staff so well they are now like family friends. She also pays tribute to her gardeners, who help keep the grounds in top shape.
BEACHFRONT
The beachfront area of the garden enjoys sensational sunrises, while the sunsets are also magnificent, with blood-orange skies reminding Sophia why the area is called Red Bay.
Luckily, the plants are not greatly affected by salt spray unless there is a southwester storm. The garden is vast and varied but Sophia and her family find every aspect gives them a feeling of calm and good fortune.
“There is never a day that we don’t appreciate the life and joy that the garden brings,” she says. “For us, it is whimsical and magical.”
This article appears in the Autumn/Winter 2021 issue of InsideOut magazine, now available at magazine stands and delivered to select homes in eco-tote bags sponsored by LIVING.KY.
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