THE RICHARD (BLUE) JONES BUSH MEDICINE GARDEN
Blue Jones Bush Medicine Garden
If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering. Aldo Leopold, Round River, 1993.
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Blue Jones Bush Medicine Garden at the Captain Roland Roberts House Environmental Center
The Richard Blue Jones Bush Medicine Garden was created in the yard to the rear of the Captain Roberts House Environmental Center in order to preserve the medicinal plants of the Bahamas. Island medicine man Richard Jones-known to all as Blue-dedicated his time and energy to collect, identify, and plant the garden.
The concept was first hatched years ago when Deandra Rollins donated her time to provide a plan for landscaping the yard around the Captain Roberts House. She designated an area as a Bush Medicine Garden in a written plan for the property. DeeVon Quirolo followed the plan by planting natives in the yard, purchased locally at the Island Roots Festival fair and a local nursery. The existing sugar apple and sour orange trees survived various storms and hurricanes as did the lignum vitae tree donated by Bill and Leslie of Munjack Cay.
These plants thrived, but the energy to establish the bush medicine garden did not happen until Joanie Freeman and Dave Redding were at the Captain Roberts House volunteering as docents in 2008. With the cooperation and support of David Bethell, Joanie contacted Blue and got the ball rolling. Mandy Roberts designed a wonderful sign for it and many other volunteers pitched in to establish the medicinal garden
The result is a native plants garden with signs and an accompanying brochure identifying the plants and their medicinal properties. This is the bush medicine that Bahamians depended upon before modern drug stores were located on the island. This heritage is preserved through the knowledge of special masters such as Blue Jones. His vast understanding of the plants, and where they still grow on the island of Green Turtle, is unmatched by anyone else. We are thankful that he was willing to make this project a reality. As time goes on, the wild landscapes that contain these plants may be developed and the wisdom of their uses forgotten but for this project.
When visiting Green Turtle Cay, be sure to stop by the Captain Roberts House and check out the Medicine Garden.
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