Dec. 12, 2008 — A small area of Government Hill at the base of Garden Street came to life Friday morning as bursts of brilliant color turned the formerly barren spot to a small oasis studded with bougainvillea accented by bright green foxtail and Bismarck palms.
The plants are a gift to the community in honor of the late Isidor Paiewonsky, historian, author, publisher, businessman, and premier chronicler of Virgin Islands history, said Felipe Ayala, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Paiewonsky died in 2004.
Ayala said this is the second in what will be an annual holiday gift to the community from the Paiewonsky family. Sen. Liston Davis sponsored a resolution passed by the 26th Legislature in 2005 declaring a week in early December as 'Isidor Paiewonsky Plant a Tree Week,' for his contributions to the beatification and preservation of the environment.
"All of the plantings are in the Historic District," Ayala said. "Last year, palms were planted at the entrance to Emile Griffith Ballpark and two mahogany trees were planted at Market Square. It's a group effort supported by the Paiewonsky family."
The plantings are carried out with the help Department of Agriculture, the Historic Preservation Commission, St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Barbara Petersen and the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department, which maintains the plants.
Workers from ABC Nursery were busily removing the bougainvillea from their pots Friday and setting them on the hillside, along with putting the Bismarck and foxtail palms into the ground before the sun rose too high in the sky.
Ayala admired the sloping hillside, barren before Friday, and now scattered with color. The bougainvillea were the idea of Historic Commission member Diane Walker, he said.
"She suggested that all building applications that come before the commission have a landscape component, specifically a planting of bougainvillea," Ayala said. "We nicknamed her mandate the 'bougainvillea' project." The brilliant flowers are familiar to any visitor to the islands.
Fittingly, a bit of history was dug out of the ground as plants were put in, a serendipitous tribute to the noted historian. Cliff Bryan, ABC nursery owner, approached Ayala with two coins he said his workmen had uncovered.
Looking them over, Ayala smiled at the morning's bonus. "These are Danish," he said.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
