The Garden and the Gardener

Since arriving in November we’ve been pruning, trimming, planting and generally tending to the garden. It was in good shape when we arrived. The gardener, Manuel, had been coming twice a week this summer to take care of it and the lawn. When we got here, we told Manuel we’d take over the garden and would text him when the lawn needed mowing. Worked well for the first 2 months.

We’ve added a few more plants and flowers the usual way- taking cuttings and clippings from plants we see. Lynn brought some coleus that adds its rich deep red color. Becky and Steve brought over a cutting from their chaya plant (really it’s more like a tree!)  Chaya  has edible leaves with irritating spines that dissolve when cooked.  It is called super spinach here with tons of anti-oxidants. An unusual flower, Colo de Gato (Tail of the Cat) was picked up yesterday in front of a little auto repair shop. It has flowers, long and red look like a cat’s tail that can grow up to 12 inches.

Now, back to Manuel. Well, texting Manuel worked OK the first few times. Then, he became slow to respond. Finally, the last time when he came and did his thing,  he left his mower and said he’d be back to get it a couple of hours. The mower is still here after 3 weeks now! We’ve texted him several times and he always says he’ll come get it soon. Unfortunately, moving it out of our way and putting it in and out of our back back porch has resulted in a broken front wheel. Do you think we have squatters rights to the mower? Can Peggy now make a few extra pesos mowing lawns? How do we fix the front wheel? We’ll update the blog as things develop.

Here are some random garden pics.

The dieffenbachia came from the vacant lot next door.  The lipstick plant is one of many cuttings taken from one plant that was here before we were.

We love having this vine dress up our wall.

PS All we had to do was write about and he came! Manuel came by yesterday. He had been on the mainland for a few weeks tending to a sick relative. He didn’t seem fazed by the lack of a wheel on the mower and said he’d be back next Friday. Alrighty then!