The Journey to Casa Madera - The garden is a mess!

August 22, 2012  - It is the middle of rainy season here at Casa Madera Bed & Breakfast in Nuevo Vallarta.  It is sunny, hot and humid.  It is a typical summer’s day in the Bay of Banderas.

We may get rain tonight, we may not.  You really never know.  The potential is always there but it does not always arrive.

We like the rain.  It cools the air and makes everything green.  The plants grow with the rain, and I mean grow.  Some plants will put on a foot in a day or two just because of the water and the sun.  I have never seen plants grow like this, it is incredible.

[caption id="attachment_479" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The front of house before Ramon got here today[/caption]

This does cause a bit of an issue for us as we have some green space.  At this time of year it is really green space.  Grass grows where none has been planted.  7 foot weeds shoot up while you are hanging laundry.  We cannot keep up with it.  So today we hired a gardener.

Yes, a gardener.  He came over yesterday to have a look and see what needed to be done.  Personally I think he wanted to cry but he said he would be here today at 8:00 AM.

At 8:00 AM Ramon was at the gate.  By 8:30 the hedge had been trimmed and plants that were growing in it were gone.  He cut, trimmed and cleaned until 2:00 PM.  The garden area looks amazing.  For the first time since we planted the pineapples a year ago we were able to see that they were actually growing.

[caption id="attachment_480" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Today after Ramon left[/caption]

On Saturday he is coming to fertilize and apply weed killer to the areas where we would like to have grass.  Now I know what you are saying out there.  “Kevin, why are you not doing this yourself?” Quite frankly, I don’t have the time nor the energy to spend for the amount of time required to keep this garden looking good.

[caption id="attachment_481" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The front garden[/caption]

The other problem is we have no idea as to what some of this stuff is that grows in our yard or how to care for it.  Is this a full sun plant, partial sun or shade?  Will it bear fruit?  What bug likes to eat it?  What is that black stuff growing on the palm tree?

The questions go on and on.  We try to ask at the Vivero’s (plant centers) but in a lot of cases we have not asked correctly or we have misunderstood the answers.  We are hopeful that this will clear all of this up for us.

A Gardener, I never thought we would have a gardener.