Gardening in Peru

My loyal readers have heard me speak of my garden, and those who follow me on Facebook have seen some of the photos.  I love my garden, and perhaps that is a product of living in South America, or perhaps it is a product of age.

Peru has a growing season which is continuous, and while different plants do well at different times of the year, it is difficult to be a bad gardener here, which may explain why I enjoy it so much.

More so, perhaps, the thing that I enjoy most is the tendency of a garden to present its owner with a sudden reward.  It’s not like fruit, it comes as a surprise when I wake up to find something beautiful, like the seven-inch blooms on my orange hibiscus pictured here.

There is nothing like watching a child with a new hobby, and Youngest has taken to the garden.  Her various projects are pictured below – a giant sunflower, which unfortunately met its demise shortly after her attempt to repot it.  Next to it in the pot is the top of a pineapple that we bought at the market – if planted and kept watered heavily, the pineapple top will eventually grow, although it appears to stay dormant for a long time.  The one pictured is two months old, but the one right behind it was planted just more than one year ago.

Of course the cast-iron sink in the back is full of ferns, which started out as one half of a dying one, rootbound and underwatered.  Once I separated it out and packed dirt around the individual parts, it has just exploded.

As we reach the halfway point of our time here in Peru, I finally have my yard looking the way it should.  You can see more garden photos here.

For an even more exciting plant story, check out my friend’s Night Blooming Cereus, a special flower that blooms for only a single night, and wilts by morning.

Plant something.  Watch it grow.  Water it, prune it.  It's good for the spirit.