One Year Old Plants in Chacala

This coleus, grown from seed, is about 12 weeks old.
Many starts have been removed by enthusiastic local gardeners, hence the peculiar shape.

The homeowners of this house, the house I am caretaking this summer, planted a number of new plants directly in the dirt late last Fall. A few didn't make it, but most of them did. Amazingly enough, almost all the plants are looking good.

I have to say I was surprised they mostly survived. The dirt around the house looks and feels like hard, heavy clay. And the run-off from the cement mixing (by hand) during the construction of the house, didn't help much either. If you want holes for plants around this house, you have to hire a strong worker using a pry bar to dig the holes for 20 pesos a hole.

Purple Bouganvillea branch

There are some new bouganvilleas with nice colors. I had to move three that were dying in a difficult location. But one of the three is surviving beautifully in its new home.

And a Ginger plant (Zingiberaceae family with about six blossoms starting to open right now.

Hankerchief Plant

And there are two "Hankerchief Plant"/"Buddha's Lamp" (Rubiaceae family) plants just covered with blossoms.

Cuphea (identified by Michael Loundagin
Mexican Heather (identified by Pam)

The homeowner has added a few temperate-climate plants to the mix, including this lovely Mexican Heather (Cuphea) which seems to be thriving here. It has tiny violet flowers, and is not only surviving, it is multiplying. It doesn't look like a tropical-type plant to me, but it's doing fine. Turns out this plant orginated in Mexico.
The other non-tropical here is an (?)azeala (spelling?) I think. Actually, I don't think it is an axaela. Any suggestions for a name? Also thriving. In the shade.

And the new hisbiscus has lucious deep red blossoms.

New hibiscus blossom on the new plant