Bamboo Right in Front of Me

A few weeks ago I took the collectivo from Chacala out to the Crucero de Chacala. The Crucero is the place where the Chacala road meets the main north/south highway to Tepic and to Guadalajara. It consists of about 40 fruit stands along the highway, a nice motel, and few places to each and a couple of basic restaurants.

At the Crucero I caught another collectivo to my favorite nursery, just north of La Penita. The total ride is about 20 minutes. Maybe a little longer.Rancho Las Palmas is the vivero managed by Benjamin. He’s been at the nursery for almost 15 years and is very friendly and helpful. They don’t have many fru-fru plants (flowering annuals) at Benjamin’s. But there are some, and the other plants are very healthy and about 25/30% cheaper than the other local Nursery, near the Pemex station.Anyway. I was there looking for bamboo and whatever, and hoping for succulents (only some lovely white and some rose colored Desert Rose/Rosa del Desertio/Adenium Obesium plants), and some smaller leafy type palms. The Desert Roses were large size-$20mx ($2us) for the pink and $70mx for the white. I guess because they are new here I guess. Or maybe new everyway. Don’t know. No palms in my price range. Under $40mx. ($4us).But I got some bougainvilleas for $15mx and $20 and a beautiful deep maroon geranium, like the one I got the other trip. And some portulacas and a small palm. Don’t know what kind.

No bamboo of any kind. I would have been nervous planting some anyway because of not having labels on the plants and not knowing how invasive a particular bamboo might be.

Then I bought my eight plants and I walked out to the highway and waited in the shade for the next collectivo. If they aren’t packed to the gills the driver will usually let you take almost anything on the collectivos. Including 5 big and three littler plants.
It took me a few minutes of standing in the shade to realize the shade was being provided by a giant stand of medium diameter bamboo. I couldn’t believe I hasn’t noticed the bamboo stand before. I have stood under the shade of this plant a dozen times, at least. And driven by in on the bus maybe 100 times.I have this maybe genetic longing for bamboo. My mom loved it too, and so did my Swedish granddad on my father’s side. I think the stalks are so graceful and lovely, swaying in the wind. And the leaves rustle so sweetly, and the colors of the stalks are so beautiful. I think Bamboo is my favorite group of plants. Maybe even more favorite than succulents.

Bamboo is sooooo useful. Bamboo grows all around Chacala. And is used everywhere in Chacala. Used in construction and decoration and making furniture, fences, and for all kinds of things. I walk the beach most days. Especially after storms. There are often some bamboo poles thrown up on the sand after storms. I drag them home. I keep thinking I will make something with them. But mostly I pass them on to people who remember seeing them on my staircase and who need a piece for something or other.I always keep my eyes open for stands of bamboo around here. But most clumps are owned, or at least claimed, by someone so I haven’t has a chance to collect a big stash yet. Or to transplant some into pots. But soon maybe. An almost empty collectivo came by after and few minutes, and took me to Las Varas. And then I caught another one for home. To Chacala. And I got home before dark. And the moon was out.