Learning about Gardening, in Chacala

I wish these plants were part of my (tiny) succulent collection

I have been getting lots of gardening info lately, and making a few connections. For one thing, I have been reading the plant book a woman in Puerto Vallarta wrote just recently. At the moment it's my "bathroom" book. Short one-page articles. She says that Bird of Paradise plants need full sun. Which is not what I had heard or noticed in other gardens. But I have four plants right now, so I am experimenting, two in half-shade and two in about six hours of sun.

I gave my first landlady in Chacala, Aurora, a Bird of Paradise plant for Mother's Day this year. She keeps it in the full-shade and it's growing like crazy. We are going to divide it as soon as she gets some more pots. So who knows. I guess reading and experience are both important in a new climate.

And I got an email yesterday from a woman gardening in Honduras. Central America. Her blog is at http:// lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com. Very interesting blog for me to read. She is successfully growing vegetables. Which I have pretty much given up on the moment, except for chili peppers, and other peppers too, actually.

And I got an email from a fellow living in Puerto Vallarta. He used to have a plant nursery in the Bay area, San Francisco area somewhere, or maybe Northern California. Anyway, he had seen my post asking about nurseries in PV, and my question about his profile. So that was nice.

It feels like maybe I will have some friends who are also learning about how to garden down here. And understand my frustrations. La Gringa was writing in her blog about not understanding how plants grow in the hard clay soil where she lives. I feel the same way here. It's a mystery.

Egret standing on the beach at Las Cuevas,
the next little beach south from Chacala