While I was in Mexico, we had some relatives visiting from south Mexico, so we went around town showing them the city. One of the places we went was a small ecologic reserve outside of town. The place is a little like a zoo and a little like a ecologic center. It is very fun to visit, especially if you live in a different climate, because you get to see first hand the wildlife in the desert. We were really lucky because at that time spring was really showing and we got to enjoy all of the amazing displays that spring at the desert has to offer.
The humming birds are abundant in spring
The Sonoran desert is one of the hottest and biggest deserts of the world (Arizona and Mojave desert are small pieces of the Sonoran desert). Life is hard in there and plants struggle to survive, but there is one important thing to remember, even though is a desert, spring always means life and color. So, when the time comes there are plenty of blooms around and life awakens and fills everywhere.
The sahuaros bloom as well
The flowers are a bit more rough than in other climates, as most of the plants are too, but this is just as expected from desert plants. They have to be tough to survive in those conditions. I think they are incredibly beautiful nonetheless.
This one is called fireworks
Just as japan has the Sakura, in the desert we have our own version of spring bloom trees. Ours are called "Palo verde" (meaning green tree), it is a native species from our desert. The name of the tree comes from the unusual colored bark. These trees retain the green color on their trunk and their branches even when they have fully matured and have several years old, because the photosynthesis is carried on in the bark.
The palo verde is the desert sakura
Everywhere around the wilderness and also in many streets and houses we have a lot of of these trees blooming every year. The same as the sakura, the trees flower all at once in an impressive and beautiful demonstration that only last a week or two.
The spring blooms in the desert are amazing
It is an amazing sight to see them blooming every spring.
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Back when I was in Mexico, I had the chance to go with my family to buy flowers for the house. My mom wanted some plants to decorate the entrance and to hang out in the back. So we went to a little urban nursery we like close to our neighborhood. They don't have a big range of plants, but they have a lot of very nice ones.
The little nursery close to home
As I have said before where I live is plain desert, so the range of flowers we can grow is a bit limited by the weather. Having tulips for example is completely out of the question, but there are still many other great plants we can have. One common flower to have around there is the petunia. They need a bit of extra care to resist the dryness, but they are able to take the extreme sun, and that is important. We are used to see them around the streets in the city blooming in spring.
They had a lot of great plants
The petunias are in full bloom
So, we went to the nursery with petunias in mind to see what else was there. Most of their stock was petunias, and they had a great variety of colors, but they also had daises, cactus, dahlias, alyssum, cyclamen (in there is as a indoor plant, would not make it outside) and many others.
It was hard to pick which ones to get
Petunias are a must have
Of course at the end we went a little crazy and got a bunch. My mom loves geraniums, and they had some with great colors so we got a trio too. I hope all the plants are doing well at home.
Being in Mexico Dahlias could not be missing
Neither does cactus
I really enjoy going for some plant shopping. It was interesting seeing the difference in how things work here in Japan and back in Mexico. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit other countries in the future and see the difference there as well.
At the end this was the loot
Please help japan with a donation or good thoughts.
My best hope for those in Japan. You can help donate here.
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Part of the fun of having a garden is all the planning involved on it. Being able to decide what we would grow next and where it would go is very exciting. One of my favorite parts is choosing among the infinite varieties of plants to grow.
My seeds box
I always get carried away imagining how it would be to grow this and that, and I always want to add a new plant to my garden. The only problem is that here in my little garden in Japan, we only have the very restricted space a balcony garden can provide.
Of course, this didn't stop me when getting seeds. Adding the ones I brought from Mexico and the ones I got here, now I have ended up with way more of what I would be able to have. I really doubt I can fit even a quarter of all this in my little garden. So, I am sure there will be very tough decisions to make next year, when I would have to choose what to sow.
I like to keep my seeds in jars instead of envelopes
Here is a peek into my seeds box for this year. That way you can help me decide.
- Chives. I just got this ones, I will sow them this week, hopefully they still can catch the season.
- Thyme I cave in to my impatience and I bought the plant, so probably I won't need these after all.
- Alyssum I have the plant too, but I doubt it will stand the winter, so they are my back up plan.
- Cactus A little bit of Mexico's flavor, but I have three bags, so I will give some away.
Komatsuna, Cilantro and Chile de arbol
- Chile I have chile serrano, chile ancho, chile guajillo, chile pasilla, chile poblano, chile de arbol y chipotle. It will be impossible to pick only one.
- Zempasuchitl The Mexican marigold, with a much stronger scent, I like this flower and it is very good for the garden, so this one is a keeper.
- Epazote An annual herb, good for condiments.
Alyssum, Cactus and Lettuce
- Komatsuna The one I am growing now is doing very well. So I think it can be a keeper for next winter as well.
- Cilantro Must have for Mexican food.
- Beans The beans I had this year didn’t do well. Even when they flower they did not got fruit. I brought some from Mexico, hopefully they can do better.
Chamomile, White flower and Beans
- Lettuce Another of my winter vegetables that is going great.
- Chamomile This one might go well on a planter with the Epazote, It would be a nice addition to the herb corner.
- Unidentified white flower I picked this one up from a sidewalk in shibuya, no idea what it is.
Beside all of this, I want to grow some pumpkin, some tomato, possibly blueberries. Also, I know there will be more plants that I won't be able to resist next year.
It is definitely too much for me, anybody want some extra seeds?
I have a delay on working on the garden because my fish tank suddenly got a leak, so all my attention was on that. For now the fish are Ok, but now I don’t have much time left for the garden and is almost time to go back to japan.
Yesterday I was finally able to do something garden related. I went to shop for some seeds. This city doesn’t have that much of a "grow yourself from seeds culture", so I had some trouble finding some. We usually buy the grown plant from the nursery, by trades or even collect plants and seeds from the wild. After some looking around I was able to get some nice seeds at little stores and supermarkets. I still have one more place to go, so I will probably get some more.
Here is what I got so far
Seeds from Mexico
- Desert plants (Cactus, Nopal, Maguey, and more) It would not be Mexico if you don’t have a fair amount of cactus.
- Zempasuchitl The Mexican marigold, this particular type has a very intense scent, I hope it can get me some butterflies.
- Chile poblano A very common Mexican type of chili pepper, one of Mexico signature dishes is made with this, I don’t think I can recreate, because I still need so many other ingredients, but I can have a bit of Mexico flavor at home.
- Epazote This one is a common herb in Mexican food, is a bit spicy and goes well with stew.
- Chile chipotle Other of Mexico signature chili, this one will require a bit more preparation since we usually have them dry, but I hope I can learn how to do it and get me some good sauces.
I hope this plants get to grow in Japan, I think they will with proper care, but I won't find out until next year.
I got way more that I could have in japan, so you will probably hear about a giveaway some time in the future, keep on checking.
