TWO MORE MEMBERS ARE IN

FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I searched without much purpose the botanical name for the over used, abused, Rain Joe.  Duranta repens,  thank God, is the name.  Every imaginable fool, plants this wonderful bush, tolerant to heat/sun/drought and mutilates it for hedges.

For some reason, the unusual chartreuse green leaves in the tropics,  caught my attention. On the other hand, it is planted so often in stupid looking hedges, that I felt some repulsion at the same time.  I bought two. anyhow in some nursery when they were sixteen inches tall two years ago. One is shown at right, the other is in the west garden, to be featured later,  between the Guaicum officinale and Calliandra haemathocephala.

At any rate. the beauty of this small tree/bush is in the rare orange berries racemes and violet fragrant little flowers.  These three aspects color, berries and flowers is what makes this species so attractive. People constantly pruning it, miss the most significant feature of  Duranta repens.

The populace uses it as hedges, yours truly as focal point, or conversation piece. Imagination  works as a spark. Letting  it grow as nature demands transforms this impressive member of the collection.  

Let the record show that I am not prone to buy plants in nurseries, that is for wimps, or people in the Green Industry without any option. In my collection, one pink Plumeria, a couple of Asparagus, the columnar type, one Phalaenopsis, and seasonal Poinsettias are/were bought in nurseries.  Everything else has been  product of stroll collection, swap, exchange or presents.

Another rare, not too common, inductee, with beautiful white flowers and green leaves on top with dark purple in the underside is Clerodendrum quadriloculare.  The 3,  traveled from San German, from cut stems, were a present from Tito Collazo, a neighbor, collaborator, graphic artist and gardening fan.


The problem, with Josefinas, if not careful when planting, is their propensity to be invasive. Believe or not they tend to propagate as grass does, by stolons/rhizomes  through their root system. 


Moral of the story...In a country such as the one I have to live, refusing peer pressure, not going with the flow, present great opportunities to do things differently with nice visual impact in the garden. To set trends if I may, often.

time to depart...

apaga i vete.

THE COLLECTION KEEPS GROWING TWO INDUCTEES

WHAT CAN  I SAY?

Epiphylum oxypetalum has joined the 100 Collection Club.  A favorite of mothers and grandmothers in my childhood. It has lost some relevance, except among those like yours truly, not relying in useless nurseries.  It is not pretty, it looks like a flat fish, but the flower compares in fragrance and beauty to any Nenufar.

Pepperomia pellucida is another inductee.  This plant grows wild and self seeds.  In that way it came to me, to be part of this unique collection, a work in progress in the Caribbean.  It has medicinal virtues, but I will not get into it..It is a subject by itself.  The tittle may be: Antigonum  Cajan, the medicinal side of his collection.

There is not much to add but to invite you to antigonumcajaneveningpost.. 

apaga i vamonoh.

THREE NEW INDUCTEES

I know.  I have been away for too long. But who cares, there are over one hundred and fifty million blogs.

I have reached new Olympic Heights...my first tomato, buahaja bilingual laugh. Solanum lycopersicum. It is the cherry kind. The ironic part of it is that I just dispersed the seeds in different contexts, you know south/north and so forth. This one will go blue in the inventory since I doubt very much it will become a permanent star in the collection.

Chorophytum comosum, very popular among mothers and grandmothers in the  past, before nurseries screw it. Imagination, propagation skills, good taste,  were murdered when they became a part of urban life. Not particularly amazing except their children/offspring hang out as if abandoned to their luck, in baskets. Therefore their name: Malamadre or Malpadre, down here.

The one I have is planted in a folkloric chickpeas hanging tin can from Goya, si es Goya tiene que ser bueno.  A present from Rengui, one of my closest collaborators in planting, propagating issues.

Tito Collazo the graphic artist legend across the street, and  owner of Dalila the pony like dog, gave me a Clerondendron quadriculate. A really pretty, not abused small tree around this neck of the asphalt/concrete.

And that is that. If you are serious about gardening in tropical latitudes I suggest:
 

TROPICAL ORNAMENTALS

W. Arthur Whistler

Timber Press 

2000

This book is

one of my official

reference books.

That way I do not

have to ask. I research.

that is that.