From Chacala, Mexico

During a little getaway to my "second home" here in Chacala, Mexico, I'm reflecting on how easy I thought gardening would be here, after our challenges in the rockies.  I'm finding instead how appreciative I am of how good we really have in the Roaring Fork valley!

The soil here isn't rocky, but it's not good, either, and amendments are not readily available.  Mulch is not available at all, unless you want to use bags of gravel, which I prefer not to.  I haven't found any people in this little area who understand plants, soils, and basic design techniques, so I'm forever fixing whatever has happened while I've been away.  Ornamental peppers planted next to purple wandering jews - yech!!!   They sweep the gardens with a broom instead of a rake, which contributes to compacted soils.  The favorite pruning tool is a machete - can you imagine?????

Most homes don't have irrigation, so you end up dragging a long hose around, damaging the little planties that get in the way.  It can be quite dry, and they in the rainy season can rain 3" a day.  Not that many plants like both types of conditions!

At about 6 months after remodeling the garden here, plants have still not filled in like I would have expected, not even as well as they would have at home.  Surprisingly, though I'm sure thousands of plants we have at home would thrive here, they are not sold in the nurseries, which instead rely on 30 or 40 varieties.  I keep wanting to sneak little bits of plants like succulents in my suitcase that I know would look great in this garden!  Wanting, however, to avoid arrest and detention, I have not.

So, overall, we have it pretty darn good where we live Glenwood - Aspen.  With the right soils and mulches and using the very wide variety of wonderful plants available in stores and catalogs, I've built many gardens that are beautiful the first season.  I love gardening in Colorado!!