"Mi hermana"
Although this was not a horticultural visit I was still able to take in some of the flora amidst the hustle and bustle. Being a Zone 3’er, when I go south (even just a few hundred kilometers) I am always intrigued by the increase in plant variety. You then can imagine how I react whenever I travel to places that stay above freezing all year round. My horticultural brain is on overload! It is very fun and exciting.
While away, I was completely immersed in the Spanish language. On occasion Susan and I would find someone who could speak a little English and we felt some sort of comfort. It was a similar feeling when I would see a plant that was remotely related to something we can grow here in Lethbridge. For example: I just had to take pictures of this iris we saw because it reminded me of home.
We had the opportunity to go “Downtown” frequently during our visit and it was fun seeing the boulevards transformed with mass plantings of poinsettias (indigenous to Mexico) for the Christmas season. I regret not taking actual pictures of this happening while buzzing by in the car……..Susan and I did manage to stop to buy other flowers from a street vendor and I could not believe how inexpensive the flowers were in Mexico City! We bought a bunch of flowers that would have cost at least $45 in Canada for $3.50.
One thing I noticed here was that, even though the population is incredibly dense, there is a desire to add green. There is typically no front or back yard for most residents but they almost all find nooks and crannies to add greenery. Lupita, my sister’s mother-in-law, was nursing potted plants on her 5’ x 5’ deck, and trees were planted in front of homes where you would think that no plant could survive. On our way home we stopped for a day and a half in Puerto Vallarta where we took time to walk around the downtown core. We stopped and admired this wall that was made of recycled tires.
Here, as in Mexico City, it is necessary to reuse everything possible in order to reduce waste. I thought it was ingenious to take rubber tire waste and turn it into a gorgeous retaining wall.In Mexico City I saw first hand the results of urbanization and lack of planning. We saw a lot of garbage everywhere and clean water is in high demand. Despite this I saw the people’s resilience and willingness to make changes. They really do feel it’s better now than never. In some neighbourhoods, they have already begun mandatory garbage separation in order to recycle and compost anything possible. In fact I just heard that because of these changes one of their “dumps” has been closed. I truly have come away from this grateful for the resources we have and even more, inspired to use them wisely.
Happy Gardening!
Kirsten
