"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.
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.
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.
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