Philip’s Garden Blog

Forty-five minutes by boat from Puerto Vallarta, and seemingly outside time and space, is the place called Yelapa.
Isolated by the mountain ranges of the Mexican Southern escarpment, Yelapa can only be reached by boat. There are no roads leading into Yelapa. A rugged track can be traverssed by mule or on foot, except during the rainy season when the track is impassible. It should be noted that the rainy season lasts half the year.

Casas de Isabel on “the point” is a botanic garden of rare tropical plants from around the world.  Isabel invited us to witness the opening of a flowering tree’s blossoms which only bloomed at midnight. Located in a stunning seaside canyon setting with two waterfalls, Casas de Isabel is a sanctuary for the sacred art of the Huichol where you can see their collection on display .  The Women’s Sacred Circle retreats are held from March 24th, to April 2nd.  From the Casas Isabel website:  “Compassionate listening is almost a lost art among many, including most of our world leaders, but not here!”

The slopes of the village are covered in flowering hibiscus. Dried hibiscus is considered an edible delicacy and children string hibiscus necklaces.

The paths of the village are lined in fruiting shrubs such as kumquat, mango and clusters of potted plants. Here, without any running water, the love of growing plants and beauty is triumphant.

Pigmented walls contrast with handmade moulded clay garden steps.

The region of Yelapa is considered one of the world’s great natural ecosystems for biodiversity, second only to the Amazon. Many important food crops genetically originated here such as maize, cotton, peppers and squash.

On a recent trip through the California high desert,  I was struck by the rapid development of shopping centers and
housing developments, each with a strip of lawn and introduced species from more benevolent climes. The deserts
of the American Southwest have uniquely evolved over thousands of years with endemic plants adapted to the extremes
of climate and sandy, rocky soil.   A visit to Joshua Tree National Monument is instructive on what a garden in such a
landscape can be.  It is also gloriously beautiful.  Note: It is strictly prohibited to collect plant materials of any type from
the monument.  Purchase seeds and plants only from a certified nursery.

Winter rains transform the land with a succession of wildflowers (yellow cups Camissonia brevipes, and
Malacothrix glabrata, the desert daisy). Some plants remain dormant for years until just the right conditions.

The jumping cholla Opuntia bigelovii growing in “desert pavement” along with desert senna, Senna covesii. 
The desert senna, a member of the pea family, is a fine addition to the home desert garden. I would hesitate to
plant the jumping cholla, however, in places frequented by children and pets due to its nasty barbed spines.

The Mojave yucca, Yucca schidigera, had a myriad of uses for the Serrano. The fibers of the leaves were woven
into rope and sandals. The flowers, fruit and seeds were considered edible and the roots were used to make soap.
A veritable shopping center in one plant!

Desert Indian paintbrush, Castilleja angustifolia.

Desert mallow,  Sphaeralcea ambigua, is a superb choice for the home desert garden.
This will grow in disturbed areas such as roadsides and is a fine cut flower.

Calico cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii

Carolyn Presley shows her friend Ric around her property in Yucca Valley, CA .
She maintains this as a native reserve, with species seen at the nearby Joshua Tree National Monument.

Carolyn, Francis and Ric rest by Carolyn’s vintage milk truck, “The Bella Donna”.  And yes,
it runs just fine, thank you, with a restored motor. Things are not always what they may seem
at first in the desert.  Below is Carolyn’s collection of found objects. This garden epitomizes to me
living in balance with the desert, with its moods and beauty.

In this garden designed by Tom Stuart Smith, russet colored drifts of grasses are  startling in a field studded with clipped topiary standards. There is an evocation of time here; one is reminded of the classic ruins of Rome clothed in verdure so beloved of the 19th century Romantics.  It is as though a once formal garden, now “gone to seed”, has achieved a new kind of splendor.

Piet Oudolf creates a delicious composition with drifts of perennials knitted by tall grass. The strong colors are particularly effective against the green of the meadow.  To reproduce this effect in your own garden you’ll need some amount of space; a certain depth . A tremendous amount of plants are used. For cost reasons alone, seeds are the way to go, with the perennials started in seed trays and then transplanted, and the grass self-sown.

Piet Oudolf’s wife Anja has a nursery on the premises, but the intrepid gardener can achieve this with some preparation and effort.

Liatrus spicata: 

Echinacea  sp. “merlot“

Festuca rubra

Spring

The flowery meade

Hortus natura