AboutOrchids

Vallarta Botanical Gardens has orchids, chocolate, and vanilla to enjoy, but it also has a painful side. Pointy cactus spines and sharp yucca leaves abound. Bougainvillea flowers crown vines with large, nasty thorns. No matter how beautiful, they can puncture and pierce. The gardens are perfectly safe, as long as you stay on paths and pay attention. However, with my camera distracting me, I usually manage to stumble into something prickly.

Of course, these desert growers are just defending themselves in the hot, arid climate. Thorny plants may not have the opulence of orchids, but their barbed exteriors can’t hide their beauty. They endure the Mexican heat that slows me down, even with a water bottle by my side. Yet, that doesn’t matter much when the saw-edged leaves of a Blue Agave scratch my arm. At least the cut provides a medicinal excuse to drink the agave’s tequila.

Many of these are great choices for gardeners in desert and semidesert areas who don’t mind pointed plants. If it’s tough for you to provide high humidity for orchids, plant succulents and cactus instead. For example, try growing this tree with prickly bark, which looks like an invention of the Spanish Inquisition. Floss Silk Trees are native to South America, and related to Africa’s fascinating Baobab trees. I’ll stick with orchids, thank you, and save on the bandages.

Explore posts in the same categories: Botanical Gardens, General Gardening, Photos

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 24th, 2011 at 9:41 am and is filed under Botanical Gardens, General Gardening, Photos.

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