These two pictures were taken just outside San Miguel de Allende 3 weeks ago just as the dry season is starting. The bright orange flowers in the forground are Tagetes lunata or Mexican Marigold, they are closely related to the marigolds we grow as summer annuals in BC.

The bright pink in the background are Cosmos bipinnatus. The big bright yellow daisies in the second picture are Tithonia tubiformis and locally called Girasol. All three of these are widely grown as summer annuals in Canada. Of course right now they are very much on their last legs up north. But I do hope you have saved some seed. If not look for a few wayward seedheads before you pull them up for the winter. Dry them out in brown paper bags or on sheets of newspaper. Once dry pop the seeds into labelled envelopes an keep them in an airtight container in the crisper drawer of you fridge until it is time to sow them early next spring.

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I always knew many dahlias were native to Central America with a range from Mexico to Colombia. Today while hiking in a nature reserve just east of San Miguel de Allende I was absolutely overjoyed to spot this wonderful specimen of Dahlia coccinea happily growing in the shade of an oak tree.

Strangely enough they seem to favour rocky slopes and outcrops, quite opposite to the rich garden soils they are given in North American gardens. Of course, much hybridization has been done within this genus of plants resulting in doubles as large as dinner plates. But I love the simple flowers and finding this spectacular single species was a real spirit lifter.

Of course with September upon us dahlias are putting on a great show still in B.C. gardens. And as long as the weather is favourable will continue to do so. Wait until the first frost blackens the tops (which may be as late as November in coastal B.C.), then cut them back and carefully lift the tubers.
Pot them up in peat or old potting soil and store in a cool well-aired frost-free garage or shed.

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A few weeks back I was taken to an amazing container garden. The owner had a good eye for grouping pots. And of course being in Mexico the plants chosen have to cope with long periods of heat and drought.

Lavandula dentate, which can be seen in the background of the first shot, is extremely happy in a pot and may be trimmed after flowering to maintain a manageable size. However, I was most impressed by the grouping of pots which contained individual plantings of Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax) and others filled with Santolina chamaecyparissus. The contrast of leaf shape and textures really worked well, especially the grayish/white leaves of the santolina echoing the blue/green undersides of the bold phormium foliage.

Santolina is hardy to zone 6 while phormiums are zone 8. But being in large pots, they can easily be wheeled into a garage or shed for the cold months to protect against frost damage.

Above: My back steps with mixed pots of Tradescantia sillamontana and Sedum morgnianum, the latter more commonly known as burro's tail, planted in containers of well-drained potting medium.

Basically I added some coarse sand to a regular nursery potting mix: one part coarse sand to three parts potting mix. They get watered twice a week and fed about once a month. Both plants are not winter hardy in B.C., but would love to be outside for the summer and in a cool greenhouse for the winter.

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One of the places I visit quite regularly here in San Miguel de Allende is El Charco del Ingenio or local Jardin Botanico, their major collections being succulent plants. However dotted among the collection are some delightful seasonal surprises like these beautiful Sprekelia formosissima.

When I was training in horticulture in England this was one of the unusual bulbous perennials found in pots in old temporate conservatories. It is indeed native to Mexico and Guatemala where it apparently grows on rocky slopes. Here in El Charco it is nestled amongst their Agave collection, growing in very well-drained soil.

We had a couple of good rainy days last week (the first since October!) that encouraged these beauties to bloom. If you have a cool greenhouse or glass-covered back porch, try growing
some in a container, preferably an old-fashioned terra-cotta pot.

The bulbs will be available in specialty garden stores in the fall. Treat them as you would hippeastrums, planting them in good potting mix with the necks of the bulbs just peeking above the surface. Keep them in full light and as growth appears water regularly. They will bloom in
early spring, As with hippeastrums keep the foliage growing healthily for a good couple of months feeding every two weeks with a balanced liquid fertilizer. This will ensure good blooms the following season During summer store them in full light but keep them dry. Start watering
them again in mid fall and repot every two years.

To learn more about El Charco click here.

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A few weeks back I attended a big Mother's Day plant sale in Celaya. The sale itself goes on for 18 days. Growers come from many areas of Mexico to sell their plants. Like anywhere else in the gardening world the selection was amazing, from giant timber bamboo Bambusa oldhamii with their tiny rootballs wrapped and just crying out to be planted.

Above: Flats of cacti with strawflowers stuck in them, possibly to make them more saleable.

Above: A topiary helicopter!!!!!!

But probably best of all, one of the stallholder’s children (above) creating a little instant garden of his own, reminding me how fortunate we are to be gardeners. And how important it is to encourage children and everyone else for that matter to understand the importance of plants.

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Being retired and having my own garden is like a dream come true. However, gardening in the colonial heartland of Mexico at just under 2000 meters with calcalareous soil, plus a prolonged drought season presents more than a few challenges. But isn't that the essence of gardening???

When I moved in just over a year ago, the garden was almost entirely lawn, which quickly became history.

One of my more successful plantings is a clump of dark blue Plumbago auriculata (above). As you can see, this one appears to be a deeper blue selection.

A native of South Africa, it makes an attractive accent plant in a container or border for the summer. However, it cannot be planted out until late May-early June and needs to be lifted, potted and stored in a cool greenhouse for the winter. Once established, it can take quite a bit of drought. But seems to thrive on neglect.

My kind of plant!!!!

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