We’re Tree Huggers – Puerto Rico Style
It’s official, Summer and I are tree huggers. We are spending the majority of our house work every week working in the yard on our garden, fighting back the Jungle (I have the upper hand for the first time since we moved in) and figuring out the layout of our land. If you don’t believe me, click on our Landscape Category and follow our landscaping efforts since day one!
On Saturday, we drove out to Mayaguez looking for new vessel sinks for the master bathroom and to find a lumber yard called H. Keller that sells Teak, Mahogany and other types of termite proof hardwoods. After 3 unsuccessful stops at random bath stores and finding H. Keller closed, Summer and I headed over to the Nursery in Cabo Rojo where I bought our first round of trees. Our goal, buy more fruit trees to fill in the side and back yard where I have gained control of the jungle and pica pica.
After Googling many of the plant names (in Spanish) to figure out exactly what we were getting/looking at, we chose eighteen (18) new baby trees to add to our property. They averaged out to be about $8 each (grafted fruit trees) but we did buy one expensive tree for $35, a Magnolia Tree. Summer was really excited when she found it (I had to do a Google image search to see what they look like mature) so we added it to our plant wagon (I love that they give you a Radio Flyer type wagon to fill up with plants while walking around the nursery) and filled up the backseat of the car with our agricultural addition to our family to save it from the 60mph wind the back of the pick-up would experience on the way home.
When we got home, we had just enough time to unload the truck to our backyard, set up the plants for watering and start day dreaming about how much food our property will be producing in five (5) years.
Here is a shot of our Saturday plant score:
Assorted grafted fruit trees and a Magnolia Tree
Directions to Cabo Rojo Nursery
If you would like to find the nursery, it might be a little tough if you’ve never been there before. It actually took us a couple of wrong turns before I found it and I’ve been there before! Here are some map screenshots for you to help you find your way. If you click on the photo, an enlarged version will pop up. I would advise finding it on Google Maps using our photos as a stepping stone.
December 1st, 2008 at 6:03 am
Thanks for the directions, we will be checking it out. I would love to plant some type of melons, not crazy about Papayas (which I have lots of), but I want to try melons.
Thanks for the many ideas!
Rosa
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December 1st, 2008 at 11:38 am
Stefan & Summer,
This is just FYI. I believe the name of the nursery is Jardines Eneida. Its been there since I can remember as a kid. Here is the actual address and phone number:
Jardines Eneida,
Carretera/Road 103, Km 8.1
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico USA 00623
Tel: (787) 851-1136
E-mail: jardineseneida@yahoo.com
I used to go with my dad to buy trees all the time. Kudos to you both for being “tree huggers”. I wish more people in PR would plant more trees and cities develop/maintain more natural parks/conservation areas.
Best,
Ham
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December 1st, 2008 at 3:57 pm
thank you so much! I can’t wait to get back.
I owe you guys a rum punch at Calypso
Linda
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December 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 am
Make sure you look in the fruit bins to the left of the register near the bathroom – mamey sapote, canistel, rambutans are a few of the fresh fruits we’ve bought there. Then you plant the seeds and get some more trees! Not grafted, so it will take more time but very fun to eat and plant and see a tree in a small amount of time. Some stuff like rambutans aren’t grafted anyway so why not? katrina
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December 2nd, 2008 at 7:44 am
Does the magnolia tree have flowers?
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December 2nd, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Jeff:
We scored two avocados while we were there
Carol:
The tree we bought is just a baby, so no flowers yet, but once it matures it will have flowers.
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December 15th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Trees are great. Cleaning up leaves for many trees 15 hours a week sucks. This is why I recommend axing your rubber tree. I am 100% serious when I say you should take an axe to it. My rubber tree is 60 feet tall and is the biggest problem in my landscaping. It is fricking insane. And, when you cut a branch for trimming your saw gets super gunked up with rubber sap after one cut. Don’t even think of taking a good chain saw to branches to trim. They are a nightmare and they shed leaves something fierce. There is no redeeming quality to having a rubber tree in your yard other than being able to make home made rubber bands. Which is cool. Once. They turn into un manageable monsters and will make your whole yard look like one big turd of brown leaves that you have to rake daily.
I’m just trying to help, because when the tree is still a keiki it is are easy to axe. Speaking of axe, have you seen Kung Fu Hustle? It is brilliant!
Cheers
EP
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