MIRACLE ON BOURET STREET

SOME OF MY repeat readers may have noticed that every once in a while I
do some ecotourism, either in l o n g walks or by car. Yesterday, we took a short trip to Parque Luis Munhoz Rivera and a former attractive beach, El
Escambron. These public spaces are both in the north, facing the Atlantic, and both stink in essence, figuratively and literally all over.

Even though LMR Park is the only one designed with aesthetic values, wide paths, fountains, focal points, architectural vision, it is unkempt. It looks
abandoned, like a ghost town like most of Puerto Rico, at least in the San Juan Metro Area. It reminds yours truly of those frontier towns in our
third world, or further away.

It is so unkempt and dirty, that a faux Gaudi, rare, unique structure is hiding and can only be
discovered/noticed from the opposite side of the avenue, in front of Sixto Escobar, former glorious baseball stadium. Next door to a former architectural art deco masterpiece the NORMANDIE HOTEL, also abandoned and closed.

In Puerto Rico, the noveau rich economic and political dominant classes,
have destroyed an incredible amount of architectural jewels, mostly art deco from the 20's, 30's and 40's, demonstrating their
street peddler sophistication. It is painful to look at the pictures of the Georgetti Mansion, for example, at a cost of seventeen million bucks. At the time, one in a group of the five most expensive residences in the USA. Designed by Nechodoma, according to some, a Frank Lloyd Wright copy cat, however he adapted the elements of his style
to the tropics, not a simple task.
This house was built, in the still wealthy, elegant, Miramar sector in San Juan.

It may seem I deviated from the subject. But architecture and landscape go hand in hand. Both require maintenance. The Georgetti was destroyed
to build ugly high rises with the aspect of a match box, seen from the top, custom and use down here.

Others were destroyed to build gas stations, a quick way to make a buck,
then. In essence, in Puerto Rico taste, good taste is pretty scarce, like water in Death Valley. Money, just money seem to move the jerks with it or wanting some.

The trees in the LMM Park are old, sick. MANY should be removed or pruned correctly, to see how they react and/or replaced. But we can forget about it. This
park and El Escambron are in the hand of the incompetent fools of PARQUES NACIONALES.

The water closets in both public places stink as bad as those reviewed before, Guanica, Luquillo and Seven Seas in Fajardo. Leaves, fronds, seeds, garbage bags, are everywhere in this scenic, or former scenic space.
The jerks with acute cretinism have planted so many PALMS, that in some
areas they obstruct the view of the OCEAN, believe it or not.

Nothing, I will have to stay home with my collection. The miracle? Have not forgotten. The Oregano and Albaca, check for the botanical name if
you may, have resuscitated. They appeared on the casualties list in the
most recent INVENTORY, however I want to share the good news. THEY
have made a comeback!

BONUS

I have been looking at the few books about
architecture in Puerto Rico, available in Borders.
It is impressive the lack of attention and imagination to plants, trees, bushes and
ground covers used. They are just common place, cheap after thoughts.
Puerto Rico is a concrete asphalt jungle with architects,
but no ARCHITECTURE.

POST INVENTORY BLUES OR GARDENING IN THE DIRT

HAVE YOU WONDER, what it takes to do the inventory? First, I check on my journal where new arrivals are written down to keep a back up and quick reference. Later, I check on the previous inventory in the blog to eliminate casualties, to search for pictures to refresh what is what.

Of the one hundred names I work constantly with maybe fifty, I remember those names. The rest are gone with the wind and I have to check frequently to remember
what is what. The vulgar name wont do because a lot of what I have collected is not
common place. One example will suffice: Commelina elegans. This a relative
of Tradescantias, used to feed rabbits and chickens. They love it. This plant known
as 'coitre' has the most intense blue indigo one can find in the wild tropical plants over here. A really impressive weed, self seeding, a pain in the ass if you ask me.
However, the beauty of the flower is so magnificent that I always leave some to show.

I have found many botanical names by accident. In book stores for example. However, this source is no longer available. Borders the biggest chain here, has only crap in the book shelves, for example the dull, elementary, common place and predictable, 2uglas Kndelabro. Even worst, the variety in the book store offer has decreased by two thirds. Other botanical names are found in blogs, particularly 'In Art lies my life' from India or Australia. Catalogs and magazines, are also a great source to find names. Unfortunately, many are useless except for gardening education and culture, since the great majority are from template climates.


In Puerto Rico, believe it or not there are NO public libraries, do not ask me why. Perhaps they do not like to read, or to return the books. Who knows? Libraries are found only in Universities that are/used to be, just like parks to chat and enjoy the cool refrigerated environment among friends not to study.

The gardening in the dirt part of the title consisted of repositioning a couple of Plumerias in the ground, for aesthetic reasons. The odd triangular growth of three branches that would become a pedestrian obstacle if not replanted accordingly. I do not prune Plumerias at all. It will destroy their beauty permanently. The Tamarindus indica is growing at light speed, really unusual. The grafted lemons and oranges are doing great, and so is everyjuan else. Almost time to go..
but first....

A SIGNIFICANT BOOK
BONUS
REVIEW


Perhaps you are into detective stories a la
Phillip Marlowe, Agatha Christies or Harry Potter books/movies.

If you belong to this segment of the population
and enjoy botanical names, potions, poisons, remedies,
and such, here is what you need to pass endless
moments of pleasure and use as a reference:

Wicked Plants
by
AMY STEWART
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2009

The cover, font, paper, illustrations,
botanical names, historical, medical anecdotes
about plants and what they do and could do to us and other
flora/fauna
is remarkable. If you like books
check this one out.

PLANT INVENTORY AUGUST 2009

SOMETIMES IS HARD TO TELL, but this blog is about gardening, with a wide scope, environmental, ecological, landscape management and installations, plant selection, trends that stink aesthetically in the San Juan Metro Area not only in the selection, but lacking composition, creating gardens that look the same in rain forest areas or desert like climates.

IN APPARENTLY ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Allium
Aloe vera
Alocasia cucculata
Aglaonema
Allamanda cathartica
Alternananthera brasiliana *
Antigonon leptopus **
Arashis hypogea
Amarilys
Anthurium endemic
Asparagus sprengeri, densiflorus 'Meyersii'

Bauhinia tomentosa, blakeana **
Bryophyllum pinnatum
Brunfelsia pauciflora
Barleria repens
Bouganvillea buttiana *
Bixa orellana
Caledium hortulanum candidum
Cavalinna maritima
Citrus aurantifolia
Citrus sinensis
Chinese violets
Croton
Clitoria ternatea
Costus graptophyllum, speciosus *
Cuphea hissofilia, hyssopifolia *
Carica papaya
Coccoloba uvifera
Clorophytum comosum
Crinum
Cestrum diurnum
Calliandra Haemathocephala
Cathartus roseus
Cosmos sulphureous
Commelina elegans
Cryptostegia grandiflora *
Cyperus alternifolius, involucratus *

Datura stramonium
Dracaena marginata
Dieffenbachia amoena, picta Exotica
Daylilys
Dipteracanthus prostrata*
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Eucharis amazonica *
Euphorbia pulcherrima, tirucalli *
Gardenia augusta *
Guaicum officinale *
Gloriosa rothschildiana

Hemerocallis
Hibiscus cannabinus
Hippobroma longiflora *
Ixora
Ipomoea alba, quamoclit, batata

Jazminum multiflorum
Jatropha gossypifolia*
Malpighia glabra ***
Manihot esculenta

Merremia quinquefolia
Mirabilis siciliana
Murralla paniculata

Nephrolepsis

Ochna mossabicensis
Orchid

Oxalis

Pandanus utilis

Passiflora edulis, oerstedii
Pedilanthus euphorbiaceae, tithymaloides *
Peperomia pellucida*
Pereskia bleo
Pithelobium dulce
Plumerica glauca, rubra, acutifolia
Proiphys amboinensis
Pseuderantemun reticulatum
Pleomeles
Polyscia balfouriana, fruticosa
Portulaca olaracea
Pseuderantemun carruthersii var
Peperomia pellucida

Rain Joe
Ruelia brittoniana, tuberosa
Rhoeo spathacea
Sanseveria trifasciata laurentii, hahnii
Scadoxus
Syngonium
Tamarindus indica
Tulbaghia violacea
Turnera ulmifolia, diffusa, subulata
Trimezia caribeaea, martinicensis *
Thevetia peruviana
Thunbergia alata, erecta *
Tradescantia pallida, zebrina
Urena lobata
Wedelia trilobata
Zephyranthes nelsonii, citrina


* Correction or addition, revised on 7 September 2009
Source: Tropical Hornamentals by W. Arthur Whisler
Timber Press 2000
** Added on 22 October 2009
*** On 4 January 2009

THE zigzag arrangement may facilitate the reading.
Once upon a time when

I was not so humble, I thought that to be considered a serious horticultural practitioner, one MUST have a botanical inventory. I do

not care now, believe me... as long as your collection have things one

can not buy, or your garden is an out of sight installation, following composition rudiments.

If you got this far, thanks for your patience. Having a garden

with botanical names, virtually as in a blog or in reality as I do,

is not a matter of being cute, or arbitrary.

If you want to enjoy gardening as I do,

anywhere you are, go to search with these

botanical names. It is besides fun,

useful, when your plants get sick or pass away.

RIP
Rosmarinus officinale
Momordica carantia
Mangifera indica
Persea americana
Cajanus cajan
Lipia micromera
Ocimun basilicum
Petrea volubilis

I believe this is the first blog
mentioning gardening casualties.
Plants have their life
cycles. Some pass away old, others
by insects and diseases.
If in Puerto Rico, or else to
visit please: caliotropis@gmail.com,

only. time to go.

MEMORABLE MEXICAN MEMORIES ALSO CUBA ARGENTINA SPAIN

I HOPE NO one will mind If I go stray subject wise. I was listening to some BANDA music, you know the mostly brass huge bands that play music with a ska or polka hint.
I am mad about ska/regue and love polkas also. How come no one has thought of taking that damn hot music to create a product with GANJA motives musical influences, Marley, the Britisht Ska/Regue Movement, The Selector, UB40, Black Uhuru, 38th Special, with that brass sound it would kick ass and butts alike.

At any rate, when I was a child most PR islanders watched the two or three tv channels available. Most of the tv movies came from countries indicated in the tittle. Mexico
and Spain were the top. However, Mexico, for some reason that I can not define made
better movies. I remember one scene (it is only 45 years old), Pedro Infante, the handsome, strong, actor, singer came back to the apartment with some present for his child. He was very happy since he had been unemployed for some time. The happiness for both child and dad, was short lived. The child as you may have guess
jumped out of the balcony from a second floor, with results determined by laws
of gravity.

There are other great actors one particularly, he made it to Hollywood, but was not the only one. Pedro Almendaris in from Russia with Love has great scenes and dialogues
except pressing too hard when shot in his right arm at the Roma village. There was also an ugly woman Dolores del Rio? With eyes as billiard balls who got good roles
with John Wayne?

Other actors; Jorge Negrete also a singer, comedians that do not seem funny now at all Clavillazo, Resortes, Viruta y Capulina, Tin Tan who was perhaps the exception, his brother. There was one who became a legend on his time Mario Moreno,(Cantinflas) his comedy
based on language riddles, semantic games was all right at the time, and original.

For some reason no other women come to mind but I am sure there were plenty. I think that most of the Mexican studios production followed the successful genres
in Hollywood with others really original.

There are a bunch of movies with wrestlers as heroes, certainly with masks. These
fellows either Santo or Blue Demon fought against guys like Frankestein, Dracula, Werewolf, and the rest. Those movies were great. Some were so bad that for the
quality, plot and acting, are great to watch now.

But I will confess a secret. NEVER in my life then or in recent memory had I seen
a movie about MASKED boxers! Have you? I did watch some short bout between
our heroe masked, and the bad loser. This took place a month ago while libating
cereal with distilled sugar cane.

No memories from the rest except vague ones. In Cuban films nice butts, excellent
music could always
be expected at the Tropicana or whatever club, it never failed. Shots and knives.
Argentina and Spain? Besides Libertad Lamarque crying rivers, catarats, ponds,oceans, seas of tears were the rule. From Spain some squeaky irritating as hell boy soprano JOSELITO, god damn, what a squeaky voice. And so they lived happily
ever after...

Bonus. All these is also result of listening to LOS LOBOS, a legendary group who had ten good years or so in the USA musical scene. Fortunately, I got the chance to see
listen to them in Central Park, NY , moons ago. I still play their music, enjoying
above all their MUSICA NORTENHA.

Of the countries mentioned in my limited access to movies I declare SPAIN the
butt kickers for the last ten, twenty years? time to go............

CONVERSATION IN A HOT AUGUST MORNING BY THE BALDORIOTY DE CASTRO AVENUE

IMAGINE going for a l o n g stroll around the Santurce picturesque alleys and roads, sweating, the overwhelming, irritating, bright sun; watching the urban vegetation in residences of the lower income status, showing imagination in the plant selection. But the story is about this brief conversation with some attorney who was present at this particular oasis when I entered.

THE name: Frederick R. Auld Mirus. Flipping? I did. Never before had I seen such combination of last names in a native islander. As I found out, his dad was Scottish and his mother German.
The parents arrived in Puerto Rico in the early nineteen hundreds when there was only one hotel;
The Normandie, an impressive architectural marvel then, before it was restored not long ago. Later came the Caribe Hilton, not much to say about it.

The point is that rarely one has the pleasure of meeting, people with knowledge of their surroundings as his, Ocean Park and Santurce in general. Sonia Sotomayor was mentioned. He stated that having experience as a judge is not such a big deal, and mentioned Jaime Fuster, or another great PR judge who had never step on a tribunal, since he was a professor before becoming one. It is not the first time I hear this
from attorneys, therefore it must be true.

He cultivates capsicum, cucumbers but is not fortunate with tomatoes. I mentioned
my failure at this, and suggested to get local seeds since that could be his problem and not the salty breeze, environment. Other themes were touched but that is that. The kilts? I can not remember if they were mentioned.

SAGRADO CORAZON
follow up

HORTICULTURAL JERKS

THE beginning of this story really started visiting Sagrado Corazon, the
college next door. The soil still bare after ten days, with silly ferns, abused
red Acaliphas and Cupheas planted as ground cover.

The SIX stupid looking royal palms, fifty feet high, look like a big wart in a small nose! Right at the entrance, to welcome you: visitor or student. Two guys from the company were cutting the fronds with huge sawing poles. Already, maintenance expenses in an
institution with four lousy gardeneners for 30 acres, incapable of doing simple tasks, now have more work and organic waste to handle. Silly isn't it? Much worse considering the negative aesthetic result.

In my GARDEN, a new variety of Polyscias was propagated, increasing to four the species in the collection. Also, some Turneras subulatas, in my known humble opinion the most flashy flower in a bush down here, second only to my white, yellow, pink, yellow/pink/white FRANGIPANIS,
the stars in my collection. I have to add one new species, I believe mentioned before the Endemic Frangipani, thin leaves, white flowers with
a lame fragrance.

News on the Mesquite. It still looks like crap after the trip from Guanica, but such is life. The columnar Asparagus are doing great and so is everyjuanelse, including the new generation of yellow, light orange Cosmos sulphureous collected during a trip to Orocovis.

BONUS

IT should be noted that Dracaena cinneraria is only found in an obscure arhipielago
of the Indian Ocean: SOCOTRA, a territory of YEMEN.

On the other hand Dracaena draco, are mostly in Canary Islands, island provinces of of Spain, perhaps my favorite islands. Particularly, Lanzarote, home to the late genius of architecture and landscaping CESAR MANRIQUE CABRERA, his work, vision is really unique.
I will be happy if this province names me adoptive son, send me a ticket one way or both. I am willing to work in any of those moonscape, dry, exemplary xeriscapes found in these marvelous islands. With a trip to el TEIDE if possible. If you read this
blog over there please pass the word! I will work for room and board.

To our faraway readers, it is worth mentioning that many citizens from SPAIN, migrated
to Puerto Rico through out different historical periods. Our culture is infused from many of their speech patterns, particularly the Canary Islands. Also in gastronomy...gofio being one of their original
offerings to our boring, decaying, going no where culture. If you listen to the speech
of one of those islanders close by Africa and some of our own, you will be surprised, as I am every time I have the pleasure to have a glimpse of them in RTV.ES. Time to go....

WHAT BOARD OF DIRECTORS AMONG RESIDENTS OF CONDOMINIUMS/COMMUNITIES WITH ACCESS CONTROL SHOULD DEMAND FROM LANDSCAPING MAINTENANCE ENTERPRISES

LET'S BEGIN SIDEWAYS. There is a rare tree on the right side of the blog, very
rare, indeed. It is the first time I see it, even though I knew and admire the family
DRACAENAS. You may have noticed that I have some at home. At any rate, I was
expecting any one's curiosity with anticipation. It is the most perfect tree I have
seen until now.

IT IS Dracaena cinneraria, along with Dracaena draco, two pieces of
conversation not found anywhere around this godforsaken island.
The Draco is propagated, sold, installed in Australia's landscapes.
It is really an impressive work of art, for hot/dry/salty environments.
Unfortunately, I do not know of anyone selling or propagating any of the
the two in USA, perhaps in California, where money buys anything and
the climate is perfect. If you belong to that W I D E segment of the world
population thinking erroneously that palms are such a great acquisition
for your garden/landscape, I would recommend these. Keeping in mind
the impossibility to get one. If wrong educate me, thanks.

This is
the occasional bonus, now to the tittle.

I should have written about such an important subject l o n g time ago. HOWEVER,
now I can not wait any longer. Some kind lady requested about my availability to
do consultant work for their community. A very interesting one by the way, thanks
to the age, the design, location and vegetation in existence.

She was invited to visit my gardening headquarters or residence, if you prefer. Even
though glimpses of the garden appear in some of the shitty pictures to the right, it is not the same to explain to those interested why anything is planted where it is. Think of shade/sun/wind for example. The criteria to plant it, based on aesthetics something v e r y subjective or resistance to the qualities mentioned to which diseases are added now. Maintenance is perhaps the most important of all since no
matter how perfect are the variables; if taking care of the whole/part is a pain in the
ass, you failed, period.

I have already mentioned three issues: noise, pollution and aesthetics. I have no intention to sell out. One of my critics and foes made a mock of the Guanica post,
when I wrote that I will not sell Ficus, turf or bromeliads. His argument? Profits!
He invited me to create a nursery and fail. He is probably right. All the people I have
dealt with, educated academically, horticulturally or not...are a bunch of J E R K S.

Educating the populace has its virtues. I am not in the mood. If you read ten, twenty,
or thirty of these posts, you will have all the arguments to contradict me or agree. But, the ways the world goes regarding fuel consumption, noise, CO2, fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, soil and water pollution prove me right, even If was
another jerk in the wild bunch dominating impossing their ignorant stupidity in the world or down here, in Puerto Rico.

In brief. when requesting consultant services you should provide a botanical/popular
list of names of ALL vegetation planted on the premises, dimensions in feet, acres or whatever. Pictures if possible of trees/bushes pruned correctly or not, diseases, erosion, grass and so on.

How much money has the community board spent in landscaping management anually? How MANY hours a week, a month, a year? How many employees
in the company? Are they elegant humble gardeners in nice looking uniforms or go to work in rags, faded out tee shirts, not hats, no gloves, no protection when spraying whatever may be, do the holler constantly or respect the necessary quiet?

On this front I expect no miracles. Is the individual in charge in the mood to propose
ways to cut the noise, pollution, money expenses, time, elimination of turf, trees, palms, hedges that do not add to the aesthetics of the composition in your landscape? You are right. No ONE is going to reduce his/her money with such
suggestions, I will, since my vocation is to set trends. To be what I can be without
limits, doing things others have no scrotum to do.

If you are a member of a board, or a resident and you believe any of the above words,
concepts, ideas worthy to save money and the environment, flora and fauna, is your
responsibility to educate yourself and demand from the idiots in landscaping, arboriculture, landscape architects to protect your pocket, flora fauna and the environment.

It may take more effort, more exercise, more time, but less pollution, no stress, no noise. But carefull planning is necessary. In CONCORDIA GARDENS, huge ugly buildings 5o years old, with over three hundred apartments, elevators that are too
often broken, the BOARD AND RESIDENTS, are so fucking cheap that the people
cleaning toilets, halls and stairs do the landscaping on the side!

The residents are so stupid that complained bitterly about leaves or birds shitting on their cars to the board. Solution? To do the ugliest, greatest mutilation of trees I have seen in any private housing, highway, road, or street. I do not know if the birds no longer
sleep on the branches, but one thing is certain. The mutilation will create ten branches where there was one thanks to the improper pruning there are no leaves
nor shade, just oven like heat. And that is that.

My Folio - Land8Lounge

My Folio - Land8Lounge

Shared via AddThis

GARDENING ACTION IN SAGRADO CORAZON THE NOISY INSTITUTION NEXT DOOR

SINCE clases are about to start. The college mentioned, formerly a high school for the Catholic segment of the population, decided to rush ALL the maintenance of their buildings and fields.

In consequence some probable illegal workers from LA ESPANHOLA, were hired to sandblast
the walls with the intense, irritating noise, AFTER 3PM. The racket lasted for a week
and 8/9 PM. The reason is that this kind of enterprise, usually have work during office
hours, getting to the other jobs when people are trying to rest in the privacy of their home.

After that, the same crew came on the week end in a truck with a basket, to lift the
usual suspects to the second/third floors to paint the walls, with the constant noise of the motor, and the damn beeps back and forth. Even though they had two months to do it, they as the puerorican use/custom dictates, left it for the last minute.
The colors? Manure brown and custard yellow.

In the landscaping department the imbeciles from Sagrado Corazon, Mr. Ricci dean of administration and accomplices, did what has
become epidemia, lash and burn, uproot everything, even if usable leaving the ground bare.

Later Miguel Cebollero, an obscure 'Professional Arborist', from Arboles Urbanos (dreamscape@prtc.net) and his crew, mutilated with chain saws, some more the already
mutilated Mahogany trees previously mutilated with machetes by the four
ignorant fools working as gardeners, and supervisor in the the 30 acres
of Sagrado Corazon. The evidence giving up these ignorant jerks is there.
Crooked branches that should have been cut, were left standing. NOW
the trees have a much worse appearance since branches hiding the uglyness are no longer there. PICAPALOS de mierda!

One of those trees appears on this blog, not far from a pedestrian crossing. It is amazing how the jerk segment of the population claims he/she is this or that. IF this guy was an arborist with CREDENTIALS, perhaps he would have responded to my emails, but no, silence night, holy night.

Later, another crew, this time, of undetermined origin were observed
while planting what else? 6 RIDICULOUS huge palms, not enhancing at all the silly, lame surroundings. Yesterday, when these criminals were
noticed in action, yours truly observed some crooked B I G palms and
bare ground.

Lets guess, since they uprooted the loved Ixoras, I bet dollars to doughnuts that grass, chefferas, mangle plateado, liriopes or danelas
will be planted. Not forgetting the unaceptable irrigation system sticking
from the ground eight inches. Believe it or not. This is Puerto Rico Verde.

If any of you, know of any vacancy in landscape maintenance as a volunteer, with room and board only, or hired for a salary, forward the information, including the far east, I am ready to go. This is getting tiresome.

My garden is my oasis, but it implies that I would have to live as a monk
in a cave, without contact with anyone, something not so bad when one think of it, the quality of what I see, find, observe here. I am willing to take the risk, and leave again. A good conversation once in a blue moon
is always welcome.

GUANICA REVISITED/BOOK REVIEW

THE TRIP was unenventful, concrete, asphalt too many cars.. However, the scenery is pretty green for this time of the year. Particularly once going down the freeway
after Cayey towards Salinas. It has been unusually rainy thanks to El NINHO?

It rained twice while hanging out at Marylee's. Rain is always pleasant, a great bonus in Guanica, our desert region, with thirty inches of rain a year. The rain made things different. There were puddles in the low areas that get flooded from the Caribbean, increased by the rains.


The next day in my one hour stroll, I noticed five birds hanging out, never seen before.

Three fifty feet high, dead coconut palms, about 12 inches in diameter, with ocean views had been converted in a Puerto Rican woodpecker condo. Violinists crabs gave us a welcome, as soon as the stroll began... Running quickly away and hiding , something a little difficult considering the size of their only pince.

At one point while passing under som Mesquite trees, I was attacked by a swarm of
mosquitos. This had never happened before and certainly influenced by the previous rains.

In the south the vegetation by the ocean is somewhat different from the north. Guaicum, Mesquite, Thespesia Populnea, Portulacas and Paspalum
tend to dominate. Up north is Terminalia Catappa and Cocolova uvifera.
However someone is planting these two species lately. Pine trees are found in both. Palms trees are also predominant in the north, looking odd and out of place in Canha Gorda, the public beach, where I counted just twenty. However, if you move to the 450 bucks a night resort Copamarina, next door, the opposite is true. Too many ridiculous palms and turf on top!

In these area Bouganvilleas, Royal Poincianas, Endemic frangipani, some
varities of cacti, Almacigos, are the protagonists in the surrounding scenery. Road kill: one frog and crab. That is what I saw.

A couple of good news. After my criticism of the pig style PORTABLE TOiLETS in CANHA GORDA improvement is noted. This time they had twelve inches to get to the rim. That is some progress, considering the puking as figure of speech horrendous, experience in the biggest island public beach, Luquillo, reviewed here and also on Tripadvisor, a tourist site.

Canha Gorda was immaculate, since it has a few palms, no seeds, fronds,
or garbage visible during our visit, except for abundant algae. I suggest to recycle these organic matter considering the amount of it in both beaches.

BOOK REVIEW
THE WAY I DO IT

IN PUERTO RICO there is a JESTER without a COURT, agronomist, tv personality that I have been listening/watching for the last five years. Has a b i g shaved head,
a NOSFERATU without fangs and eye glasses. A squeaky, irritating voice, body language and speech patterns of a hick.

Once he built a pond two feet from the driveway of the poor resident in a former tv show. I bet that poor soul has sunk the front right tires in it more than once, under the influence or sober. Next, our country hero built an interior fountain with sandstone, as if he was a mason. Since he is not, it looks suspiciously as a tombstone.

Recently, he has published his third book, with the mentioned tittle above or something close. I look at it and it is a nightmare, a bad trip for only $35.95, a piece of shit. Poor, rough paper, unfriendly font, bad quality pictures, repetitive information. It seems that no sense of some
fundamental, elementary sense of aesthetics is present in this printed pages or the gardens
suggested.

But that is nothing, since it is just appearance, an a book shall not be judged on the cover. BUT wait, it gets worse.. The diagrams of the gardens he 'designs' are also in the book, the quality
of the drawing is fifth grade. There are no PICTURES of his private garden, or a list of the plants he cultivates, or any project installation during the 21 years!, this chumy saint, has ruined the aesthetics of the island with grass, palms and bromeliads, among his favorites.

ONE of the worst sins, this buffoon makes public, is the TOTAL infatuation with turf. THE PLEASURE he FEELS when he sees and smell turf... and surely the bundle of money he and his partner GONZALEZ BAUZA, his accomplice and ecoenvironmental criminal from GRAMAS LINDAS, make to the unsuspected, foolish customer buying into this farce, of the pretty, luscious turf. NO mention of the pollution required, created in its maintenance. Or good will for
the people, flora and fauna, ways to maintain it without pollution OF ANY KIND.

There is no references at all, too bad. No gratitude to the exploited employees, that make him and his partners what they are. No profit sharing. The end thank GOD, the last pages, are full of some lengthy botanical list, that he does not use in his installations, propagate or have ever seen. The list would certainly mean nothing to the innocent, gullible, ignorant, souls willing to waste such amount of money (35.95) plus tax, for free advice already in the internet...The name of the author? Interested, drop us a comment or write: caliotropis@gmail.com

The one who should not be mentioned, not here. Puerto Rican islanders with a little usable brain will guess from the portrait/picture. If you readers, out there, in the five continents really need to know, probably get a good laugh/tears, in Spanish... if you think I exagerate, let me know, and I will provide the reference. Until then....