By Victoria Torley

When we moved to Costa Rica, I terraced a small slope next to the house and planted flowers, mostly begonias of different kinds with beautiful leaves and bright flowers. A hundred or so meters down the hill (it’s Costa Rica, of course we are on a hill) my caretaker and I set up a vegetable garden complete with a small greenhouse and shade cloth. Life changed.

My doctor issued an order – ‘no more walking up and down that hill – you’re ruining your back!’

Well, he was right. Bone spurs were agitating nerves, bones were grating on bones, muscles were screaming. ‘You,’ he told me, ‘will swim a kilometer a day. Nothing else!’ (Darn good thing we have a pool.)

Now, I can be feisty, abstinent, assertive and pig-headed (ask Metric Man, he’ll tell you), but I listen to doctors. Besides, I was in a lot of pain. True, we have a greenhouse, but veggies really prefer sunshine and the greenhouse was designed for orchids that like partial shade. It was a difficult decision, but out came the flowers that adorned the little terrace and in went the tomatoes. They will be followed by beans and melons, carrots and radishes. Right now, though, it looks a little desolate.

Does that mean I am going to abandon the lower garden? No, it does not. The wonderful soil we built up there is perfect for things like coffee and cacao and that is what we are planting. Okay, maybe not ‘we’ – my gardener is attending to it.

Coffee and cacao enjoy a bit of shade and rich soil and that’s what we have, even though I can’t play in it.

So, life changes.

Another change.

Most of you know me as a garden writer. Writing this column was the first time I officially used my bachelor’s degree in English, awarded (mumble, mumble) years ago. Since then, I have also become a novelist in the epic fantasy genre. So far, I have three published novels in the Orb and Arrow series under the name, V. L. Stuart. Book III of the series will be published through Amazon and Kindle in just a few days – May 27 to be exact – and I invite you to have a look at that book and the two that precede it. More are being written or planned. It’s been quite the adventure.

Something else for the week


We had a visitor, evidently with some editorial experience. This red-lored Amazon parrot showed up one afternoon and decided not to leave. She hung around, unfettered, getting into everything on the deck, for about five days, then bid us farewell and took off for places unknown. It was fun having her around; we enjoyed her company and wish her well.


Editor's note: More information on this article or about gardening, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached at  victoriatorley1@gmail.com.

Swiss company expands its
operations in Costa Rica
➡️ Continue reading