AM Costa Rica - Noticias




Real Estate  /  Rentals  /  Hotels  /  Professional Services /  Classifieds  / Garden  Restaurants / Tourism  / Culture & Lifestyle  /  Food   / Sports   / Business /  Health /
Wild Costa Rica /  Advertise











































Grow Beautiful Costa Rican Gardens Easily




You Might
Also Like









































 






















 















Published on Saturday, October 18, 2025







By Victoria Torley



A plan will tell you what is essential to a great garden.



"Look at your space as a blank canvas," they say, "a place to paint a beautiful picture in all the colors of the rainbow.”



Phooey! Okay, it’s true that you need to do some planning but you also need to take into consideration the needs of the thing you are planting.



Take my ylang ylang for example. I put it where it would be happy and where I could see (and smell) it but we also wanted the view of the lake. The solution? Have it topped. Problem solved. Alright, I could have planted it in a slightly different place but there was already hardscape there...



Hardscape. Do you have an already there or do you get to decide?



Hardscape is walls and paths, patios and fountains, oh! and streams.



We have a lovely stream that has never dried up, even though it is mentioned on the map as “seasonal.” Hardscape is one place where you do have to plan. You can always dig a plant up or move a small tree but hardscape is harder (duh) to move.



With all that said, I don’t usually plan anything except hardscape, sometimes I don’t even plan that but base the hardscape on what is already there, like a big pile of rocks or a boulder we can’t move.




  

Planning. I usually just go to the local (or distant) vivero and start with, “Oh that is beautiful” but one or six, take them home and try to fit them into a “space” somewhere. Fitting things into a “space” can be tricky and I admit that my “space” looks a bit hodgepodge, but it does tend to surprise me that things work out in the end even if I have to move things here and there.


Then I have to add in the presents. People give me stuff. Gardeners are like that, we share things. Come to my house and you will usually go home with at least a dozen plants. Or a friend may drop in and ask, “Would you like some strawberries and rhubarb?” (thank you, Soo and Ken).


The answer, “Yes, I have been looking for those!” So now I have strawberries and rhubarb and I have to rearrange things to plant them. Planning? Nope just find a nice spot and put them in.


Yes, okay, if you want the perfect yard, you can hire a landscaper and make a plan. I had a plan done once and then realized that I needed vetiver to prevent a slump... bye bye plan.


My advice? Keep in mind how big things will get then get out there and play in the dirt!





Plant of the week.  Here is a great little lily for pots or borders that I first saw in Cartago. This one was quite crowded in its pot and needed to be thinned (I offered to help, but no luck). Plant in full to partial sun and rich soil and remember to separate it occasionally.

------------
Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the AM Costa Rica Garden page. Questions on this article, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com
------------




Professional's services and business

 








Gourmet Coffee

















U.S. Income Tax & Accounting















Real Estate Agents














Nonprofit Organizations



Al-Anon meetings
Call (506) 8993-1762   Email: rosemaryzitek@yahoo.com


















Car Rental













Dental Services