Published on Saturday, February 8, 2025

By Victoria Torley

It's February! The sun is shining, the grass isn’t growing as fast, the pool is cool and comfy, and life is good. How good is it? Well, let me explain.

With all the trees that came down in heavy winds, there are plenty of new fence to replace the ones that have rotted out. There should even also be some straight branches for walking sticks. My favorite added bonus, though, is all the orchids and bromelias that have to be harvested from those dead trees. Nice additions to the shade garden.

Usually, I would hire a sierrista (a man with a big chainsaw and special tools) to cut some of the tree trunks into usable planks for garden benches and a nice wall in the workroom. With all the trees down, though, and the price I was quoted by the woodcutter, I decided to go out and find myself what is called a portable sawmill. This is a heavy (and expensive) piece of equipment that hugs the tree. Attach a chain saw to it, and you can cut great flat planks. Sadly, I now need a bigger chainsaw.

Moving on, now that the rain won’t wash everything away, we can get out and fertilize the fruit trees. We are looking forward to some plump red grapefruit and delicious oranges this year. Even the lemon and lime trees seem to be smiling at us, and I know that the fertilizer concoction we have made up for them will have them producing freely. And speaking of citrus, we can get out and prune them properly when there is no rain.

The mosquitoes seem to be dying back too. They have been very pesky this past season with all the rain. Why I have even had to wear long-sleeved shirts out by the arroyo! That is when rain didn’t keep me inside, which it did, repeatedly.

The steps to the gardens are drying out, which is a relief since one of our friends slid down and twisted his knee. It’s hard to keep the moss off of the steps when it’s raining. I know the stuff is there and I still have the occasional slip even when I use a walking stick.

Now is also a great time to get out and pull the morning glories and other vines off the shrubs. I have a Sanchezia that is covered with morning glories and some shrubs have almost disappeared under them. I suppose I could have cut them back during the rainy season, but who wants to crawl around in the rain and slippery mud just to trim back vines. Even I draw the line somewhere and wet slippery Sanchezia seems to be just over the line.

Let’s just say that Metric Man is happy to know there is a line.

Plant for the week. Yellow canna lily (Canna Cannova). With all the bulbs and tubers that won’t grow in a tropical climate, it’s great to find some that thrive. This is a variety of canna lily that brings sunshine down into the garden. They are carried by many viveros so they are easy to find. Grows up to 30-48 in. tall (75-120 cm) and 14-20 in. wide (35-50 cm). They are also easy to grow in any sunny location with moist, well-drained soil. Be just a bit patient, and they will reward you with seeds for replanting and sharing. Check out all the colors! Happy gardening!

 

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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
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