BOURET STREET VERTICAL/HANGING GARDEN BOTANICAL INVENTORY

THE average Joe six-pack, taking a glimpse off this unusual natural installation in the Caribbean, an abandoned house for the last decade, former residence of Santana-Becerra, a supreme court justice in the 30's, visited occasionally by Antonio Paoli, now a property of some high yellow creature, would think of a jumble, intertwined mass.  But if you look closely there are 35 species, of which 25 are identified below in the west side, a wider biodiversity variety by feet than Parque Luis Munhoz Rivera, the MAC and los estuarinos mess.

Pothos

Syngonium podophylum

Cajanus cajan

Jathropa gossypipolia

Cannavalia maritime

Merremia quinquefolia

Turnera ulmiforme

Tecoma stans

Passiflora foetida

Alternatera brasiliana

Pereskia bleo

Acacia

Costus speciosus

Asparagus setaceus*

Barleria repens

Mirabilis siciliana

Clerodendrum   thomsonae/quadriloquare **

Vitis vinifera

Commelina elegans

I used to keep it more tidy, but got worn out knowing any time the obscure, sinister forces dominating our surroundings will destroy it as it has happened twice in the last five years. Evidently, this natural arrangement is not the rule, but a lonely exception.  The only thing I do now it to trim here and there to keep the vines in
some sort of shape dictated by them.  Some jerk once offered to spray it with herbicide.  I told him, I like it like that.


It would be nice if 8 people out of 10, could appreciate this natural garden, as some children do when the spiders arrive, building their perfectly shaped nets, but it is not the case.  Even those who should know better in the local environmental bandwagon first row: vegetarians, organic farmers, organic produce retailers, traditional farmers, Camilla Sierra Club, the eco friendly, edible garden freaks all look the other way, as the Joe six-pack in the first sentence.

This type of installation with frequent maintenance, would be more aesthetic to people with a little introspection, vision and understanding of what ecology, biodiversity really mean, besides the privacy, shade and security some kinds of vegetation would provide, safety without costly security/camera systems.

This groupe riding comfortably in the bandwagon mentioned,  are mostly hooked on $elling something: grass, palms, bromeliads, ferns and Ficus, without any concerns regarding noise, fumes and pollution, all is honky dory. The common sterile gardening school
created by landscape architects and cut/blow landscape management companies.  Their flat, silly gardens lack composition, depth, height, contrasts of color, shapes and texture as this garden kept by Sociedad Horticultural Bouret demonstrates.

Bai di guai, something similar was growing in the long flat strip of soil by the wall in San Carlos before the deaf/blind hogs of Carmen Yulin the MACestuario executioners destroyed without any purpose.

This type of installation may not be of your liking in terms of aesthetics, however, Spindalis, hummingbirds, bees, beetles, butterflies, spiders and lizards made it their home, with available nectar, insects and nest building material.

*  When digging to add this plant to my collection I got bitten by some insect from cat poop which required medical treatment.

** Courtesy of Tito Collazo, a collaborator with the MACestuarinos.

That is that