As neighbors, friends and guests of El Jardin “pop-in” for a quick afternoon visit as customary in Yelapa, they tend to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ as they observe the lush tropical garden at the four-casa, 14 person retreat.
That’s because the heavy summer rains have facilitated the fast growth of more than 75 plant and flower varieties –from Allamanda to Water Lilies; thus helping El Jardin (The Garden) live up to its name.
Chrissi, co-owner and resident horticulturist at El Jardin “start” many of the species from cuttings taken from around the village and then propagate or multiply them. She said she choose the cultivars based on what she likes and what she thinks will be pretty.
This season she’s excited about the ginger, namely the white ginger, that has been cultivated on the property. Her plans are to plant the perennial at the entrance of every casa at El Jardin to capture the garden fragrance.
Juanita, the local Spanish teacher, stops by El Jardin after an afternoon swim at The Point. She appreciates the pink and red variety and excitedly cuts from the pink blossoms. As she plucks away at starts she explains why she loves them, “Just stick them in a pot and they grow like crazy.”
According to Chrissi, that’s the mantra for getting things to grow at El Jardin as well.
I love this place; love it. Love everything about it. No windows, no walls, no doors; flowers everywhere. The water, the jungle. El Jardin = amazing!