Pruning palms....

Just behind where I sit at the computer, there is a raised area of garden which is the home of two lovely coconut palms.  As with most plants, trees and flowers in this sub-tropical climate they thrive and grow profusely and, every now and again, are in need of some severe pruning.  When the palm leaves bend and eventually drop themselves they land with a great crash and the falling of a dried coconut is to be avoided at all costs as can give a nasty 'crack on the head' if it happens to fall on you!!

So, yesterday was time to get the ladder out and, Tuly, armed with machete, started palm pruning with a vengeance.

What looks like a simple job at the outset become quite a major task when the removal of the leaves and bunches of coconuts takes place. Within minutes there was a huge pile of debris on the ground.  As usual Tuly was ably assisted by Margo who wore the glasses to save all the 'bits' going in her eyes.

Then comes clearing and cleaning up time - all being carted off to the lower fields where the rubbish is burnt on a regular basis - such a shame that we don't really like fresh coconut or the coconut water here.

All finished and tidy until the next pruning session due!!

My San Pedro Cactus...

I had never heard of the Trichocereus Pachanoi "San Pedro Cactus" before moving here but there were a number in the garden of our new home when we arrived.  It is found naturally in the Andes of Peru and Ecuador and is known as the sacred cactus of the Inca kings. I have read that if it is cut up and boiled then the residual water contains mescaline which is a hallucinogenic drug but I won't be testing that out!!

As you can see they grow in columns, about one foot a year, up to 20+ feet with many branches - cuttings are easily taken by just chopping a branch and replanting it in dry ground and, with no watering necessary, they thrive.

We thought them ugly and were tempted to cut them down until one day they started to flower.  Each year, from about April onwards, tiny buds begin to appear - every spiky prickle has the potential to produce a flower.

The buds, then flowers, continue to appear over several months, usually from May through to early August.  Sometimes there will be just a few in bloom and sometimes literally hundreds.

Each flower is very shortlived though.  The bloom doesn't appear until late evening, well after dark, in the region of 10 pm and, if not up early the following morning, they will already be wilting.

Earlier this week there was a great show one morning 

They really are a totally beautiful sight in the very early morning sunlight and this photo was captured at 6.30am as this batch will already be dying by breakfast time. Just another one of the truly magical moments for me at my home in the Dominican Republic.