When you buy a new home, you know what you are buying.  You don’t usually discover a secret room or tunnel.  But that is not the case with gardens.  They hold deep treasures which, given the right conditions, can bring great delight.  I recall in our very first home, a twig in the middle of the yard, became a beautiful snowball bush.

In our island home, I found many treasures.  I am still looking for Spanish gold but that is another story.  One of the first discoveries was a mature mango tree hidden in the jungle. It was engulfed by taller trees and struggling to find the sun.  We freed the tree and waited for it to recover.  My neighbor Juan told me the mangos would be delicious. It was a year before we got to taste them and they were good.  Best part is they roll down the hill and I find new ones every morning when they are in season

When the workers were clearing the jungle, we found a citrus grove.  Well, five or six citrus tree.  See my excitement (above) at finding a tangerine.  These fruit remain green because cooler night time temperatures are required to develop the orange color we recognize.  It is interesting that Puerto Rican’s call oranges “china”, pronounced cheenah. As the story goes, the first boxes of sweet oranges came from China.  Not knowing what to call the fruit, they adopted the name on the boxes, which of course was its port of origin!

Another tree we saved because it looked interesting and was growing near the perimeter wall.  Six months later on a subsequent trip, I was surveying the property and I was astounded to find cashew fruit on the tree!

I saved this tree but I still have no idea what it is. These berries turn dark purple.  There is not much flesh, it is mostly seed.  Anybody know?

I am ever vigilant in the garden. Especially because I forget what I planted the last trip and I often surprise myself!