Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Part 3- A Visit to El Charco del Ingenio, San Miguel de Allende


 Here are the remainder of my photos from our visit to El Charco del Ingenio, San Miguel de Allende.  It was so incredible to see everything in a natural setting.  If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit!  It is wonderful! 
 Above is a photo of the Dam of the Reservoir.  The following are photos of the area near the dam.


 This is a Furcrea.  These are not cold hardy in our area but make great container specimens.
 I love lichen grows on the rocks- the vibrant colors amaze me. 
 Above is a view into the canyon.  The view in person is stunning. 
 This is a little area they have called the Plaza of the Four Winds which have several Pre-Columbian symbols which are beautiful. 

There is lavender everywhere- they have a beautiful display of it in the Plaza- you can see it and smell it all over town as well- it thrives in the dry climate there. 
The Watermill Ruins (shown above) are remarkably in good shape considering their age.
This concludes my "tour" of our visit.  I hope you enjoyed the photos- several of you have written me directly with questions- please feel free to do so- we had an incredible time and am happy to share experiences, give suggestions on the town etc… It was truly amazing. 

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Part 2- A Visit to El Charco del Ingenio, San Miguel de Allende

Here we go for Part 2 of our visit to El Charco del Ingenio, Mexico, the Botanical Garden in San Miguel de Allende.  This was a neat little "cave" they had there you could go inside.  They had a fun little area for kids (and grown-ups…)
 The Conservatory was a beautiful collection and display of a wide variety of cacti and succulents from all over Mexico.
 Some were clearly more fragile than others and were in little cages.
 I loved this little display- the Burro Tail has always been a favorite and I love how it cascades over the rock in this pairing.
 They had nice little plaques on some of the plants detailing name and region.
 The displays were pretty- they used every square inch in a creative way.  They had a little water area running through the middle as well which added to the atmosphere.
 Another setting.
 I loved the structure of this one.
 Another fun little setting.
 The Reservoir can ben seen from just about all the pathways.
 I liked this display.
 Here is a little fern, Scaly Cloak Fern, that has gotten a lot of attention (at least in Austin) as of late- here it is seen growing out of some rocks- there were several here and there but I liked how this one was peeking out.  
 The ducks sunbathing on the little island.
 I am not sure what this was but I liked it.
Another little guy I was not sure what it was but I liked the texture to it.  I will post the final part which has photos of the dam and the canyon area next to that which was really amazing.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A Visit to El Charco del Ingenio- Botanical Garden in San Miguel de Allende- Part 1

We just returned from an incredible visit to El Charco del Ingenio- Botanical Garden in San Miguel del Allende, Mexico.  It was amazing.  I loved seeing all the plants in their habitat.  I got some great photos- hope you enjoy!!!
I have divided this into 3 posts as I had several photos.
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 The front display bed.
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 Another display bed- look at the size of that Yucca!!!
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 I love how they have placed everything.
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 Beautiful sedum crawling along the rock.
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 Good ol' Agave with some Graptoveria growing along the bottom.  
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 View of the Reservoir.  
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Look at the size of this cactus!!!! 
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 Another beautiful pairing!!
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 Always love the Yuccas.
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 Look at the setting- amazing.
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 Agave display garden.
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 Hail to the Queen!
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 Look at the size of the Dasylirion!!!! Stunning!!!
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Post 2 coming soon…….