Donna Porter
By Donna Porter It is no exaggeration when we say that Costa Rica is a plant paradise. We, literally, live in the wonderful world of plants. Costa Rica contains over 5% of the world’s biodiversity of flora and fauna, while encompassing only .025% of the earth’s land mass. To put
Read MoreBy Donna Porter If you had to make a short list of tropical fruits to grow and to consume, papaya, Carica papaya, should be at the top of your list. Papaya – commonly called Pawpaw in parts of the world – is a super food whose health benefits outweigh those
Read MoreBy Donna Porter No one can dispute the exquisite elegance, beauty and allure of a masterfully-crafted and finely-finished piece of wood. Its brilliance and warmth, glass-like texture and intricately-designed natural grain are one of the most revered architectural elements known to man. It has graced castles and palaces of royalty
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Where do you go when you just want to forget about life for awhile – to relax, to reflect, to walk at a snail’s pace and breath it all in or to spend some passive time with family or friends away from your home? Perhaps you go
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Plants can stir your emotions – induce in you a feeling – if not by their unparalleled beauty, then by their majestic nature. Have you ever been in the presence of a plant and felt just a little humbled? Awed? Even slightly intimidated? Perhaps, somewhere in your
Read MoreBy Donna Porter A million or so years ago, when the earth was younger and the seas covered the land and freshwater seas were abundant, billions of algae -like organisms developed. All of the waters of the earth where inhabited by microscopic one-celled, algae-type plants called diatoms (Melosira spp.). These
Read MoreBy Donna Porter With all of the boldly exotic-looking tropical beauties that we have to choose from to use in our gardens and landscapes, like Helcionias, Gingers, Aroids, Marantas and Crotons, we sometimes forget that we also have a fabulous selection of flowering tropical shrubs that add even more color,
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Allow me to introduce you to one of the shadiest families I know of – the Marantaceae Family. They love dark, damp, hummusy places….. but, are actually a fine and honorable group of plants that have even been known to pray. These bold beauties exult and thrive
Read MoreBy Donna Porter If ever you had to choose but one plant amongst all of the other plants on the planet to co-exist with or you ever found yourself in a dire survival situation, which plant would you choose; which plant would you seek out? (Hint – it is a
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Over numerous decades and generations, the world renowned song “Imagine” by John Lennon has touched the hearts of billions of people and made us all contemplate, at some time, living in a world united in peace – a oneness. His lyrics have inspired us to imagine a
Read MoreBy Donna Porter If there were ever a world-wide popularity contest of families in the plant world, without a doubt, the Araceae family and its members would win – hands down. This family’s realm of existence extends from the most frigid of northern climates to the sweltering tropical rainforest of
Read MoreA tree is not just a tree, a flower is not just a flower and a fruit is just not a fruit. To describe a plant by saying that it is a “tropical tree with green leaves and yellow flowers” is similar to describing a person by saying “it is a Latino man with black hair and dark skin”. This oversimplification of descriptions leaves one scratching one’s head in wonder and as clueless as ever. Plants, as humans, are not all created equal. They are characterized and classified in an assortment of ways to distinguish them, or their groupings or types, and to help in their identification. Having an identity is as important in the plant world as it is in the human world, although, plants, unlike humans, can be preserved for future usage and benefit – an even greater reason for correct identification.
Read MoreThe delectable, juicy and unsurpassed sweetness of the Mango fruit is enjoyed by more people on a world-wide scale that any other fruit. Mango is considered the “King of Fruits”. They are associated with fortune, abundance and fertility and are represented in religious themes of South Asia’s Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian communities. It is said that the forbidden fruit or “apple” in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden was that of the Mango. Fossil records dating back 25 to 30 million years have revealed the Mango’s center of origin as northeast India, Myanmar/Burma and Bangladesh and their cultivation dates back more than 6,000 years.
Read MoreFebruary and March are not exactly my favorite times of the year here in Costa Rica. Yes, these are our peak months for tourism but, as a plant person, my thinking leans more towards garden activity. It is a time when we are not suppose to be planting, but I say, if there is a reliable water source and reliable labor available… then let the planting proceed. This summer began with milder than usual temps and continued, cooling showers in December and on into January, but who knows what February and March will bring. With these conditions, it is has been especially difficult to halt the planting.
Read MoreBy Donna Porter Ginger. The word, in and of itself, has an essence of beauty and intrigue. It can stir your senses with images of the exotic, or bring feelings of delight to one’s lips by its soft pronunciation of syllables or to ones taste buds by its savory, tangy
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