Not so much in boots these days as in sandals. I’m currently on my winter break in Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico. Being so used to the great outdoors I find British winters very difficult to cope with so to save myself from cabin fever/SAD/depression, I take myself off for the very worst part, mid December to early February. This time away also helps with that other dreadful part of the year when folk go a bit crazy with the festive period.
Cabo San Lucas experienced a strong category three hurricane back in September 2014. Hurricane Odile wreaked havoc & damage was valued at $1.22 billion. I saw for myself in Cabo San Lucas & San Jose del Cabo the remnants of the damage; half completed buildings remained just that & palm trees uprooted at the time lay in heaps with other landscaping debris.
Much of the carnage was repaired very promptly including the landscaping. I was impressed with roadside planting & realised, of course, it was all quite new. Some stunning plant combinations of aloe, cacti, bougainvillea & ornamental grasses adorn the roadsides & roundabouts. The planting was mulched with limestone chippings which attentive gardeners raked in an attractive oriental type fashion.
San Jose del Cabo is home to a cacti farm. Reports on the internet said the business was totally ruined, mud lay inches thick over the specimens, poly tunnels/shaded areas had been stripped away by the force of the winds and the art sculptures lay decimated. But 18 months on I was amazed at how well the farm had bounced back, there was sign of any damage, the mud had gone (along with the mozzies), the pond repaired & the maze installation re-installed. Shade canopies had been re-built & over 1,800 specimens are again growing aided by local nursery professionals. New bougainvillea ‘tents’ had been built which will offer visitors welcome shade in a few year’s time when they are mature. The roundabout just outside the nursery is one of the most well designed & considered schemes I’ve seen on my travels-knocked Singapore’s municipal planting into second place. So much work in such a short time. If you ever take some winter sun to San Jose del Cabo be sure to take a taxi to Wirikuta Cactus Park, $8 entrance & some fantastic photo opportunities.
TTFN helen@reeleylandscapes.co.uk 07708 643313