Guatemala Garden Tour: It's Always Flowering in Paradise
This garden in Guatemala dazzles with tropical flowers, peacocks, parrots and toucans
Landscape architect Edgar Rolando Rossal Chávez says it best when describing why his garden in Guatemala City, Guatemala, is something special: “I got the chance to recreate a little bit of paradise, like I used to admire in Walt Disney classics. It’s a place where everything is perfectly balanced and beautiful, where plants and animals live together in complete harmony. I like its bright colours and my birds are like walking flowers.”
The sight of a white peacock strutting casually across a path, or a parrot swooping down from a tree branch, leaves visitors to Rossal’s garden constantly rubbing their eyes. Dramatic flora such as flame trees (Delonix regia), jade vines (Strongylodon macrobotrys) and a large collection of bromeliads (Bromeliaceae spp.) add to the magical effect.
The sight of a white peacock strutting casually across a path, or a parrot swooping down from a tree branch, leaves visitors to Rossal’s garden constantly rubbing their eyes. Dramatic flora such as flame trees (Delonix regia), jade vines (Strongylodon macrobotrys) and a large collection of bromeliads (Bromeliaceae spp.) add to the magical effect.
“I’ve lived in this garden since I was a child,” says Rossal. “My family bought this house when I was seven years old. We rented it out for some time and lived in another house with a bigger garden. Luckily, one day my parents chose to move back here. That was the moment when I started gardening seriously. I’ve always been crazy about gardening from an early age. Now I’m sorry I haven’t kept pictures of my other homes, because I always had a lot of enthusiasm for gardening.”
Rossal now lives here with his mother, and cares for his garden every day, weekends included, all year round.
Unlike seasonal gardens that go dormant in winter, this tropical paradise is always active and needs to be regularly watered, pruned and raked to remove dry flowers and leaves.
The immaculate green carpet is made up of hardy bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon). In more northern and southern latitudes this species dries out and disappears over winter, as it is very sensitive to the cold. In warmer climates like Guatemala, however, it lasts throughout the year.
The smooth sea of green grass is interrupted only by islands of exotic flowers such as the yesterday-today-and-tomorrow shrubs (Brunfelsia pauciflora) that are pictured here and dominate the garden.
White and blue Indian peacocks are the garden’s biggest drawcards. “They sleep in trees. They’ve always been my favourite birds,” says Rossal. He got his first peacock when he was 15 and has been living with these regal birds ever since.
Rossal feeds the birds high-protein birdseed and also gives them water with soluble electrolytes and antibiotics from time to time. Pictured here is a very rare and valuable leucistic peacock – a peacock born with yellow plumage that turns white over time. Unlike animals with albinism, leucistic peacocks and species retain their eye colour.
A peacock’s train contains 150 to 200 feathers, each with a colourful ‘eye’ at the tip.
Male peacocks show off this train during mating displays by fanning their tails and shaking them to create a low-frequency sound that is inaudible to humans but apparently very attractive to their potential partners.
Here, a leucistic Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) walks among grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum).
These majestic birds share the garden with macaws, parrots and cockatoos. In this picture, an amazon parrot sits on a bird-like hanging lobster claw or parrots beak (Heliconia rostrata).
The most iconic parrot species is the blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), pictured, which sports a powerful beak and a long tail.
Likewise, a toucan (Ramphastos toco) adds to the garden’s magic with its long beak, bright colours and gentle spirit.
Birds and flowers live harmoniously here and echo one another in Rossal’s garden. Pictured here is the Guatemalan bird of paradise (Heliconia subulata), which complements the birds themselves.
Though Rossal loves many of his plants, his favourite is the Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as the jade vine. “I like it for its turquoise-green colour and because its inflorescences can grow to be more than a metre long,” he says. “This plant comes from an island in the Philippines and is considered to be one of the most exotic tropical lianas [or woody vines] in the word. I have many trees that I like, and all of them have been chosen for their spectacular inflorescences, such as the flame tree, the tabebuia (Tabebuia chrysantha) or the crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica).”
Though Rossal loves many of his plants, his favourite is the Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as the jade vine. “I like it for its turquoise-green colour and because its inflorescences can grow to be more than a metre long,” he says. “This plant comes from an island in the Philippines and is considered to be one of the most exotic tropical lianas [or woody vines] in the word. I have many trees that I like, and all of them have been chosen for their spectacular inflorescences, such as the flame tree, the tabebuia (Tabebuia chrysantha) or the crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica).”
Every centimetre of this garden – from the bottle palms (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) pictured here to the birds that call it home – is a labour of love. Rossal planted the flame tree with the help of his son and father after a trip to the coast; the work of three generations was invested into this beautiful tree.
Rossal loves tropical shapes and colours, and the mixture of flora and fauna in his garden is proof. Here, among the African lilies, (Agapanthus africanus) struts one of his prized peacocks.
Rossal only uses pesticides in exceptional circumstances. The garden rarely needs insecticides, and pests and illnesses tend to target just a few specific plants.
Pictured here towards the left is a bird’s-nest fern (Asplenium nidus), the perfect complement to the flaming sword plants (Vriesea splendens) at the back of this garden bed that resemble arrow feathers, while another blushing bromeliad joins the gathering.
In this garden it’s not unusual to spy an Indian blue peacock (Pavo cristatus) peeking out from behind shasta daisies (Leucanthemum maximum).
The bromeliad family includes epiphytic and lithophytic plants that respectively root in tree branches or rocks, rather than soil. They take their nutrients from water or the debris of other plants – such as falling leaves – that collect in the hollows formed by their leaves. Their bright colours attract pollinators, including hummingbirds, bats and moths.
Rossal fixes the bromeliads to dry trunks with light wire, covering their roots with coconut fibre to maintain their humidity. Here, a blushing bromeliad (Neoregelia carolinae) takes centrestage.
In this pocket of the garden, a scarlet star (Guzmannia lingulata) dazzles.
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Which flora and fauna in this garden do you love? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, share it with fellow green thumbs, and join the conversation.
More
For more inspiration, don’t miss this Dutch Garden Tour with its year-round enchantment in an artistic garden in Holland
Tell us
Which flora and fauna in this garden do you love? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, share it with fellow green thumbs, and join the conversation.
More
For more inspiration, don’t miss this Dutch Garden Tour with its year-round enchantment in an artistic garden in Holland
Who lives here: Landscape architect and interior designer Edgar Rolando Rossal Chávez and his mother. They share the garden with his peacocks and parrots
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Garden size: About 1,000 square metres