School Garden Adventures: From Mexico to Chicago: Healing Gardens: "Plants are the reason I'm alive"

After a bit of searching along the streets near the main dock of Holbox, we located Dona Viki. "I'm not a biologist" Viki told us, "but, I can tell you a lot about my plants." This may have been the understatement of the week. The moment you enter Viki's backyard, her passion for and knowledge of plants is apparent. Countless species of plants decorate every ledge surrounding the house and every open space in the yard.

A small selection of the hundreds
of potted medicinal plants in
Viki's yard

Viki generously offers Jenny a hosta,
planted in a large conch shell

After we've introduced ourselves, Viki begins a whirlwind tour, an encyclopedia of plant knowledge, sprinkled with many opportunities for plant samples, "taste this, smell that," she insists. A few minutes into our visit, she tells us her reason for all of this, "I have terminal cancer, it's spread throughout my body," she explains, pulling down her bathing suit to reveal a scar from a surgery. "Plants give you life. They are the reason I'm alive." Viki repeats this message several more times throughout the evening in different ways. As we walk through the backyard, it seems impossible to avoid stepping on little toads, who scatter everywhere with each step. I've never seen so many toads in one place! Viki explains, "They're good for my garden, eating the bugs. I bring them from all over so they can help with my garden."

Viki names and tells Jenny the uses of nearly every plant in
her garden.

Like the toads, Viki has brought plants from all over that she thinks will be good for her. She sells or gives some plants to friends. Many, however, she will use as medicines for sleeping (Chipilin), for the stomach (Boldo tree), and for cleaning the blood (Cun de Amor). There's a large Chaya shrub in the center of the yard, which is over ten years old and was transported from Viki's old property to her new growing space. We had to use our imagination for the plant called "Cosmic Explosion," named for its large white bloom which wasn't flowering at the moment. A large boat filled with rich compost serves as a gardening bed along the edge of the yard.

The Cosmic Explosion plant. Its
name comes from the flower, not
in bloom here. Bummer!

A picture that sums up Viki's
yard- chaotic, but a botanical
wonder

Viki leads us inside of her home, which she is fixing up, little by little. An extravagant collection of tropical reef decorations and fish cut-outs contrast with the dirt floor and piles of unwashed dishes. "It needs a lot of work" Viki acknowledges, "but I'm working on my room in the back." And like that, we are off.

Viki and Jenny walking towards
Sandra's. In foreground, hosta in
conch shell, and small fruit picked and
chewed on along the way

Carrying a hosta planted in a large conch shell, we follow Viki down the side roads of the island. We're going to visit an even better garden, she promises, her friend Sandra's nursery to see the project Viki made in the backyard. Every house we pass, Viki points out plants we should know. We pick a few fruits, jot down a few names, and continue our walk toward the beach.

Reef decoration inside Viki's home

Sandra's yard is a lush mix of palms and other tropical plants, growing meters from the ocean. The sweet perfume from rows of white spider lilies fills the air. In Sandra's backyard, there is a 'piece of jungle," a mix of plants that Viki has arranged in palm containers. Orchids nestle in the trunk of the large palm in the center of the display. Another epiphyte, el cuerno del ciervo (Elkhorn fern) sits on a log. Viki explains that the plants moves when you talk to it, "Hola mi ciervo, como estas?" she coaxes. And with that, the plants branches begin to sway.