Nursery Rancho Las Palmas is Ground Zero for Gardeners
Tara A. Spears
Bet you can’t buy just one! Whether digging in the dirt is your passion or just a means of making your space pretty, Rancho Las Palmas Vivero in north Penita is the starting point. The large nursery carries every size container, potting soil, fertilizer, 40 types of palm trees, perennials, shrubs, and annual bedding flowers. The nursery is open continuously from 8 am to 5 pm M-F; 8-1 pm on Saturday with cash only purchases.
For the brothers, Benjamin and Mario Arriola Trujillo, who grew up in La Penita, maintaining healthy plants and a large variety of plants suitable for the local climate is not a job, it’s their calling. They also deliver and install (plant) items for you!
Unsure what you want? Bengy, 322 192 8887, has more than 25 years of experience in propagating and planting. His eye for aesthetics, coupled with his firsthand knowledge of the area’s soil and growing conditions, will design a beautiful tropical yard for you.
For many people, gardening is more than just a hobby; it’s a therapeutic and fulfilling activity that provides numerous benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Engaging with nature through planting, nurturing, and harvesting plants offers a way to slow down, connect with the earth, and reap rewards that go beyond fresh produce or beautiful flowers. Research has proven that gardening enhances physical health, reduces stress, improves mood, and fosters a sense of purpose.
Not only does gardening benefit the person who is actually getting their hands in the mud but it benefits the earth. As Kijarro said, “Plants are solar-powered air purifiers whose filter never needs replacing.” There is something so soothing about the sound of a breeze rustling the palm fronds or tree leaves.
The intense sunlight of this latitude needs plants to absorb some of the heat and glare. Lastly, plants and shrubs add beauty while softening the hardscape. Because there is almost unlimited natural variety of colors for flowers and trees, it makes it easy to satisfy your craving for a favorite color.
Bengy and Mario at Rancho Las Palmas are my go-to plant doctors. When weird things happen to a plant, I bring it, or at least a cutting, besides a close-up photo of the problem. Most of the time it’s an easy fix, such as, change the watering schedule or the plant needs fertilizer.
If you are at a loss of words in Spanish, Mario has a book of plants in order for you to point to a picture so he understands what you want. One needs to be aware that not all plants that we love NOTB have a tropical version… and even many species that thrive in Tepic will tolerate the hot nights and salt air to live here in Jaltemba Bay.
Kara
Both brothers are devoted family men. When not working, Mario likes to cruise on his spiffy motorcycle and go to the beach with his wife, Karla, and daughters Mariana 11, Melanie 8. Bengy enjoys going to the mountain river with his two kids to relax.
As stewards of living things, both men said that the biggest challenge is to keep the plants alive and healthy. “I love seeing the plants grow. The fun is getting new ones (cloning) from a mature plant.” said Marco. “I enjoy working outside and meeting new people. It makes me happy to have repeat customers that had success growing our stock. I can’t imagine working anywhere else. When asked how he learned to speak English, he explained he “picked it up talking to the gringos.”
Whether you need one small pot and plant for a window sill or to landscape a new build yard, Las Palmas Vivero is sure to have what you need.
