Our resident gardner Nellie recently visited Peru with her son. Dahlias are pictured here growing wild in the Andes of Peru, among Inca ruins. They are native to Mexico and Central America, as are many of our ornamental flowers and shrubs. The cactus in the background indicates dry conditions, and thin, rocky soils. When buying seeds and plants for your garden, consider where they originated to learn the optimum growth conditions. 
Nellie and her son are pictured in a central square in Lima, Peru. Towns and cities had formal plantings of bedding plants in central squares and parks. The landscape in the countryside was beautiful and dramatic with crops, fruit trees, and gardens lining the roadways with little need for ornamental plants.
