Warm greetings all. 🙏 💚
On Sunday I returned to The Sanctuary of the Blue Dragon, in Seaview, for another two weeks, after having spent a week at the off-grid, food-forest jungle intentional community, where I've lived for more than three and a quarter years. I've been experimenting with living part time in each community, one week in the jungle, and two weeks out here in Seaview. Every time I come, I bring plants to put the garden. This time I brought two trays of plants from my nursery in the jungle community.
These are the plants that I brought this time.
Muntingia calabura, Jamaica Cherry/Strawberry Tree. This is an amazing fast-growing tree with delicious fruit and many medicinal benefits
Eugenia brasilensis, Brazilian Cherry. The fruit of this tree look and taste like real cherries.
Artemisia vulgaris, Mugwort.
Camelia sinensis, True Tea. Two of these were seedlings that sprouted near the mother plants, and one was another seedling given to me (the middle one). These are an Assam variety.
Anacardium occidentale, Cashew. I grew these from seed. These will do much better here, as it is drier than my jungle community.
Theobroma cacao, Cacao. I grew these from seed.
Mentha x piperita f. citrata, Orange Mint.
Centella asiatica, Gotu Kola.
Melissa officinalis, Lemon Balm.
Pilea mollis, Friendship Plant. This species is in the nettle family, Urticaceae, so it is likely medicinal, though I have not yet explored that potential yet.
Nicotiana tobacum, Pink-Flowered Tobacco. I grew these from seed.
Strobilanthes alternata, Purple Waffle Plant. This species is likely medicinal as well, as most species in the genus Strobilanthes, and many in the Acanthaceae family have notable medicinal qualities.
Amaranthus viridis, Amaranth. The Spiny Amaranth, Amaranthus spinosus, is already present on the property, so I wanted to get a non-spiny species growing here, as they make very nutritious greens. I only brought one plant, as they seed themselves profusely.
My partner/girlfriend, 
I planted the waffle and friendship plants in a semi-shady spot at the base of a banana.
I planted the amaranth (for the moment) in a bed in which I'm still deciding how best to use (I described its creation in a previous post). I wanted to keep it separate from its spiny relatives.
Today in the late morning, I went to collect multiple (7 large and 1 smaller) Krishna tulsi plants that someone didn't want (they can sometimes be too prolific out here). I potted them up as soon as I got home, put them in a shadier spot, and watered them well. In a few weeks I'll likely plant them in the garden.
Since this property is quite small (fewer then 4 acres), I haven't planted the trees yet, as they require a bit more consideration. When I do get them in the ground, I'll post updates.
Thank you all for sharing this Lower Puna gardening moment with me! Until next time! 🙏💚