Jardín

Blessed are those who trust in God;
God will be their trust.
They are like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still produces fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

I’m no writer for National Geographic, but I will bring my powers of journalistic observation to bear on what I see in the friars’ cloister garden, here at Convento San Francisco.

We have here a quadrangle divided into four quarters.

In the center is a fountain whose pool is shaped like a quatrefoil and a column with two basins, one stacked on top of the other. The water spouts from the top basin and runs over into the second basin in which plants are thickly packed and trickles from there into the pool where lily pads float and fish swim. I don’t know the species, so I’ll simply call them tigerfish and catfish and fish-fish because that is what they resemble, and those are the names that come to mind.

Stone paths proceed from the fountain to the edges of the quadrangle, forming the four quarters. A stone path lines the perimeter. Various potted plants rest under the cloister arcades. Many of them are palms. A few of them are cactuses. Some of these are small and spindly, and others broad, flat, and tall. One curves out of its pot like an elephant’s trunk. Then there are the other succulents, which resemble cactuses but are not, and which take so many shapes, the likes of which I have never seen before! Some of them are positively extraterrestrial to my eyes. It’s hard to describe these.

Now, a look within the garden. Most to my liking are the fruit trees, so I will begin with them.

In the northwest quarter, in the very corner, is a lemon tree, with a few ripe ones on the ground yielding a mild scent. Toward the middle of the same quarter is a tree bearing a fruit called chirimoya, which looks like a pine cone. Right here it is appropriate to share this link about Bolivian fruit so you can see what I mean. Other trees in this quarter throw shade.

In the northeast quarter we have an orange tree in the corner. Two trees down below it is an apple tree. In between the two stands a tree with fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a tomato. Maybe it’s just another kind of apple tree? I don’t know. Near the fountain in the interior of this quarter is a tree with fruit called achacha or achachairu, whose fruit looks like a red or pink Christmas tree ornament hung upside down. Another tree is in an island in the center of this quarter, ringed by snowy white shrubs and other greenery.

In the southwest quarter is another achacha tree, as well as two trees I could not quite identify. Maybe one of them is a pacquio or pachio tree, but I am not sure. The fruits are fewer and not yet ripe on these trees.

There are no fruit trees in the southwest quarter. Rather, what dominates is a landscape featuring a statue of Saint Francis depicting the legend of his taming the wolf of Gubbio, who had terrorized the townspeople until Francis made peace between the wolf and the people. The statue is surrounded by palms of a few varieties, roses, and tall trees reaching two stories high. At the feet of Francis and the wolf is a pool with lily pads. More roses line the path from due east to the fountain and to the southern edge of the garden. A line of reedy plants guards the southern edge of this quarter.

Everything lies on a carpet of green, green grass.

The other stone paths from the fountain to the north, south, and west are lined with shrubs with yellow leaves and green highlights in the center of them. The snowy white shrubs I mentioned before circle the fountain and some lampposts in the quarters.

Finally, there are three trellises, each of them ten-foot-tall arches, at the center of the western, southern, and eastern perimeters. Vines thickly entwine the trellises. They bear orange tube-shaped blooms and wine-red petals. At first I thought they could be related to the national flowers of Bolivia, but on closer inspection I see they are not.

In the garden it is bright and vibrant all day long, even when it is cloudy. When it is sunny all the colors come out even more.

I wish I had the horticultural knowledge of one of my Capuchin brothers! He could tell me the names of what I am describing to you. But I hope this description shows you what I can see. However, if I have not succeeded, have a look at this article.