My Cuban Trifecta

      Growing up in Miami, one of my most treasured childhood memories was my mother's garden. I often remember coming home from school and finding  my mother in the backyard wearing her blue polka dotted halter top revealing her dark freckled skin, and almost always with a machete in hand hacking away amongst the invasive banana trees that covered the walkway to our garden.  Our front and back yard was a tropical jungle with trees and plants overlapping each other while camouflaging our house with color  and fragrances.

Aside from our  pet parrots and the singing male canaries perched in their cages against the wall, I often wondered if my mother was trying to recreate her childhood home in Cuba  with this tropical paradise.  
 The Bougainvillea trees that seemed to take up  the most  space in our garden were of two variety of colors, a deep violet purple and a dark bright pink color that covered the dividing wall between our neighbors home and ours.

   Palm trees, Gardenia trees, Banana trees, Hibiscus trees, an Avocado tree, a collection of orchids and Cactus and a huge mango tree were all part of my mother's tropical menagerie.
   There are three trees in particular that I like to refer to as a "Cuban Trifecta". They are  the three that remind me most of growing up Cuban.
They are the Bougainvillea tree, the Gardenia tree and the Palm tree. I am happy to announce that my very own "Cuban Trifecta" finally came in!!
After waiting patiently for what seemed like an eternity, my Gardenia tree finally produced its first fragrant flower, giving 279 Bed+Breakfast its' very own "Cuban Trifecta" !

  I dedicate my "Cuban Trifecta" to "La Cubana".