Bedroom courtyard
This is little courtyard is located outside of our bedroom. There will be a small fountain that will create a nice soft sound. The tree is an Azadirachta indica, or Neem Tree. It is from the mahogany family and is native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The fruits and oil from the tree are used for medicinal, agricultural, insecticide purposes. Its appearance is very similar to its relative, the Chinaberry tree. It is drought resistant.
Neem is used to give baths to the Muslim dead; the leaves are dried and put in cupboards to prevent insects eating clothes and rice. In Pakistan, the leaves are dried and burned to keep away mosquitoes–one of the attributes my wife really likes.
While it is considered “nature’s drugstore” in many parts of the world and has been used for over 2000 years for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, we will use it for shade and experiment with its anti-mosquitoe properties.
How wonderful to be able to enjoy new flora that can grow in such a climate! Consider planting, near your kitchen, a sour orange tree. The juice is a main ingredient in Yucatecan cooking. A small tree in the back of our house was planted 80 years ago by the previous owner, and neighbors tell us every family had at least one such tree in the back.
Juan- We are planting: a sour orange, mango, avocado, papaya and grapefruit as well as pitaya.