The Coolest Plants I Saw in Mexico City

We arrived in Mexico City before dawn, well before our guesthouse was ready for us. Wandering the empty streets and plazas of Coyoacán, I could sense lushness even in the dark.

When the sun rose and our room was ready, we went to bed, exhausted from the journey. Around midday, I rose to open the curtains and behold the guesthouse courtyard in the daylight.

Atop the wall dividing the property from the street were large pots and a repurposed bathtub, all teeming with gigantic cacti and succulents.

A monumental green canopy formed the backdrop of this whimsical container garden. Unfamiliar birdcalls filled the air. I had woken up in a different ecosystem, and it was exciting.

A selection of large planters, including an old bathtub, full of oversized cacti and succulents on top of a wall with trees in the background.

Colossal Cacti

During our week in Mexico City, I saw a lot of cool plants. The coolest ones were cacti. Though we have plenty in California, in the Bay Area’s cool climate they don’t achieve the height, variety, and overall majesty of the ones in Mexico.

I’m not a cactus expert, but I believe most of the cacti we saw belonged to the genus cereus, recognizable by their tall, upright, ribbed structures.

Extreme close-up of cactus with grayish-green flesh textured with deep grooves and spikes. — The texture of this cactus outside the Museo Nacional de Antropologia merited a close-up. I suspect it might be cereus forbesii monstrose but feel free to drop a more confident identification in the comments.

Forest of tall, thin cacti and agave plants in a garden. — I was captivated by the rhythmic play of light and dark created by this forest of cacti and agave in the gardens of Leon Trostky’s house.

Lush streets and parks

It was late November, and the city was getting ready for Christmas. Along the grandiose Paseo de la Reforma, city workers were planting out rows of poinsettias that stretched for miles. These plants are native to Mexico and grow in the ground like bushes.

A road median in a wide boulevard being planted up with thousands of poinsettia plants by workers in yellow shirts. — I’ve never seen festive poinsettia plantings on such a grand scale.

On a particularly verdant street in Coyoacán, just a couple blocks from our guesthouse, low cobblestone walls encircled massive trees that towered over the houses. Cars politely navigated around them.

A cobblestone city street with large trees and plants in the middle of it, encircled by low stone walls. — Looking down the meticulously maintained and aptly named Privada del Bosque, “private road of the forest.”

Of all the remarkable parks we saw throughout Mexico City, my favorite was in our neighborhood, the Viveros of Coyoacán. Not only a public park but an active nursery for many of the city’s trees and plants, we found ourselves strolling through this botanical sanctuary almost every day.

A sun-dappled tree-lined path in a large city park — A view down one of the many tree-lined alleyways of the Viveros de Coyoacán.

An ancient site in the city

We failed to visit Teotihuacan, but we found a much less crowded ancient pyramid within city limits at the archeological site of Cuicuilco. Featuring monumental ruins of historical significance, the grounds also have a lot of cool plants! Plus, we practically had it all to ourselves.

A drift of orange flowers in whorls on tall stems with trees in the background — I believe these lively orange flowers are Leonotis nepetifolia, also known as lion’s ear, which is native to tropical Africa and southern India but found throughout Latin America.

Tiered stone walls surrounded by a ditch with dense vegetation growing around it. — Dense vegetation surrounding the pyramid walls, including agave and prickly pear.

Close up of bright orange echeveria succulent flowers with hot pink stems — A striking orange echeveria in bloom along a path at Cuicuilco.

Charming containers

Similar to what I’ve observed in Italy, I found a level of care and creativity in the container gardens of Mexico City that most U.S. cities sadly lack.

Obviously, the bathtub full of cacti at our guesthouse made a strong first impression. Throughout the neighborhoods we traversed, in the streets, balconies, and windowsills, residents and proprietors created charming displays using simple elements.

Facade of small white square house with four tall windows with balustrades above a garage. The windowsills each have a potted fern in them. — Ferns adorn each of these adorable birdcage-like windows. The matching simple cylindrical terracotta pots mirror the forms and colors of the façade.

Tall cactus in a wine barrel on a sidewalk — Wine barrels planted with upright cacti and mulched with gravel on a sidewalk in Coyoacán. Simple, but effective!

My cacti deserve better

Whenever I travel, I love to bring gardening inspiration back to my balcony. After our trip to Mexico City, I realized I wasn’t doing justice to my cacti and succulents. While these plants have very minimal needs, they don’t deserve total neglect.

I bought a mature prickly pear at a plant sale for cheap a couple of years ago, and it was languishing in a too-big planter in a too-shady corner. It was underplanted with succulent cuttings that weren’t doing well either.

The strong, geometric forms of cacti, agave, and aloe are so striking; I decided to follow the example of the sidewalk cacti of Coyoacán and let them each star in their own gravel-mulched pot.

A grouping of cacti and succulents in terracotta pots on a balcony, including a large prickly pear and then a bright red plant stand holding three smaller pots. — I repotted my prickly pear, agave, and aloe into their own simple terracotta pots and grouped them together where they’ll get plenty of sun. I mulched with free gravel I scored on NextDoor. My prickly pear has never bloomed or put on any new growth since I bought it and I hope it will be happier now.

One quick tip: while most plants like to be watered in as soon as they are planted or re-potted, it’s best to leave cacti and succulents dry for a few days to let their roots callous over before giving them a good drink.

Our week in Mexico City last fall felt like a dream, but one that has stayed with us. We can’t wait to return and explore other cities and regions in Mexico (and meet more cool plants!). Until then, I’ll attend to the modest needs of my balcony’s new cactus corner.

Share this with your gardener friends!

Discover more from Botany on the Balcony

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.