Setting space aside for growing plants was no problem and so the nursery was laid out in a space south of our existing buildings near where visitors step off the main pier.
The immediate challenge was to locate and establish 'mother' plants, the either highly or moderately salt tolerant plants from which we could propagate plants for use at False Bluff or for sale. Locating such plant stock continues to be a problem although our inventory is growing. Even in the United States very few nurseries specialize in salt tolerant plants. In Nicaragua, so far we're it; and we're not up and running yet.
Even in the nursery oriented town of Catarina in Nicaragua's west side I couldn't find any salt tolerant plants...hibiscus colored like I've only seen in catalogues - yes; roses - yes, although not rugosa which is sometimes called the beach rose. I couldn't even find oleander, a very salt tolerant and a very showy shrub. Most people who shop in Catarina don't need - probably haven't even thought about - salt tolerant plants, so it make sense the people there don't waste their time and money growing things people aren't going to buy.
But over time we have gathered some highly and some moderately salt tolerant landscape plants. Not all of the plants we've added have showy blooms - some of them have showy foliage instead. And a few of our plants were added simply because of their root systems, things like like sea oats and vetiver.
And, of course, as the inventory of plants has increased, the size of nursery has increased.
Our mother plants are thriving and growing in our coastal environment; and some of them are even supplying us with cuttings to root; and the sea grape seedlings (that came from seeds harvested from plants at False Bluff) are more than ready to plant or sell.
