How does my garden grow?

We have beautiful patios in our flat. One in particular is my favorite with a view of Banana Island and Lagos Lagoon. I decided this week that it was high time that I made better use of the concrete planters than letting the weeds grow wild. So Tuesday, Ade brought Victor, me, the three kids, and our neighbors to a local nursery. Wedged into a triangle of land between the Ahmadu Bello Bridge and Ring Road on Ikoyi, the nursery looks like an abandoned lot, except it is filled with plants growing in plastic bags amid the weeds, broken bricks and other refuse. A water pump pumps water from who-knows-where into a yellow garden hose where a young boy waters the rows of plants.

A nursery worker greeted us and gave us a tour of the nursery. You would be amazed how many Texas natives were among his inventory, and while the pronunciations sound different through the filter of British English mixed with the African dialect, the plant names are all the same: lantana, Mexican heather, plumbago, bougainvillea, oleander, hibiscus, etc. I was too busy to take any pictures, so Elizabeth gets the photo credits for these:

Ade with the boys.

Dane and Victor.

Dane was "too tired to walk" so we took turns carrying him, the bum!

In the end, Victor and I chose bougainvillea, gardenias, and a curry plant (as in the spice ... it smells amazing), along with a heart-leafed philodendron as a houseplant. Plus a bag of manure. I negotiated the price for the bougainvillea (got him down from 2,000 Naira to 1,300 per plant ... don't laugh, but I was proud of myself). Victor negotiated the rest. I just stood back and watched the exchange, which went something like this:

Nursery guy: "I want you as a customer. You tell me what you want to pay."

Victor: "You tell us what is fair. I don't want to cheat you (gesturing to nursery guy's chest). And we don't want to be cheated (gesturing to his chest). What is fair?"

Nursery guy: "She has the money. (looking at me) Tell me how much money you want to pay."

Me: "Victor speaks for me. Talk to Victor."

Nursery guy: "You can take it! Just give me a little something so I can drink a beer later."

Me: "I'm not going to take it. I will pay you what's fair." (FYI, I am using a little artistic license here to make me sound much more competent than I really am.)

Finally, nursery guy names his price, Victor counters, and after a bit more back and forth, we arrive at a fair price and load up the SUV.

Negotiations complete, I ask the nursery guy to pose for a picture with me and Victor. On the way out, I dashed (tipped) him 500 Naira. In return, he shook my hand and called me a beautiful woman. That's worth 500N, right? 

On the way home, we make one more stop in search of a clay pot for the house plant. The pots here are beautiful ... and affordable! At home, a nice ceramic pot can put you back anywhere between $40 to $140 (I saw one at Home Depot once for over $900! Of course, it was as tall as me, but still!). I bought a nice-sized container and stand (made out of rebar) for 3,300 Naira, or about $21.

My new house plant. I threatened the children with certain death if they break it.
Not that it will do any good. 

Gorgeous ceramic pot.

I would like to say that I then spent the rest of the afternoon elbow-deep in manure and soil, planting my new garden. But I didn't ... Victor did! God love him.

The fruits of Victor's labors.

This morning, I went out again to supplement our little garden, and came home with coleus and ... I can't remember the other names right now (my brain is turning to mush). I promise that this time, I actually will do the planting (now that Victor has done all the hard work of amending the soil and planting the prickly bougainvillea). And as soon as I'm done, I'll post the "after" photos. In the meantime, here is the work in progress. (Feel free to leave a comment to help with the names of my plant purchases!)

I would especially love to know what this little guy will grow in to. I am hoping he will stay low like a ground cover, but before I plant him, it would be nice to know for sure. Come on, you master gardeners out there, any ideas?