Flower power from Puerto Rico.

• Author: Murphy-Larronde, Suzanne
• Position: !Ojo!

EVERY YEAR in late June, the town of Aibonito, high in the Cordillera Central of Puerto Rico, throws itself a spectacular party to celebrate this Caribbean island's spectacular horticultural bounties. On exhibit are everything from leafy-green ornamental plants to lush orchids, bromeliads, bougainvillaea, and anthuriums. Varieties of geraniums, cacti, medicinal plants, and culinary herbs are also on colorful display during this ten-day event.

Set in a narrow valley about twenty-four hundred feet above sea level, Aibonito (population twenty-six thousand) is the highest and coolest of all Puerto Rico's towns. Average daytime temperatures hover comfortably in the seventies (Fahrenheit), but at night, they can drop by as much as twenty degrees. (In 1911 the region's thermometers plummeted to forty, setting an island record that has yet to be broken.) Combine these dramatic climate changes with high humidity levels and you have nothing less than perfect growing conditions, notes Jose Esteras, longtime grower and restaurateur.

Nurserymen discovered Aibonito's ideal climate more than four decades ago and today the "city of flowers," as it is known, is home to some sixty plant wholesalers. As in years past, the upcoming Flower Festival will unite these locals with other growers from areas such as San Juan, Dorado, and Patillas to celebrate the island's largest plant party. Together the competitors will vie for prizes in categories that include landscape design, floral arrangements, and best of show.

In addition to viewing the fifty or more exhibits scattered across the sprawling festival property, visitors can enjoy musical entertainment and sample typical criollo food such as tostones, pinchos, and bacalaitos. And for plant collectors this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on garden variety and hard-to-come-by exotics, all for sale at reasonable prices. This year's limited-edition festival poster will also be available along with island-made arts and crafts.

For nearly two centuries, Aibonito's rarefied climate has played a vital role in shaping the region's development. In the 1800s, Spanish forces used the cool mountain retreat to adapt their soldiers to the rigors of tropical heat, and years later North American forces followed suit. By the early 1900s, wealthy merchants and sugar barons were also seeking refuge from steamy...