I’m not exactly sure how my interest on plants started, perhaps the environment where I grew up played the part. My father is also an agriculture teacher and sometimes we attend to in his classes.
Looking back, it is interesting to note that in my junior year in high school, I did a research paper about “plants and gardening” which included what soil type is suitable for what type of garden. Also, in my English Communication II class in UP Los Banos, I did a research paper on the “economic effects of Philippine endemic plants”. I was taking up BS Agricultural Economics then.
Having spent 5 years of college education in UP Los Banos, where the mythical Mt. Makiling rest, where nature is abounty of its natural assets, I have come to note that there, in the Senior’s Social Garden, garden shows are regularly held. These events are normally held in April in time for the graduation rites and in October for the Loyalty Day.
This year, I got the chance to visit the garden show held from October 9-18 presented by the Los Banos Orchid Society. As the sponsoring group’s name imply, the show exhibited mostly orchid varieties and the staple landscape/booth design contest.
The Orchids
The Landscape/Booth designs
And since it is a garden show, other garden staples are also present like:
Bromeliads: are tropical plants with sturdy and overlapping leaves. The overlapping leaves are able to store water which makes it a low maintenance plant suitable for gardens and the indoors. It could be grown on trees, rocks and pots making it the fastest growing pot plants and is best propagated with seeds.
Mussaendas are ornamental shrubs characterized by its distinct and colorful petaloids. Philippine mussaendas are hybrid of the endemic M. philippica discovered in Mt. Makiling in 1915. Mussaendas are named after the Philippine first ladies collectively termed as “Doñas”. The first hybrid was named Doña Aurora, after the wife of President Manual L. Quezon. Shown in the picture is Mussaenda “Corazon C. Aquino”.
Novelty items decorated with various flora species and even dried flowers framed to serve as decorative ornaments were also on display.
Tissue cultured varieties of orchids were also available. The orchids were grown and cultured by the Department of Horticulture. When the orchids in the bottle sprout to reach out the opening of its containers, it is then transferred and transplanted to grow like a normal plant.
Also on display are various ornamental plants cultured and cultivated mainly for aestetic value like criss-crossed stems and are believed to be signs of prosperity and goodluck
Some, I just took the time to admire the beauty of the varigiated colors...that I didn't even care if I knew what they're called
In the end, its not how cheap the plants are or how many new plants I had acquaintance with...but its about knowing that nature is abounty of treasures. And mostly, its about nature's silent cry for preservation and propagation. But that is secondary for me.
After all, I heed the call, heard the cry, enjoyed its beauty...and I took her picture. And that's one reason why I created this blog. Perhaps, this is my way of reaching out to a garden's silent cry.
