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| Red Beauty, Red Pin Cushion Protea |
Apart from being a certified dog magnet, I've always had a green thumb even though I'm admittedly a lapsed gardener. But as my horticulturist friend, Nids, says, "once a gardener, always a gardener." Even though I live in a high-rise for the past decade, I've slowly been going back to having potted friends around -- often procured from the garden shops tucked in Cartimar in Pasay. I do miss having a real garden but until I win the lotto and buy my own farm (a lofty yet down-to-earth dream), this will do.
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| Pretty in pink, Tillandsia stricta bloom |
As a gardener, I'm not much into flowers as they can be more difficult to maintain compared to the leafy ornamentals which are, by careful choosing, more hardy and can withstand my absence during trips and assignments. But inspite of my occasional bouts of allergic rhinitis, I love looking at flowers -- they are, to me, an affirmation of God's creative Hand and it's rare to meet someone who hates them. So when we heard of the latest show of the Philippine Orchid Society, we dropped by the Quezon Memorial Circle for an afternoon of literally stopping to smell (and ogle) the flowers.
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| Beauty, magnified - Coelogyne bufordiense |
We came on a hot Saturday afternoon and weren't disappointed. Nevermind the intermittent breeze passing through the trees and sweeping through the displays that made shooting tricky, it was fascinating to shoot the orchids close up. I was particularly enamored by some strange-but-beautiful flowers such as the Red Pin Cushion Protea, the small yet eyecatching blooms of Tillandsia stricta, the seductiveness of the Coelogyne bufordiense, the sensuousness of the Waling-Waling and the graceful lines of the fascinating local Pitcher Plant. It was a gratifying experience seeing patterns that evoke poetry, lines and colors that magnify and glorify the magnificence of our Creator. Passing through the East Avenue gate, I knew I wasn't safe from the lure of the commercial garden shops. I happily went home with several small pots of Sansiveria and a Tillandsia for hanging.
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| Indigenous Pitcher plant |
In any case, do feel free to drop by the Quezon Memorial Circle from August 31 to September 10 and catch this year's edition of Philippine Orchid Society's "Orchid Show". Gate is open from 10am - 7pm. Entrance fee: P30 for adults, P20 for children and senior citizens (please bring your ID). For more info, call/text 0917.848-5468, visit www.philippineorchidsociety.com, or email philippineorchidsociety@yahoo.com. There are also free daily lectures held every 3pm:
• Aug. 31/Fri - Growing Vandaceous and Phalaenopsis Orchids
• Sept. 1/Sat - Money Making Opportunities in Fruit Trees
• Sept. 2/Sun - Penjing, The Art of Chinese Bonsai and Potted Landscape
• Sept. 3/Mon - Growing Pitcher Plants
• Sept. 4/Tue - Guidelines in Landscaping Your Home and Garden
• Sept. 5/Wed - Preventing and Controlling Pests and Diseases
• Sept. 6/Thu - Plant Nutrition and Urban Gardening
• Sept. 7/Fri - New Trends in Flower Arranging
• Sept. 8/Sat - Growing Cattleya
• Sept. 9/Sun - Making Dish or Bottle Gardens
• Sept. 10/Mon - Growing TillandsiasAll images taken with a Nikkor 60mm macro lens
