Agriculture Business Week

In celebration of the University of the Philippines’ centennial, UPLB’s Institute of Plant Breeding releases a new mussaenda variety, named after the first UP woman president.

Ornamental expert Dr. Monina Siar excitedly leads us to a small garden lot right in the heart of the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) inside the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB) campus. “Come,” she giddily guides us. “We want you to be one of the first to see the latest mussaenda variety. From a long line of red, pink and white ornamental shrubs so named after prominent Filipino First Ladies and women of distinction, a white mussaenda, resembling a bouquet of flowers with bell-upright bearing stands regally. “This is mussaenda Emerlinda R. Roman,” Dr. Siar introduces the plant to us, like she would introduce a friend. It’s very dainty and cute.”

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Posted on August 2nd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Flowers, Ornamental. Comments: None

The secret to healthier ornamentals, as one family attests, is using the right fertilizer.

Finding the right fertilizer has always been a major problem of ornamental plant growers. They always have specific considerations in choosing the right fertilizer that would give them bountiful, healthy and attractive crops.

Dr. Perlito Ibarra, associate professor at the University of the Philippines Los Banos, and his wife Mrs. Angelita Ibarra, proprietors of Gintong Talulot found the perfect solution for the fertilizer needs of their ornamental plants especially orchids. Thanks to one such fertilizer Osmocote Controlled Release Fertilizer (CRF)professional growers like the Ibarras are assured of healthy crops year round.

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Posted on July 28th, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Fertilizer, Flowers, Orchids. Comments: 1

Bring nature inside your homes by creating your own dish garden. It’s a great gift and a great source additional income.

0ne of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors during this rainy season is by bringing nature inside. And the simplest, easiest way to achieve this, even in a small apartment or office is by making your own dish garden.

Dish gardens can also be great living gifts that can truly make a loved one feel special. It can be made in a few easy steps, and both parents and kids will surely enjoy making. It’s an art that can be accomplished in as little as two hours, and can be a perfect relaxing activity for busy people. Since there are so many plants and pots to choose from, selecting what to use for your garden is already in itself fun to do. Just remember to choose plants with shallow roots that can thrive in your chosen dish or pot.

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Posted on July 24th, 2008 under Agri Tips, Ornamental. Tags: Garden, Landscape, Plants. Comments: None

Not many people are familiar with Hoyas and what they actually look like. Some may have seen or chance upon them growing between and among shrubs and trees or along ridge tops or trail gaps, but would be often ignored due to the lack of a better knowledge about this plant. Yes, Hoya is no chocolate (in reference to the famous Goya sweets manufacturer); it is rather a juicy, porcelain-looking flowering plant.

Hoya is colloquially known as wax plant, wax vine, porcelain flower or gap plants and is considered as one of the most horticulturally interesting plants because of its profuse number of species (discovered and undiscovered). Also, due to its unique form, size, texture, and wide variety of its multi-colored blooms.

It belongs to the Apocynaceae family of tropical plants and was discovered by the Scotland-born botanist, Robert Brown (widely known for his Brown Movement). He named the plant after his friend, Thomas Hoy, an English botanist who worked as head gardener for the Duke of Northumberland in England. The word Hoya is the Latinization of Mr. Hoy’s surname.

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Posted on July 23rd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Hoyas, Ornamental. Comments: None

The Philippines is proud to have notable ladies who have considerably contributed to the task of nation building.  Among them are President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former President Corazon C. Aquino, First Ladies Amelita Ramos and Imelda R. Marcos.  Today, such names are not only synonymous with political prestige but are now Hybrid names for indigenous species, Mussaenda.

Collectively known as the Doñas, Philippine Mussaendas were named after the First Ladies of the Philippines.  This is considered as the country’s most important contribution to the ornamental industry.  They are likewise regarded as the “centennial” breakthrough in Philippine Horticulture.  In fact, they have became popular not only in the Philippines but are also now gaining recognition abroad.

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Posted on July 23rd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Flowers, Ornamental. Comments: None

It was another ordinary day for Ms. Rebecca Bartolome of Pucay Village, Marcos Highway, Baguio City, when I visited her to write an article about her success story on anthurium production.  She was doing some chores and attending to her grandchildren.  On the lookout of their five lovely grandchildren — one girl and four boys — was Dada Doming who just arrived checking his roosters and chickens.  As I approached her, she welcomed me with a warm smile and a fully-gripped handshake.  As usual, she was happy to see me and showed interest in what we were about to do.

Nana Rebecca started growing anthuriums out of interest and love of flowers until it became a hobby which expanded to another family’s source of livelihood.  She first had a hand on the plant when her son-in-law from La Trinidad, Benguet, gave her daughter planting materials of three anthurium varieties (Nita, Hawaiian Red, and Kansaku).  Of course, the gift turned to be a manifestation of commitment and loyalty until it became part of a family story.  Her daughter, Lanie, became the wife of Bon, they are blessed with a bubbly son named Kiko.  The anthurium plants are equivalents of their life stories describing a very strong family relationship.  The production is now on its eight year and still gaining momentum because of a cultivated passion and dedication.  These made her continue to work and enjoy this simple hobby complete with stories and memories, including the fruits of gratifying labor.

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Posted on July 23rd, 2008 under Entrepreneurs, Ornamental. Tags: Anthuriums, Flowers, Ornamental. Comments: None

Have you ever wondered how flowers are arranged together to form a symmetric layers of full colors and variety?  Or are preserved to look fresh and look real for a period of time in a vase?  Well, this kind of activity is based on the skill, artistry, and creativity of the flower arranger and sculptor to show his or her aesthetic creations and well-coordinated hand maneuvering.  The flowers are picked, arranged, and organized to show the colors or the blending of leaves, petals, other products, vases or even the containers used to illustrate life.  To do this, flowers are orderly packed, stocked, and tied in neatly arranged manner exuding their beauty.  As soon as these are organized and blended, the flowers express a feeling of warmth and harmony that magnify the inner soul of the individual making the arrangement or sculpture.  In the end, it is the person receiving that manifest gratitude and appreciation, be it as a symbol of love, peace, harmony, or simply care.  Most often, it is the interpretation of the person preparing and combining the flowers or plants that makes the difference with the right combination and selection of colors, flowers, leaves, and accents.

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Posted on July 23rd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Bonsai, Flowers, Ornamental. Comments: None

Euphorbia! Euphorbia! Not only is this simple house plant becoming a household name but collecting them has also turned into a frenzied mania among plant enthusiasts and hobbyists.

A garden is never complete without it. Even housewives are starting to collect every color that they can get their hands on. And since they are easy to propagate and to manage, growing this plant is becoming more of a pleasant activity among any other tedious and routinary gardening activity.

“It is the actual collecting of all the colors and seeing them beautifully aligned and displayed in one place that makes this activity an addicting pleasure,” quipped Lilia Ramos, an avid Euphorbia aficionado. Another collector, Anita dela Cruz, revealed that her enthusiasm started when a friend gave her this plant as a gift. Eventually, curiosity rose and since then, he did not stop collecting.

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Posted on July 22nd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Euphorbia, Flowers. Comments: None

The Philippine ornamental industry continues to gain popularity and recognition in the country and more so abroad.  The increasing demand for ornamentals has been one of the pressing issues faced by the ornamental sector today, making it self-sufficient, sustainable and diversified.

Encouragingly, there are private sectors, entrepreneurs, government institutions, and state colleges and universities that have the same goal to bring about a sustainable development in agriculture for the country.

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Posted on July 22nd, 2008 under Ornamental. Tags: Ornamental. Comments: None