Agriculture Business Week

The orchidarium in Baguio is the place to go if you want to see temperate plants at their glory. Although one knows that certain temperate plants we fancy will have difficulty, thriving in the warm lowland, we still cannot resist buying them, hoping they will survive.

How many plants have you bought in Baguio – Gloxinia, Everlasting plant, which did not survive or had stunted growth? Many temperate plants will remain stunted when grown in the lowlands. A simple experiment is to plant a pea seed. It will germinate and produce a few leaves and then eventually die. An apple seed will react similarly.

However, there are many plants you can buy at the Orchidarium that will survive in the lowlands like the Anthurium, Salvia, certain bamboos, kalanchoes, and mums. The large-flowered Cymbidiums will neither do well nor the black bamboo become black in the lowlands.

No Euphorbias were for sale at the Orchidarium. Perhaps the plant does not do well in Baguio where it is always drizzling. A variegated Bella Dona, a large flowered bamboo orchid, a variegated Stephanotis and a purple Potato vine were the outstanding finds.

The above plants will probably grow faster in the lowlands. Some interesting plants at the Orchidarium that would do well in the lowlands are the attractive peppers and the variegated Ficus grown in small pots. The Thunbergia mysorensis vine introduced to the Philippines by Dr. Bing Pages is doing well in Baguio but hardly seen in the local market in Metro Manila. It is a beautiful vine with a long flowering period.

Seen for the first time is an interesting, delicate-looking orchid with large solitary flower. It is the Sobralia macrantha from South America.

THE GARDEN OF THE DAVIDS.

But the more interesting visit in terms of ornamental plants was the house and garden of Drs. Isidro and Tina David in Baguio. Different vines are growing around the house, on the trellised garage and the long perimeter fence. Three Thunbergia species – white, purple and yellow-orange are in bloom and so is the Dama de Noche and two relatively new varieties – purple Potato vine and variegated Stephanotis, not common in the lowlands.

Opening the door to their beautiful house, one is greeted by an arrangement of live plants, the most striking being the violet Primrose. Dr. David was giving me a Primrose to take to the lowlands but I was not sure if it will do well under the warm climate of Los Banos.

The collection of bromeliads and small conifer trees are growing at their optimum in the front garden.

The anthuriums in the garden are especially attractive with their intense color and waxy texture, flowers that only low temperature conditions can easily produce. The large-flowered Sobralia macrantha is also an eye-catcher. The flower looks like the standard Bamboo orchid but much bigger. The stems are thinner and the leaves are longer.

With a beautiful house and a large collection of flowering plants, no wonder the Davids like to stay in Baguio.