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.