Spathiphyllums in Bloom

The gardens look dazzling now that the spathiphyllums are in full bloom! They are in the pink of health and look like they're bursting with energy.

When I did not have the farm yet, I used to grow these in pots in Manila and were perpetually undernourished, no matter what I did. Now, we hardly mind them and they look like they even prefer it! They're actually low-maintenance plants that would always look good in a garden, what with its shiny, dark green leaves and creamy white spathes.

Makahiya



Photo courtesy of Jay Santos



I guess it's a generational thing, that most of the people my age would always, no fail, point out to themselves or their kids or sometimes, even to me, the curious weed called Makahiyâ (Mimosa pudica). Maybe this was one of just a few prolific and hardy plants that managed to thrive in Manila in the '70s before we were all taken over by concrete?

In reality, the makahiya is an invasive weed that is not native to the Philippines but instead, most likely hitched a ride on the galleons during the Spanish conquest, alongside numerous plant species. It's from tropical America but is now practically naturalized everywhere in the islands.

Americans call this "shy grass" or "touch-me-not," and is preposterously sold online as an easy-to-grow houseplant, from seeds!!! Maybe we should start "harvesting" them hahahaha...

Medinillas

Over time, we have collected quite a substantial variety of medinillas; flowering tropical plants that popularly have pendulous, chandelier-like flowers that weigh down its woody, angular branches. It has rather stiff and leathery leaves, ribbed and pointed, or wavy in some kinds. Some have small (foreground below) or medium-sized leaves (left). The flowers first appear to be pale pink, but later blushes a more intense rose hue or mauvish-blue as it matures.

At first glance, they may look similar to each other but they have distinct differences between each other that merit its own unique taxonomic identity. Their leaves vary, for one, and more importantly, their flowers and its colorations.

One of our recently-flowering varieties is a big-leaf type with a close-up of its bracts that held the flowers (below), which have fallen off by the time this photo was taken.

White Bird of Paradise

Finally, after a looooong wait, one of the centerpieces in the front lawn has finally flowered! It's such a slow grower that I did not notice the plant has even moved at all. It is the White Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), a more exotic version of the more common purple & orange variety. It's only when I compared it to my file photos of the lawn that I realized it was only knee high when we planted it but now, the leaves have gone way higher than the bamboo fence. From what I've researched, it will eventually grow taller and start having suckers until it will be a clump of small trees. Watch out for it around July 2017!

Sansevieras

Hardy plants that are so easy to grow are Sansevieras, a family of succulents that are not only almost fail-proof but will actually even tolerate neglect. Given the right spot in the landscape or potted in a proportionate container, sansevieras are very useful to fit into any garden or interior.

On the right is the Sanseviera trifasciata, nicknamed the Snake plant or sometimes even more sinister, the Mother-in-law's Tongue. Not many people know that with enough space, this will grow waist

high or even a little more, making it a useful border plant.

There is a variegated version, equally if not  even more popular (left). It has yellow borders that define the leaves' shapes, and gives it a flaming look. Recently, we've tried mixing both the plain and the striped into the same pot but it is taking quite some time to make it look natural and casual.

There are also dwarf versions of both, pictured below.

Faux Bonsais

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)

Not everyone has the time nor the space to garden, yet I do not know anyone who does not enjoy, or at least appreciate plants. All the more time-consuming is the horticultural art of growing bonsais. It requires a lot of patience, skill, a good eye, and a LOT of time.


But the next best thing people can have is to have select plants that would look good in bonsai dishes. For some months now, I have been combining unique pots with the right plants and training the branches to create a handsome, sculptural look.

Ficus nana

For a reasonable amount, we are starting to sell off some of these pieces. They would look best on tabletops, by entranceways, on a porch where it will get lots of sun. We can only feature a handful here in the blog, so come and visit to see the others that we have.

Dwarf Pandan

Aralias

Aralias (Polyscias) are foliage plants which beautifully fill in gaps in a landscape or serve as breaks in an otherwise monotony of stellar plants all trying to catch one's attention, putting on a supporting role to complement and complete a grouping of colorful tropical plants. They're generally bushy and each variety grows into a rich tapestry of textures and hues. That said, it's so easy trim them as their free form will always find a way to balance itself. They would also look handsome as potted specimens and will even thrive partially indoors.

Crotons

Any tropical garden could easily achieve color, texture, and a warm, relaxed ambience by adding a variety of Crotons (Codiaeum). Mixed with greens or flowering shrubs, the amazingly-varied patterns lend a dash of visual excitement to an otherwise redundant or predictable scheme.

You'd want to grow colorful Crotons for its glossy, leather-like leaves whose shapes vary from oval to linear, rounded to pointed. Some are ruffled, some are spiral, some are curled, and we even have one with teaspoon-like extensions (above)! Colors are a broad spectrum of warm tropical hues: canary yellow, brick red, chocolate brown, and tangerines.

And then there are the patterns! Some have spots, others have specks and look like they've been dusted with powder. Some leaves have contrasting outlines, some have one singular stripe, while others have smudges smeared on the edges. And a lot of them have different colors and shades simultaneously on the same trunk and change as they age!

Locals collectively call them "San Francisco;" how that came about, I do not know. They're no longer as popular as before but I like them and it looks so good in the gardens. 

Jacobina

From a single cutting from an uncle's garden more than two years ago, we finally have grown into a flowering bush the strikingly-red Jacobinia plant (Justicia carnea).

It has glossy, deep green veined leaves and vivid red inflorescences (may be other colors in other varieties) that grow in its terminal branches, so periodic pruning is necessary not only for the flowers to grow where you want them to but the plant has a tendency to become too leggy in time. We planted it near the Candle Flower plant (background, Pacystachys lutea) to provide contrast. But to break the continuous green hedges, we inserted a deep-colored Croton in between them (not shown in the photo).

Pandan

One of my most favorite landscaping plants is the Screw Pine (Pandanus, Tag. pandán), especially P. sanderi (above) which I first saw on the cover of a local landscaping book maybe twenty or more years ago. The plant (and the book cover) left an imprint in my memory so much so that since then, I always imagined a big Pandan just like in the photo above to lord over the future garden in my mind.

We planted the sucker in December 2008 (right, in the center of the photo); in just a little more than three years, it has grown to be THIS BIG (above). It even already has prop roots holding up this splendidly top-heavy specimen!

Back then when we just acquired the farm and have not even actually begun gardening, I could afford to plant P. sanderi that early, right by the entrance driveway: as you can see we did not even have a fence yet then but I had already blocked one of my favorite plants! The fact is I was running after time already, as it had been waiting in my mind for twentysomething years...

Jade Vine

Nothing is more alluring than the extraordinary Philippine jewel: the Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). Magnificently hanging from its otherwise plain-looking vine are these blue-green and purple flowers that look like chandeliers just like the Lady's Slipper Vine but this rare local plant is far more mesmerizing, if only because of its turquoise hue. In fact,I am now in the midst of designing a new trellis just to showcase its cascading flowers even better.

Chenille Plant

Although I have written at length about Acalyphas just yesterday, I purposely withheld one variety which I feel should be singled out, if only for its sheer outlandishness: it has plain looking leaves unlike its other cousins but makes it up by producing bizarre, tail-like inflorescences (in vivid red, at that) that hang from its branches! Some authoritative references call it the Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida, French for caterpillar, but actually alludes to chenille fabric) though I also have come across the common name Cat's Tail Acalypha. Either way, it cannot be helped that it be noticed in any garden where they produce the red thingy practically all year round.

Acalyphas

Any tropical garden can use some Acalypha plants to create contrast among its otherwise green foliage, what with the striking colors, leaves, and patterns of this unusual family. Some, like the A. wilkesiana cultivar above and below left, have ruffled, serrated leaves with randomly-stripes and peach-colored margins. Another cultivar (below right and further below) has predominantly-red shades with bronze specks but no margins.

A. wilkesiana "Copperleaf" with Golden Miagos (Osmoxylon geelvinkianum)

Another cultivar we have looks just the same as the one above but colored in a complementing palette of green, yellow, and white (below). This cultivar's leaves look like it's not as big as the copper-colored variety and apparently does not grow as tall when trained as an informal hedge. Further below is yet another cultivar with narrower leaves.

The Riverscape

The river below is lined with what looks like untouched tropical jungle filled with wild plants, massive boulders, mosses, and even a sandy bank, yet everything looks in perfect order and symmetry. It is a natural garden that has evolved through time and only the most appropriate plants suited to the climate and conditions have remained.

My trusted aide, May and our German Shepherd, Vitra.

Native fig trees lord it over the riverscape, hosting birds' nests and tropical vines. On the ground are an array of ferns and jurassic-looking alocasias, and of course, the river's cool, clean water (above) help contribute in making this a lush hideaway. And to think it was not until many months after I purchased the farm that I ever hiked down here!


The river meanders through rockscapes that seasonally creates small, clear pools surrounded by wild greenery (left), with occasional neon-colored dragonflies animatedly captivating us. And of course,  the running water dampens the air and creates a humid atmosphere perfect for ferns to flourish (below), including the edible fiddlehead fern that we pick to make pakô salad.


Someday, we will clear a path going down and perhaps make a small hut near the water. in the meantime, we will just go on having our summer picnics on the sandy bank.