More Orchid Landscapes and Tillandsia Princess

I will be continuing my posts on the Orchid Show, since I would like to share with you a lot of the photos. Here is the first part of the landscape designs in case you did not see it yet.

This is one of the landscape designs with mostly orchids displayed. It is not so obvious at a distance but the blue orchids on top is exemplified by the close-up below.

Don't you think this blue orchid is really enticing and special?

Now here above, it might not be as striking at that distance. Can you see what is very special here? But if you will see below, you might re-think again!

The lady above, i suppose tends her garden very well. I request your gaze to her dress. The design of her dress is the formal design of the traditional Philippine gown, with the butterfly fan sleeves.

At a nearer focus, her face is really beautiful, I am sure most of you will agree! Can you imagine the owner of the garden being so enamored enough of her plants to have made them into her dress, and ...her head dress even made of the plants she strongly care for. It might be itchy though, but love conquers all. Don't you believe so? Medusa might not even dare stare on her eyes, he might be smitten and himself turn into stone!

...and this is the expanse of her garden, populated profusely with her favorite plants, she being the Tillandsia Princess.

I bet if we will visit her house, we will see the above bouquets hanging on her walls. Or maybe she also uses this as a corsage for her dress when she goes to attend parties in the forest! 

Would you like to be a Tillandsia Princess!?  

   

Philippine Orchid Show 2012

The Orchid Show in February, Flora Filipina 2012, is the 1st of the bi-annual events conducted by the Philippine Orchid Society. This first one is held with a 2-day conference of the advances in orchid growing with local and international speakers. I am very excited this time, as my friend from Hawaii who is a dendrobium and anthurium breeder is a speaker. After her talk, I left for the landscape exhibit. 


The weather was so hot and humid, except for a few minutes of overcast skies. Fortunately, it is just the 2nd day and not so many people are in the exhibit areas. I saw many enthusiasts with big DSLRs who came alone trying to get good shots despite the very bright sun. It is good for them it is not very crowded, most people are in the commercial booths to buy some plants. 


The exhibit area is placed inside the Quezon Memorial Circle gardens, also planted with many interesting plants. I actually shot some plants from these areas. I was in the show for practically the whole day, until my feet retired on me. I will show here some of the landscape designs. 

The theme posted at the gate of the exhibit area is patterned after the Tourism's slogan:

 "there's more fun in the Philippines". The vertical structure is planted with different types of 
ferns and bromeliads.

 Phalaenopsis are the focal plants here, joined by other smaller orchids.  The buildings are permanent ground structures which provided the background.

Tne hanging violet dendrobium is our native D. anosmum locally called 'sanggumay', with very sweet fragrance.  It makes the area around this design sweetly scented.

This arch symbolizes the Philippine fiesta, where archs are usual structures in approaching a place, a church, a special gathering area, most especially during the traditional 'Santacrusan or Flores de Mayo', where beautiful ladies in formal gowns join a procession of flowers to honor the Saint or the Virgin Mary.

not only orchids are displayed, as this is a bonsai garden

while this is a desert garden

and another cactus garden collection. Naturally planted plants at the site provided background.

There are still other landscape designs, but I was not able to get nice shots of them, so i might not give justice if i post them.

Orchid Show - Post No. 2

My fellow bloggers, I am sure you also experience the intention to put a lot of photos in one post so as to convey more information at once. Maybe that is bloggermania, and i am becoming a bloggermaniaholic or bloggermaniac or bloggerholic. OMG, that is a long term and difficult to spell. Not contented yet with the plurality of photos in a mosaic, I uploaded a lot of mosaics in this post in finality. However, it is so heavy so discarded some of them.

This is the 2nd post of the last Orchid Show I visited, and requires another Post No. 3.



Clockwise L-R: Roof archs with oncidium blooms and catleya blooms on the floor; different fern species in another corner; Vanda species decorating native makeshift huts; Phalaenopsis exhibit below with Vanda above; rock garden

 with water feature.

Big metal (L) and cement (R) containers for Epidendrum and yellow Phalaenopsis

A beautiful water feature employing some Tillandsia species for their flowering accents



 Dendrobium flowers supported by  Asplenium nidus ferns and some palms. Those green mounds in front are ferns too. Bamboo poles of different lengths accented this design.

The brightly colored flowers are Ixora species, with Dendrobium orchid flowers

A full photo of the water feature already shown above. Bonsai, tillandsia and ferns are planted.

Most of you will agree that this is a nice important feature in that area. The structure is a big covered pot, which is a bit hidden behind some trees but still very conspicuous due to its shape and color. I conclude that this is a very visitor friendly structure. ...and you know what I mean! For the ladies out there, very friendly indeed!

Green scapes and foliage

These are parts of the landscaped areas of the Rafael Farm in Leyte, Philippines, which i have already posted a few months ago HERE. But i found some more lively areas from my files with vibrant green colors. I am sure these will at least visually sooth the feelings of our friends still in the midst of winter. Sometimes instead of posting the snow scenes, they post photos compiled from the other seasons. With these green grounds and foliage i hope your monotones will at least have intermissions of lively vibrations. Those from the US, Canada and UK, i hope you will enjoy these. This is my way of gratitude for your snowscapes, which i enjoy because we do not have that in this perennially green patch of earth we happen to be in.

Clockwise from top left: Different kinds of palms line the walkway to the resort; a cozy hut in a wide green area is very inviting; an Arch is climbed by Thunbergia vines; a bromeliad garden nook; a bench under canopies of trees also lovely for just sitting and reading a book.


some collection of Ti plants with vibrant colors and outlines on their leaf edges


I am sure you know what these plants are, but i emphasized at the center an unusually variegated plant i found very beautiful, a variegated cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Linked to Roses and Stuff, thanks Katarina for allowing this even if a bit late already.

A Garden Resort

A garden resort (Rafael's Farm) we found in Leyte, Philippines is a good venue for meetings and receptions. It is a rolling plane formerly planted to coconuts. Today, it is an idyllic place enticing you to convert your piece of land  to have the same developments. I even have our landscape very well designed already, in my mind. There is already a butterfly garden in one area, a stable for mini horses in one area, a short zipline to join 2 ridges together, and even a canopywalk to complete the thrill of young people. And i have been contemplating of a development like this in our property in the province, only one thing is lacking...FUNDS! In fact i envy a friend, Solitude Rising, whom i've just met here in blogspot, whose dream of having a landscaped farm is already being fulfilled. He is doing it on remote control, but he is succeeding.

This old wok with flowers greets the visitors in the lounging area. The white flowers are Thunbergia grandiflora while the yellows are probably Allamanda cathartica or yellow bells.

 I am very much fascinated by this roof shed. The nipa leaves were covered with net and the roof maintained good moisture at the edges providing a nice condition for these ferns to grow luxuriantly. How enticing it is to be under it, relax, read a book, or just sit and watch the beautiful surroundings.

This seat provides a good resting area either singly or in pair. It is positioned in a moderately shaded area of different kinds of palms for comfortable sitting.

 This is a small sitting area, where one can order drinks. It also contains some antiques collected by the owner through the years. At the front left corner is a pond of ornamental fishes like koi and at the side are tilapia which can be caught by hook and line for fun. You can catch and cook them for lunch in a nearby grill. You will just pay for the weight of the fish you caught.

During our visit we saw pairs of ducks swimming in the above pond, they look so beautiful gliding through the placid waters. 

Other areas of the property are planted with ornamental plant groupings according to their requirements, e.g. succulent garden, rainforest garden, orchid garden, foliage garden and flower garden.



The circuitous foot walks are molded concrete with various leaf designs. Topiaries of different foliage colors provided very nice accents. Those chairs can be very inviting in the mornings and afternoons when the sun is not yet too high.

At the other end of the property is a tall hut built on a tree, "a tree house", which can accomodate a small group for some rounds of drinks, or a singing session. Unfortunately, i was not able to take a photo.

other nook features in this garden

The washrooms