XEROPHYTIC MASTERPIECE OF THE PHILIPPINES
Whoa!!! The Philippines’ very own
cactus and succulent garden at last! This is a unique surprise as there are no
known succulent garden that ever existed on this scale before in our country.
This is a masterpiece and the fruit of the concerted efforts of Quezon City
Mayor Herbert M. Bautista (himself a confessed plant lover and one of the
judges to the Cactus & Succulent Society of the Philippines, Inc. (CSSP)
Garden Show & Exhibit last November 2006); Vice Mayor Joy G. Belmonte
(sister of CSSP Chairman Kevin G. Belmonte), Tita Dorie (Adoracion) S. Bernabe,
CSSP President, Mr. Serapion “Mang Met” Metilla, founder & adviser of CSSP,
Dr. Romeo Gutierrez, Philippine Horticultural Society, Inc. (PHS) Preident,
members of CSSP and the people of the Republic of the Philippines.
Except for the xerophytic
landscaping in Thailand, and some other smaller ones in Malaysia, the
xerophytic garden of the Philippines perhaps could be considered the largest
xerophytic botanic garden in all Southeast Asia. The area is around 250 to more
than 350 sq.m. and the Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak (HMB) garden complex that
houses the xerophytic garden might even be a thousand sq.m. big!
The HMB was opened last Aug. 25,
2011 to the general public. It is noteworthy that the place is tightly kept
safe by the security guard/s and kept clean by the maintenance workers of the
Q.C. hall. The members of the CSSP contributed so much plants from their own
collection to be perpetually displayed in the xerophytic garden. As I have
witnessed these were some of their most beautifully raised plants. Succulents
are notorious slow growers given their evolution and the areas where they grow.
The barren lands, the searing heat of the sun, the chronic supply of water
primarily through rainfall and the sudden chill in the evening all contribute
to these plants’ slothful growth. But in the Philippines-all these problems
addressed- seem to bewilder the plants that some grow faster than in their
native homes while others shun the high humidity, high rainfall, and some shady
growth areas where members like me have tried raising them in.
Yet, as I have witnessed in the
HMB’s xerophytic botanical garden, called World of Succulents too, many species
grow under the mercy of our more often drenched and hot weather conditions.
Several Opuntias, Euphorbias, Hylocereus, Jatrophas, Agaves, Sansevierias,
Cycads, and Pereskia (ancestor of all cacti) are planted along the meandering
pathway centering on the gazebo in the open air. I’ve also noticed Haworthias
planted in the open air! I won’t do that with my Haworthias here at home lest
they melt when rain waters stand in their pots yet the xerophytic botanical
garden has a secret-I’ll tell that later…
The more delicate and smaller succulents
are housed inside the gazebo (entrance only by permission!). Here inside you’ll
find the endangered species Echinocactus grusonii or barrel cactus,
Gymnocalyciums which grow very well in Manila provided they’ll not be
waterlogged, bonsai Dorstenias (cousin to the genus Ficus (fig) and Artocarpus
(to which jackfruit, breadfruit, antipolo (an endemic fruit), and marang are
some of the known members) genera) with their bizarre flower receptacles,
Coryphanta that resembles Gymnocalycium, Mammillaria that forms the largest
cacti genus, Stapeliads with their splendid but foetid flowers (hope you catch
them flowering!), variegated Opuntias, prostrate growing Opuntias, Tillandsias,
the even more delicate grafted cacti (get the chance to see how cacti are grafted
to other cacti at the xerophytic botanical garden!) and much, much more!!!
CSSP’s founder and adviser was the
man at the helm for the realization of this project. Here’s a little story:
Then Mayor Herbert Bautista thought of setting aside an area within the Quezon
Memorial Circle (QMC) where the various plant organizations could exhibit
unilaterally their treasured plants as part of the QC government’s campaign to
preserve and conserve “green areas” of the city. Originally the said area was
offered wholly to CSSP only but Tita Dorie found the place so vast that it
would contain all the members’ prized plant possessions (that will be a
nightmare to any member to part with their plants!). So the “iron lady” of the
CSSP asked for help from the other plant organizations to which only the
Horticultural Society of the Philippines, Inc. responded.
Thus, the HSP occupied and
cultivated the left side area of the gazebo-it’s a natural and conducive place
to grow giant ferns of the genus Platycerium and other shade loving plants.
They even made a mini lagoon surrounded by Bromeliads of the genera Neoregelia,
Vriesea, Guzmania, etc. and Medinillas which there are over 80 species in the
Philippines including the majestic Medinilla magnifica or “kappa de leon” to our
old folks. The lagoon itself has lotus and papyrus plants among others and
swordtail fishes happily “flying” in the waters.
From what I can see the HSP tried to
group their plants either according to family or size or other categories.
There was the group of ginger-related plants including the Heliconias or false
birds of paradise and Maranthas-the prayer plants. Then an area planted to
various native tree ferns (Cyathea, Dicksonia, etc.), and a nice arched trellis
where former HSP President Wendy Regalado (an architect by profession) is
training the Hoyas that she donated (Hoya incassata, H. pubicalyx, and H.
carnosa among others). Then the end corner farther left is where ornamental
bananas, Mussaenda hybrids and even a purple fruited lily were planted together
with kamuning (Murraya paniculata) and Indonesian gardenia (Gardenia
carenata).
The larger portion of the HMB were
converted into artistically made concrete plant boxes where flowering plants
like small Zingiberaceae species, Medinilla species, Roses, Camia (Hedychium
coronarium), Mayana (Coletus), and Ground Orchids (Spathoglottis plicata) were
planted.
It is also heartening to know that the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) participated and made contributions to the HMB Mr. Fernando “Nanding” Aurigue, head of the Mutation Plant Breeding division of the PNRI. They draped a large Zamanea saman tree (or was it a Narra [Pterocarpus indicus]?) with their gamma irradiated Hoya plants: Hoya siarae, Hoya obscura, Hoya incrassata, Hoya densifolia, et al. Irradiated plants in a public place that’s something unique. I hope they will prosper well there.
If only the other plant societies or
organizations participated in, they would have made a more vivid showcase of
the Philippine planting prowess. Some orchids, bonsais, and other native plants
will add grandeur and educate more the Filipino populace how rich our natural
wonders are and how gifted our own native plant cultivators are in raising
various plants both native and foreign.
Now, back to Mang Met. Ate Aireen
Bernal and I thought that this was a lifetime dream of this humble but
well-renowned man since. We postulate that he has already thought of how the
xerophytic botanical garden (XBG) would look like even before and now the
entire nation attests to this brainchild of his. Remember I said I’ll tell the
secret of XBG? It is the medium that Mang Met painstakingly stratified so that
the succulents won’t become waterlogged and melt even under heavy rains. The
second secret is the ventilation concept of the gazebo (I won’t elaborate on
that here. Better learn it yourself by going to the XBG yourself!).
Entrance is absolutely free but pets
are discouraged inside the HMB as most of the plants are fragile. Also, the
gazebo can’t hold a lot of people inside better visit in small groups so that
you’ll properly be toured by the people maintaining the HMB. Luckier still if a
member of the CSSP would tour you as you’ll learn so much from them.
I and my
aunts spent the Christmas Day of 2011 at the Quezon
City Memorial Circle. We arrived 10 a.m. and we headed directly to the
Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak that houses Southeast Asia’s first officially
designated and the Philippines’ largest Cacti & Succulent Botanical Garden.
It is a good thing that my aunts appreciated this concerted effort of the
Cactus & Succulent Society of the Philippines, Inc.
From 1:30
p.m. until almost 5:00 p.m. I assisted visitors to the Halamanan ng Mga
Bulaklak who wanted to see the succulent collection inside the gazebo. They came
from various walks of life and from different generations.
There were
families, all girl-friends, all boy-friends, intermediate grown-ups, couples
both young and old, provincial folks, keen and interested souls, a tandem of
family plant lovers, a mother and son plant-lovers and an old couple who deeply
love plants that have often times visited succulents in their native habitats
in California, USA and have succulents growing in Germany too.
I said they
could ask me whatever they wanted to know about succulent growing and thank God
I was able to answer all their queries. Their questions were varied: When was
the Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden constructed and opened? How could
cactus and succulent grow in the Philippines?
How must one take good care of cactus and succulent? Do they really need a hot
environment? Why are there electric fans installed inside the gazebo? What
purpose does the stainless cylinder in the centre of the gazebo serve for? How
much water do they need? Are there poisonous cacti and succulents? And ranges
to the more whimsical: Did the Quezon
City mayor funded the HMB? Won’t
you also turn succulent if you would live in an environment similar to cacti
and succulents?
But there was a couple who stood out among the other visitors because they were
so inclined to learn so much and was savouring every succulent information I
was feeding them. They are Mr. and Mrs. Noni Tavera with whom I spent hours
talking about the wonders of the succulent world. They said that they saw a
real succulent biome in California and informed me that it’s quite hot in that
state however the cool air was so much colder than Baguio’s and the ordinary
plants of the Philippines were highly valuable ornamentals in that place. The
wife of Mang Nonie even told me that some of their Filipino friends brought
Makahiya (Mimosa pudica) seeds and successfully grew them there in California and the Californians found it amazing
when the leaves close swiftly upon touching it! Yet the irony is that Mimosa
pudica is a native of tropical America!
Mr. Nonie, on the other hand, saw thousands of Sansevierias being grown in Germany and the Germans told him that those
will be their future source of biofuel. He also told me that Koreans are
crazy about Sansevierias as it Korea’s
leading ornamental plant and they just love to have other Philippine plants as
well!
Most visitors to the Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden unanimously said that the Monadenium
planted at the corner of the gazebo’s central plant box was the best and the
most beautiful plant inside the gazebo. I never expected that high appreciation
for a Monadenium! The second best for them was Echinocactus grusonii or the
barrel cactus for obvious reasons: it’s big, its thorns were frighteningly and
deadly sharp, and it’s got a natural charm as a big orb that takes one’s
attention right away. Their third best is the Echeverria or rose cactus. This
is another surprise for a seasoned plant lover and “self-trained
horto-botanist” like me. The common people said that they have, in one way or
another, have also tried cultivating the rose cactus but they all died. So I
told them that it really won’t do in humid Manila.
Recently, I was able to get a first-hand “behind the scenes” information that
Mommy Linda Kithri, a board member of the CSSP, even went to Baguio City,
Tarlac City, and also searched the Manila Seedlings Bank just to get the
freshest and prettiest flowering cacti and succulents but alas there were but a
few! Summer is the major flowering season of cacti and succulents when other
plants are busy with their vegetative growth or are having a little rest from
their blooming periods. Mommy Linda gave all her flowering cacti and succulents
to the HMB to add more colour, delight, and show the general public that these
plants do really flower at all. Yet the determination and driving force was
there to collect the best and finest specimens to house them altogether in the
Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden at the HMB! God bless the souls who
invested that much time, effort, and love just to educate the people how
wonderful these group of plants are. Architect Jesus ‘Bimbo’ Vergara on the
other hand, donated his agaves and aloes which are abloom at the HMB this
Christmas time.
Last 28 December, 2011, three members of the board of directors: Mommy Linda
Kithri-the flower lover, Kuya Bimbo Vergara-the aloe, agave, and tillandsia
sage, and Tita Sally O’bien-the sansevieria and tillandsia aficionado together
with the blogger Rajah Rahakut-the pan-sylvan prism lover all went to visit,
observe, and take into consideration the progress of the succulent plants at
the botanical garden. Mommy Linda initiated the effort of adding colour to the
plants inside the Gazebo by donating new varieties of the so-called Christmas
cactus in the Philippines-Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. The new varieties come with
flowers in orange, pink, yellow, white, and in between these colour ranges.
They are also smaller than the natural plants that makes them ideal for small
spaces even inside offices or classrooms. Kalanchoes are some of the very few
succulents that will flower around Christmas time in the Philippines thus the given common name. The board
of directors were so happy to note that most of the cacti and succulents were
making progressive growth growing in the open air and inside the Gazebo. Kuya
Bimbo and I planted the Kalanchoes placing them in strategic places where their
beauty will shine the brightest.
The Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak, albeit a public place, has a specified opening
and closing time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays thru Sundays. This is to regulate
the people, to give the plants a breathing space and to preserve the beauty and
cleanliness of the place to serve as a model example of how the balance of
nature works. Picnics and foods are prohibited and discouraged respectively as
these will make the area filthy and unpleasant. Also, avoid stepping on the
plants or destroying them by any means so that they will continually give us
the mental, physical, and spiritual boost as well as abundant supply of oxygen
most importantly!! The Gazebo can only be accessed by permission and proper
guidance by the designated security guard/s or members of the CSSP, the latter
is better as they could give an on-the-spot lecture and sharing of how they
cultivate their own cacti and succulents. Entrance to the HMB and the Gazebo
within are all absolutely free!
It is really quite heartening to know that there are now more and more
Filipinos who are appreciating the beauty and essence of nature and the
Halamanan ng mga Bulaklak is helping to boost their desire to become plant
lovers as well. Through this way, “Green Philippines” will surely become a reality.
Thus we who belong to plant clubs, societies, and organisations must exert more
and more effort to guide and inform the “madlang” people in their planting
endeavours. This is our commitment to Mother Nature!
I visited again the
Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak that has hosted for the second time in just a span of
two months, a garden show. There has been a huge change ever since
February of 2012 set in.
During Flora Filipina III, the Xerophytic Botanic Garden still doesn’t have any
locks and ever since August of 2011 when I first went there I have been
admonishing the maintenance crew and designated security guard not to let any
visitor go unescorted by them inside the gazebo. The plants inside this
structure are the more delicate and somewhat more expensive ones so they really
need more protection but my admonishments went unheeded.
Thus, when I visited again last May 2012 during the Philippine Alliance of
Bonsai and Suiseki Garden Show, they made some abrupt actions due to untoward
incidents.
Whenever I went to the Xerophytic Botanic Garden, I always ask permission from
the designated security guard and maintenance crew to enter the gazebo out of
courtesy and respect although I could go inside directly since there were no
locks.
I want to see how the plants were doing and get some pictures so that I can
progressively develop this blog and bring to everyone’s attention the state and
condition of Southeast Asia’s first proclaimed cacti and succulent
garden. People must be involved in the maintenance of this unique place
since this is a showcase of how plants naturally would be found growing in a
desert albeit what we have here is a simulation of the real thing.
I asked from Ceejay, one of the maintenance crew, who was in charge of keeping
the keys of the gazebo’s lock and the person who was conversing with him named
Jojo angrily asked me why do I want to enter? Would I be cleaning the gazebo?
So I told him I am a member of the CSSP and told him my name. He asked if
the CSSP members know me and I said of course! Good thing Mr. Serapion
Metilla, founder of the Cacti & Succulent Society of the Philippines, Inc.
was there since he was the lecturer for that day. He vouched for my
person and I told him how Jojo, who happened to be the supervisor of the HMB,
interrogated me impolitely. He even said that the greenhouse-like
structure where the delicate succulents were housed is inappropriately called
"gazebo" and commented that it was so because CSSP members weren’t
graduates of any agriculture course. He was really rude and unbecoming of
a government employee. His character was like that, Ceejay told me,
because as in-charge the blame of ruined and missing plants inside the gazebo
was upon Jojo but he was very discourteous. He won’t even let a CSSP
member inside the gazebo when all the members have contributed their precious
plants to create that botanic garden.
When he finally consented me to enter, I politely asked Ceejay to constantly
watch me as per Jojo’s instruction lest I ferret away any succulent
inside. The maintenance crew only laughed. He knows I am not one of
evil reputation.
I was totally appalled and disgusted by what I saw inside. There were a
lot of wilted plants and several were just holding to their dear lives for any
moment they can also give up as the gazebo was so humid. The electric
fans weren’t used and Ceejay told me that it was the instruction of Jojo not to
open the electric fans for some unknown reason to us. In the desert, the
sun is scorching hot and bright but it was not humid as the ventilation is
dynamic. During night time, the temperature drops to almost 50% of the
day time temperature thus bitingly cold. With the difference of day and
night time temperatures in Manila not going more than 10°C, it will be very
unfavourable to the plants and now the effects are showing up.
There were also chairs inside the gazebo and clothes that were signs that the
place is used as a resting place or a drying place for clothes by some uncouth
people who have access to the gazebo.
I
visited the Cacti & Succulent Botanic Garden again this last week of July
2012 in despite of the inclement weather to see for myself how the xerophytic
plants were doing under the mercy of the harshest period of the Philippine
rainy season between July and August.
The
plants variedly responded to the weather. Cereus hildemannianus was full of
flower buds but the stems were slowly melting, rotting, or corking. The Agaves, Sansevierias,
Pachypodiums, and Tillandsias were doing great. The Stapelia grandiflora was also full
of flowerbuds and seems to enjoy the heavy rains.
Around
two to three Dyckia clumps were planted at the right side near the front
entrance of the Cacti & Succulent Botanic Garden that are amazing with
their fruit spikes and some seeds already germinated while still clinging in
their half open fruits! I just love the rich dark brown colouration of the fruits! The seedlings were perhaps no more
than a centimeter when I saw them.
Inside
the Gazebo (I thank Kuya Vic, a long-time member of the maintenance group, who
graciously and patiently escorted me inside and around) the plants were all
fine except for a variegated Opuntia that was already infested with
scales. Some cacti even
managed to bear flowers even during the middle of the harsh rains! The Gazebo did really well in
protecting the more delicate and rot-prone xerophytic species. Even the harshest of rains wasn’t able
to permeate inside and wreak havoc to the living jewels.
Kuya
Vic and the other maintenance staff told me that they water the plants inside
the Gazebo once a month. They readily remove any wilted or dried or decaying
plants and plant parts to avoid any spread of diseases. Tita Dorie Bernabe, our dynamic
President, is to be given the credits for teaching these maintenance staff with
how to effectively take care of Southeast Asia’s first declared Cacti &
Succulent Botanic Garden.
But
what I really wanted to commend them for is their awareness when someone wanted
to go inside the Gazebo: they escort the visitors throughout, ask their names,
and I even suggested that they log the names of those people wanting to visit
the plants inside and ask for identification cards as added security measures.
One should not fret that there are
plants that die now and then in the Botanic Garden. Any botanic gardens the world over do
have their fair share of plants that die even with the best of care humans
could give. There is the
truth that plants choose whether they will grow or die if subjected in a
certain condition. This is
the basis of the selection and survival of the fittest species whether plants,
animals, or even human beings. There
is also a saying that goes, “People do not choose the plants they want to grow,
it is the plants that choose the people with whom they want to grow.” This I
firmly believe.
I
was also surprised that during my most recent visit, there were African violets
planted inside the Gazebo together with the xerophytic plants! Those plants are in no way considered
succulents so it is a delightful paradox to see those Kenyan-Tanzanian high
vertical mountain endemics co-existing with succulents.
My
concern now is focused on an open entry way that was made near the way to the
comfort rooms. There was no
gate and it seems to be intended to let the general public in and out of the
Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak (HMB) complex at whatever time, uncontrolled! When I asked Kuya Vic about this
matter, he said that was what the city engineer decided after receiving
complaints from some people that the HMB is a public place so it must be
accessed by the public any time they want unhindered!
If
I am to examine this, there are several reasons why the general public is being
controlled in entering the HMB albeit it is a public place. First, the HMB was
originally conceived and constructed to be an exhibit area of cacti and
succulents but since the place is some hectares big, the CSSP asked the
assistance of the other plant societies to also contribute exhibit
specimens. Only the
Horticultural Society of the Philippines heeded this call.
If
the general public is given free access anytime they want, there could be the rampant
destruction of plants and this could go unnoticed since there is only one
security guard during the day and during the night. The maintenance staff couldn’t also
handle such matters since they do not have much background in the importance of
each individual plant that was planted there. They treat all plant specimens equal
when the vulnerable, threatened, and endangered plants should be given priority
and utmost attention.
Second,
botanic gardens the world over are really public places but public access is
limited and controlled because the very definition of a “botanic garden” states
that “…it is a well-tended area, in principle its role is to maintain
documented collections of living plants for the purpose of scientific research,
conservation, display and education.”
A
well-tended area that allows the public anytime would often “bow” to the mercy
of anyone who tramples on it and trampling is one of the commonest problems any
planted spot in the Philippines do suffer. And the plants in the HMB being
endemic, indigenous and fragile like the xerophytes will really receive a hard
blow from trampling whether intended or not if public access is granted ad
infinitum!
In
my simple way, this blog is a rough documentation of the development of the
plants in the HMB not only of the Cacti & Succulent Botanic Garden. From those that I have written here
one can have an idea or trigger his or her thought to also do their part in the
documentation of the specimens in the said complex.
Conservation,
display, and education could all be learnt by having the plant specimens left
intact, growing robustly, reaching their full potential, flowering, fruiting,
perpetuating its own kind the way Mother Nature intended them to. There could be no better teacher or
adept individual to elaborate the complexities of the private life of plants
than the plants themselves. If
the general public is given free access without proper guidance and staff to
inculcate to them the importance of the garden complex, no sooner will we see
rampant destruction of plants, garbage and other wastes just thrown here and
there. There must be
discipline observed within the HMB premises!
Third,
albeit the HMB is a public place, it is a very special area within the Quezon
Memorial Circle because it is a haven where endemic, indigenous, and exotic
plants can thrive without the natural threats they have faced in their areas of
origin. Here the Cactus and
Succulent Society of the Philippines and the Horticultural Society of the
Philippines hand in hand took upon their shoulders the burden of ensuring that
the plants planted here will be free from most harm endangering them.
Some
cacti and succulent plants that are included in the CITES (Convention on the
International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna) list of
endangered plants that are found in the Cacti & Succulent Botanic Garden
are: Ariocarpus species, Turbinicarpus species, Euphorbia capsaintmariensis,
Euphorbia cylindrifolia, Euphorbia decaryi (including all varieties) all these
are listed in Appendix I which means no trade or collection could be done except
if nursery grown and collected for scientific purposes with legal permission
only.
Agave
victoria-reginae, Pachypodium species, Tillandsia xerographica, ALL CACTACEAE
(except those in Appendix I, Pereskia, Pereskiopsis, and Quiabentia species),
Cycadaceae species, Euphorbia species, and Aloe species are all included in
Appendix II meaning their trade and collection must be strictly monitored,
supervised, and regulated.
Among
the Philippine endemic plants that may have been planted but I have not took
particular notice in the Horticultural Society’s botanic garden are the
critically endangered Alocasia atropurpurea, Alocasia sanderiana, and Alocasia
sinuata. Areca ipot is a vulnerable endemic species but I have not confirmed
yet its existence in the HMB. There
are other plants whose existence is imperiled like the Medinillas, some Hoyas,
native Begonias and tree ferns that have found shelter in the HMB’s
Horticultural Society’s botanic garden.
The
last time I visited, the Horti’s area was full of plant growth to the rim that
they really needed some trimmings lest it becomes a man-made “jungle-cum-rain
forest”!
Fourth,
the area must be preserved so that it might be presented and eventually
admitted to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) to which the
most prestigious international botanic gardens like Hortus Botanicus Leiden of
the Netherlands, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (United Kingdom), Center for Plant
Conservation-Bogor Botanic Gardens (Indonesia), and Kirstenbosch National Botanic
Gardens (South Africa) are members. In
the Philippines, only four botanic gardens are members to this prestigious
group: the Siit Arboretum Botanical Garden, La Union Botanical Garden,
Northwestern University Ecotourism Park and Botanic Gardens, and the University
of Santo Tomas Botanical Garden.
My
raison d'être for having the HMB included in the BGCI is that albeit it is not
a large area, it hosts plants that are endemic and indigenous to the
Philippines with several critically endangered, endangered, threatened,
near-threatened, and vulnerable species as well as Southeast Asia’s first
declared Cacti & Succulent Botanic Garden that showcases xerophytic species
in the manner how they actually grow in their natural habitats.
Being
a member of the BGCI, the HMB could access other member botanic gardens,
exchange essential information, aid in expertise, and maybe even financial aid
to further improve the botanical gardens complex that is the HMB.
And
preservation-cum-conservation could only be achieved if the plants are left
alone without extra and unwanted interference thus the need to regulate and
control the general public visiting the Halamanan ng Mga Bulaklak that hosts
the Cacti & Succulent and the Horticultural Society Botanic Gardens.