Ayala Greenfield Estates gets the Sanders touch

Landscape artist par excellence, Shirley Sanders, has always been wary about designing for corporate clients. "Most of the time, large companies hire foreign designers while landscape artist are only brought in to execute the design," she says.

Her reservation is understandable since the majority of Sanders’ clientele has always been private garden owners – her client list reads like a who’s who of Philippine society that includes Eduardo and Gretchen Cojuangco, Fidel and Amelita Ramos and the Sultan of Brunei, among others.

Her long years of experience as well as the trust that she inspires among her clientele practically assures her carte blanche on landscape design. On the other hand, corporate clients tend to work within a rigid set of design parameters.

"Most foreign consultants would recommend flora that is not suitable to the tropics and we end up with the problem of maintaining them and getting them to thrive in their new habitat." Needless to say, the outcome of such projects is as disastrous as aphids on a bed of roses.

Yet, she admits that her experience with designing the View Corridor of Ayala Greenfield Estates – a 500-hectare residential mountain enclave – set her on a different perspective. Trusting her expertise and her reputation for turning out excellent landscapes, Ayala Land gave Sanders free rein to implement her horticultural style, which can be described as a mix of Western innovation with the contemplative philosophy of the East and the Filipino’s merry and irrepressible, if somewhat chaotic, style.

A primary consideration for designing the landscape was the high winds that blows through the property. "All the plants were chosen specifically for their ability to thrive in spite of the robust breeze. Hence, you will see a lot of needle-like as well as flowering trees and free-flowing ferns."

Envisioned as a place where Ayala Greenfield residents can commune with nature and appreciate the spectacular view, Sanders designed the View Corridor with the residents’ comfort in mind. "There are seating areas placed strategically along the length of the View Corridor so residents will have a place to rest and appreciate nature." Sanders garlanded these areas with purple, red, blue, yellow and pink flowering shrubs so that the seating areas will not only offer shelter from the sun but also serve as a colorful corridor to other parts of the vast garden.

Unlike other local landscape artists, Sanders has always favored local plants and uses them almost exclusively for all her gardens. She constantly surprises her clients by using seemingly commonplace plants such as varieties of ginger and bougainvillea plants. "Many people fail to appreciate the beauty of our local plants maybe because they seem so ordinary. But oftentimes, it’s just a matter of finding the right combination of plant varieties to bring out the best of even the most common plant."

Her deep love for all things photosynthetic allows her to see aesthetic potential in every plant. In a Sanders garden, everything has its place – even plants that don’t seem to go with the landscape.