AAGC celebrates 11 years

The Narra Park in Ayala Alabang had a super festive air when the Ayala Alabang Garden Club (AAGC) celebrated its 11th year recently. For the occasion, the Club held a garden show which will be hard to beat ever.

Patio was the theme. The park never blossomed the way it did that day. All the entries were beautiful and easy to copy. They were splendiferous and those of us who came to watch could not help but covet them and wish we could take them home to replace what we had in our home.

The different entries had design sensibilities which were uniquely different from each other. "Serene" is the word that best fits the Japanese-inspired, Zen-like entry of the group of Grace Kato, appropriately called Za Zen. Every line and every detail of the arrangement showed balance and order. A moon-shaped backdrop, executed with a natural twig lying horizontally, readily gave the patio a Zen-like feel. More wooden twigs, diligently crafted to become garden benches, further enhanced the Japanese design.

Very epic and oh-so-trendy is how we’d describe the very affluent-looking patio conceived by the group of Peng Quisumbing. A real patina-ed wall panel, flown in from Bali Indonesia, stood guard in one corner of the lush garden the group christened as The Green Patio. The exotic carvings of the Indonesian panels dominated the entire patio so one had to look hard in order to notice the plants in the luxurious porcelain cache-pots, or the vegetables commissioned to become centerpieces, resting on garden stools and other antique ornaments.

Another patio which deserved a second look was the one that sported a purely Filipino design. Charie Mercado and his group used nothing but old pieces taken from history-rich Pinoy houses for the garden. From the calesa to the caned silyon to the vari-height trosos and sugar cane crushers that stood in a corner of the patio. Every single item of furniture or decoration in this entry converged to spell Filipino.

The presence of a settee and an armchair fashioned out of bent unskinned twigs gave this entry a very American country look. More twigs, fat ones this time, went into the trellis. The massiveness of the robust twigs was somehow catalyzed by the swaths of gauzy white cheesecloth that were hung around the branches.

Then there was Corito’s corner. It was with love and respect that this entry was dedicated to a member of the AAGC. When the show was on the drawing board, Corito Araneta Kalaw was still alive. But the Lord summoned Corito to be at His side a week or two prior to the show. In her loving memory, this entry carried Corito’s name. We think that subtlety aptly describes this patio.

Our friend Greg Alvior, whose garden is what one might call the most photographed garden after appearing in numerous publications, masterminded another eye-catching entry, Tea in the Afternoon. Greg, together with the members of his group, cooked up a very cozy and unpretentious patio. Not a drop of paint was used in this lovely setting. Everything was natural and refreshing. Old window panels made of iridescent capiz shells provided a very effective background for this al fresco tea place. Adding a feminine touch to the corner patio were the panels of white gauze delicately entwined with the healthy twigs to form a trellis. Filipino antiques made an arresting presence in this setting.

The members of the AAGC opted for a nationalistic air during the opening, thus members and guests were requested to come dressed in Filipiniana. Thus, the ladies of the village displayed their natural flair and love for wearing the native attire.

We saw one lady wearing a simple yet elegant red ensemble replete with shoes and bag fashioned of the same cloth that made up the tapis of her kimona-patadyong outfit. Another lady wore loose pants topped by a delicately handpainted and embroidered piña kimona. To make a statement, the lady bejeweled herself with an interesting choker using corals echoing the peach flowerettes of her kimona.

Befitting a fiesta affair, a sumptuous buffet was served. Led by guests of honor Mrs. Rafael Biazon and Bess Masangkay, the show’s over-all chairpersons, all the members and guests feasted on a very delicious merienda-cena courtesy of the caterer Zeny who was handpicked by the mother of Muntinlupa Vice Mayor Jojay Alcaraz.

We congratulate the deserving winners in the show. Getting the consolation prize as the third most beautiful patio was the group of Peng Quisumbing. Second honor went to Greg Alvior and his group. And for being the most nationalistic and the most sumptuous patio, the highly coveted first prize fell on the lap of Charie Mercado and his group.