Dory’s secret gardens

On a beautiful, sunny Sunday, Dory Berna-be, vice president of the Cactus and Succulent Society of the Philippines, feasted the society members with a visit to her fabulous gardens in Pansol, Los Baños, Laguna. It was my first time to see her private botanical sanctuaries, and it is an experience I will never forget.

I had heard stories from other members who had been to her gardens in the past, but hearing these stories and actually seeing Dory’s handiwork are two very different things. Her gardens are a true labor of love and deep passion. I’ll tell you right now that one article on Dory and her gardens won’t do justice to the woman and her accomplishments. In fact, you can really write a whole book on Dory and it would be a most worthwhile read for all plant lovers. So this is the first of a two-part article on what I call "Dory’s Secret Gardens."

Madame Dory, as we fondly call her in the society, is one of the true pillars of Philippine horticulture. Her passion extends far beyond cacti and succulents, and encompasses practically all other major fields of botanical interest where she plays key leadership roles as well.

Her son, Vice Consul Reggie Bernabe – himself a plant lover, thanks to his mom, and whose most recent foreign posting was in Prague, Czech Republic after various stints all across Europe – describes her: "Even as a young girl, Dory showed a passion and fondness for plants. Being a very focused person, she then started her penchant for collecting cacti and succulents, and later other plants that caught her fancy. From her beginnings as an avid plant aficionado, she found cacti and succulents particularly appealing because of their intriguing forms, structures, and modes of growth and adaptation. For Dory, cacti and succulents do have a certain air of mystique about them.

"Since then, she expanded her interest to collecting other kinds such as flowering plants, ornamental plants, and fruit trees. Her fondness for collecting, however, has gone beyond plants and turned to other things that give joy and beauty such as ceramics and pottery, porcelain, crystal sculptured pieces, some works of art, as well as nature-provided objects such as stones and shells.

"Toward semi-retirement, she immersed herself deeper in her passion for plants and flowers, and joined various organizations. She is now an officer and board member of the Cacti and Succulent Society of the Philippines, The Philippine Bonsai Society, The Philippine Horticultural Society, The Nature and Fern Lovers Society, Ikebana International-Manila Chapter 108, The Ikebana-Ikenobo Society, and the Natural Stone Society. Dory is not simply a member of these societies, but a true leader and key influence on each society’s membership body. She strives to be involved in matters that shape each society’s character and direction. She is a true asset to Philippine horticulture!

"Her love for plants and nature has led her to travel far and wide in search of plants and stones (suiseki) to collect. She frequently attends plant fairs and shows, and joins bonsai material expeditions and rock hunting trips. Even when she is just visiting friends and family here or abroad, Dory keeps a very keen eye out for particular plants that catch her attention."

Quite frankly, I am truly amazed at Dory. I can hardly keep up with my interests in cacti and succulents. And here she is growing all sorts of other plants and trees, including beautiful bonsai, exotic ferns, and a ton of other things, and doing a great job at it.

During our visit, Dory showed us two of her secret gardens – her garden at her 2,500-plus-sq.m. weekend home in Pansol and her mini botanical garden, called "Colina Adorada" or "Beloved Hill," a two-hectare-plus sanctuary situated a short walk away from her weekend home. For today’s issue, I will focus on her plants at her weekend home. Colina Adorada will be featured in my next column.

As Reggie continues, "Dory’s love for plants and collections is showcased in her weekend home and mini botanical garden in Pansol, Calamba, Laguna. Her weekend home’s lot has been landscaped in a lush and abundant tropical setting where she either sectionalized, or interspersed her plant collections, ranging from fruit-bearing trees, fragrant blossoming trees (ilang-ilang, champaca, Nicaraguan jasmine) to blossoming vines (hoyas, yellow bells, bougainvillea, etc.), common and rare airplants cascading from the trees, collector’s bromeliads, orchids, ferns tucked away in trees and driftwood, flowering and rare decorative anthurium varieties, sweet-scented flowering shrubs (sinamomo, swimae, kamuning, sampaguita, champaca, various water plants, reeds, and lotuses on man-made ponds and fountain areas, cacti and succulents, aglonemas, and diffenbachias). In one section of the house are numerous and prize-winning bonsai trees. In another section behind the house is a portion of her collection of cacti and succulents."

Now, I don’t know much about bonsai, but Dory’s specimens are amazing, age-old beauties! The membership also spent quite some time admiring her potted cacti and succulents, some of them show winners in recent plant competitions. While a few of my fellows were busy scrutinizing some lithops species which Dory has had for a few years now (lithops are those pesky South African mesembryanthemums which, together with their wicked cousins the conophytums, are almost impossible to grow in hot, highly humid climates like Metro Manila, though I suspect they might do better in Baguio and Tagaytay-type climes). I really admired a copiapoa species she obtained from Baguio, well-grown with beautiful spination. Other members were also quite impressed by some of Dory’s variegated succulents, as well as her quite extensive collection of sanseverias, which do very well in our climate and can thrive in the elements.

The members all had a wonderful time that day, and Dory enjoyed entertaining all of us. I must also thank Dory’s proud other half, Armando Bernabe, who was also a wonderful host. In fact, my kids have to thank Mr. B as well. He caught two large garden spiders for them during the early part of the day and took care of them until I was ready to leave in the afternoon. Mr. B, many thanks, indeed.

I also learned quite a bit about Prague and Asian-food shopping in Austria from Vice Consul Reggie Bernabe, and enjoyed listening to his very interesting adventures across Europe. I hope to visit Prague one of these days soon.

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Next issue: Dory’s Beloved Hill, Colina Adorada.

For comments and suggestions, e-mail the author at succulentophile@yahoo.com.