All about style and cacti

At the ongoing Flora Filipina Expo in Intramuros, it’s all about style in the different regions of the Philippines, where cacti and succulents fit the mood to a T.

Cacti and succulents are but a tiny part of the whole concept, for which 50 participants brought the rarest, best orchids, ornamentals, ferns, and just about any indigenous tropical plant you can think of.

Occupying a 32-sq.m. space in the ruins of an old church, the Cactus Society, led by board member Architect Bimbo Vergara, conceptualized a landscaped Philippine setting for our rare specimens. They erected bamboo towers in thabo blue – colored blue, green, and white on top to represent the Moorish style in Mindanao.

To highlight old houses in the Visayan region were lattice boards with walls in terra-cotta, like those during the Spanish era in the Philippines.

A narra woodcarving bears a distinct Mexican influence – something we also adopted from Spain. Heavy carved canopy beds from Bulacan, like the papag in the garden, also have an unmistakable Mexican influence.

The bangko, small hallway tables, and loveseat chairs – all in Balinese style – are actually different pieces of old furniture created by Vergara, who also did the carpentry.

The abel cloth came from Santiago, Ilocos Sur, while the brass lanterns came from Zamboanga. Old baskets were sourced from the mountains of Benguet. All in all, it’s an homage to the colorful diversity of Philippine artisanship and culture.

Vergara has been collecting cacti since 1974, even though he’s only been on the Cactus Society board for four years. As an architect, he finds their forms have "real architectural character." At his home, in fact, he has a "sky garden" – a Mexican-style structure built above the ground that holds cacti on different levels.

At the Flora Filipina Expo opening last Thursday, Vice President Noli de Castro was on hand to cut the ribbon, together with Ming Ramos, Hernando Perez, Gretchen Cojuangco, and Don Bagatsing.

Both local and foreign horticultural experts converged at the Expo to judge which plants and exhibits were the best. In the Cacti category, the first-place blue-ribbon winner was an Astrophytum mutant owned by Dory Bernabe, who dominated all three top spots. She also took the second-place red ribbon with her Astrophytum myriostigma "Hanakako," while her Copiapoa took third place. A pink Merit award went to Jeffrey Pattig’s Cephalocereus senilis variegated.

For succulents, first place went to a Beaucarnia recurvata "Yellow" raised by PJ Nepomuceno; second place to Vangie Go’s Sanseveria x USDA hybrid variegated; third to a Euphorbia x "Siam Ruby" from Vic Chin; while the merit award went to Dory Bernabe for her Agave Americana "Mediopicta alba."

Plant lovers everywhere should come to the Expo. Admission is nominal – P50 for adults and P30 for seniors and kids. For those interested in the show lectures to be held at the San Ignacio Plaza in Intramuros, Manila, here is the full schedule:

Tomorrow, Feb. 26, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., a Basics of Bonsai lecture/demo by Modesto Manglicmot; 2 to 4 p.m., Orchids for Beginners Part I lecture/demo on Dendrobium and Cattleya by Vicente Chin Jr.

On Feb. 27, 2 to 4 p.m., Orchids for Beginners Part II: Vanda and Phalaenopsis by Andres Golamco Jr.

On Feb. 28, 2 to 4 p.m., Tray Landscaping cum Waterfall Zen Garden and Terrarium-making by Serapion Metilla.

On Mar. 1, 2 to 4 p.m., Cultural Requirements for Ferns by Anthony Arbias.

On Mar. 2, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ohara Ikebana Flower Arrangement by Joyce Kato; 2 to 4 p.m., Orchid Flower Arrangement by Glenn Remorca.

On Mar. 3, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Basics for Landscaping Pocket Gardens by Rosario "Reeya" Luna; 2 to 4 p.m., Popular Potted Flowering Plants (Annuals) by Rolita Spowart.

On Mar. 4, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Euphorbias by Godofredo Salud; 2 to 4 p.m., Philippine Orchid Species by Kelvin Neil Manubay.

On Mar. 5, 2 to 4 p.m., Breeding of Anthuriums and Aglaonema by Fernando Aurigue.

Finally, on Mar. 6, 2 to 4 p.m., Bromeliads by Peter Joseph Nepomuceno.

The Flora Filipina Expo is ongoing until Mar. 6 at Wow Philippines! in Intramuros, Manila.