Let a thousand flowers bloom!

It’s the 12th year of our very own Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival and indeed, thousands of flowers have bloomed through the years. Being a Baguio local, I have witnessed the way our festival has also bloomed and, sad to say, also withered away because of politics. But this is not my story.

Panagbenga 2007 promises to flourish and this year’s Market Encounter – Landscaping Competition is a testimony to the artistry of the Filipino.

My father-in-law, Atty. Damaso Bangaoet Jr., a man who loves nature, created a city garden amid the busy street scene. In the heart of Burnham Park is the skating rink converted into a giant green house where you can experience a fresh whiff of air, revel in the beauty of crisp green plants and delightfully-colored flowers.

The market encounter-landscape competitors showcased their skills and talents as they creatively wove together their ideas, resulting in beautifully laid-out landscapes, flowing fountains, quiet ponds, and a wide variety of cactus plants I have never seen – not to mention hundreds of flowers we don’t often appreciate. It is indeed a treat for the senses!

As you walk around and scrutinize each entry, you begin to feel the calm and serenity that nature holds. The passion the plant and flower enthusiasts have for their creations start to become contagious, and you begin to wonder if you just might have that green thumb, maybe a talent waiting to be discovered?

Well, there is no reason not to give it a try. Several stalls stocked with these gorgeous plants, herbs, ferns and cactus are waiting to be brought home. You can take home fresh herbs for your dinner dish, or a dozen or two "orchids" to start your own little back garden. But, if after you’ve realized that your thumb is not the slightest bit green, there’s nothing to worry about – you can also take home colorfully-arranged linen flower arrangements from Philippine Treasures.

As you walk in between the bromeliads and orchids, anthuriums and ferns of all species, you forget that you are in the middle of a bustling city and you end up wishing you didn’t have to go, but like all beautiful flowering plants, their flowers, too, come to an end…but rest assured they will bloom again a thousand times over at the Panagbenga.

The Panagbenga 2007 Market Encounter ‑ Landscaping Competition runs till March 4, 2007 at the Skating Rink, Burnham Park, Baguio City.