Tuesday, October 02, 2007 A garden recollection By Id Acaylar
SINCE 1995, the Floriculture Exhibit has been a permanent attraction of the Kadayawan Agro Trade Fair. This year it has become a horticulture show with the inclusion of a herbal plant exhibit which wanting in aesthetics did not have a chance of winning in the competition.
There were 10 garden showcases in competition aside from those of Minfed, OSD and Fidi which were non-competing.
I was awestricken by the exhibit of the Martinez sisters, Dr. Linda and Engr. Mildred, which I surmised took more time and effort to prepare.
It displayed blooming variegated bougainvilleas of Bangkok variety grafted on big old bougainvillea trunks. It was my first time to see such a creation. But unfortunately it did not win any prize. Perhaps the judges found it artistically deficient. To which I agree.
For one, there apparently was conflict in design. I was a bit confused of its style. Was it formal or non-formal? It's underwater or sea concept and the selection of plants did not fit well together. And I sensed some void in the exhibit's spaces. Sayang!
The judges, three of them, knew better. Mang Zac Sarian is the editor of Manila Bulletin's Home and Garden whose articles I seldom miss.
Fred Salud is a professional landscape artist and a consistent winner in garden shows. The third judge, Patrick Gozon is an architect with a masteral degree in landscaping.
These knowledgeable judges were looking for a natural design, quality and variety of plants and visual impact during the day and at night.
For this reason the good lighting fixtures of Ching Chua's exhibit clinched for him the third prize. Then the judges also had in mind that since it is a floriculture exhibit, the focal point must be a plant and not furniture.
This perhaps dimmed the winning hope of Jojo Albances who used a swing as centerpiece in his beautiful exhibit filled with varied verdant ferns.
Grand prize winner was the entry of Puentespina Orchid and Tropical Plants whose selection of plants were mostly indigenous. Its focal point beside a waterfall was a Boston-like fern Nephrolepis that is endemic to Mindanao.
The plants fit well to the exhibit's rainforest concept. From Jing Puentespina I learned that it was truly the handiwork of her mother-in-law, the Grand Dame of Floriculture in Davao, Charita Puentespina.
Another grand dame in the floriculture industry, Fanny Yuhico, coveted the second prize with her very neatly executed exhibit of foliage plants that included philodendrons and leafy anthuriums.
For centerpiece she chose a yellow variegated variety of alocacia juxtaposed with two big earthen jars.
Special award was given to Sul Orchids for its very colorful exhibit walled with a variety of blooming orchids. The owner, Sally Luenberger used cherubic figurines as accents for her garden showcase.
Indeed, the once a year exhibit was a sight to behold that still attests to the old Davao slogan, City in Bloom. And it was the good work of Rose Tamparong, Vicky Jimenez and Ven Gallego. Congratulations!
