Another Year (2012)

My blog turns 2 years old today!

What to do to celebrate?  Last year I held three raffle contests.  The first raffle was for my blogging friends.  The second raffle was for the people who "liked" my Facebook page.  The third raffle was for my Twitter followers.

This year, I thought a sort of recap would be appropriate.  You are too many to mention individually but I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you plant and garden bloggers who make my green blogosphere and feedburner so much more interesting.  Special thanks go out to:

Image from Donna's Buffalo Garden Walks. Used with permission.The wonderful, wonderful Donna of Garden Walk, Garden Talk and the Green Apples Garden blogs who has been with me almost since the beginning of my blogging.  When I first visited her blog, her posts were mostly about the Garden Walks that she was involved in.  So it is most appropriate, I think, that her latest post is once again about open gardens.  Why don't you join her on a tour of some of the best gardens in the Buffalo, New York area by clicking here?

Andrea's shot of coconut trees dominating the Philippine skyline. Used with permission.

Filipino bloggers such as:

1. Andrea, one of the few bloggers I have met in person.  She never ceases to share her knowledge of native plants and her fascination for all things nature-related.  In her latest post, she shares with us non-oxygen producers from her farm in Southern Luzon.  Thank you for the Cycad that you generously shared with me.
2. Okay, Alternative Eden is technically a half-Filipino blog but I check on it with bated breath, waiting to see what is happening to this twosome's pond.  Mark and Gaz have this ongoing Koi Pond Project and as luck would have it they have a new update just posted.  You can see the amazing work they have done by clicking here then click around some more to read about their visits to UK flower shows.
3. Gardener and nurse rolled into one.  That's the blogger of Simple Garden Thoughts.  Her latest post, Compensatory Mechanism, sounds medical and sort of is but she relates it wonderfully to her Asplenium.
4. Generous and gracious Lily, the Suburban Gardener who never tires of sharing her seeds with me so that I can experiment growing temperate plants in a tropical country.  
5. Perla who is still rocking her garden at the young age of 70.  Pink popcorn, anyone?
6. Last but not least, is Patrick.  He shares interesting facts about our native flora.  How about a cut flower Hoya for you?

A view of Loree's Danger Garden. Used with permission.

The internet makes the world seem like a smaller place and I am pleased to have met so many like-minded bloggers from other countries.  Why don't you hop, skip and jump around the globe by visiting their blogs and reading their latest posts?  Loree,  Steph,  David,  Deb,  Patty,  Catmint,  Frances,  Diana,  Esther,  Karin,  Alex,  Autumn Belle,  Noel,  Catharine,  Helen,  Holleygardens,  Alice,  b-a-g,  Denise,  Hortlog,  Lotusleaf,  Terra Farmer and Stiletto.  

Some of Diana's recent harvest. Used with permission

For vegetable gardens, I head over to:

1. Diana's Kebun Malay Kadazan Girls.  She is based in Australia and her mid-Winter harvest is amazing.  I can't believe she is expecting an even bigger harvest in the future.
2. Lrong Lim's Potager Y @ Japan.  A former pilot who now lectures and gardens in Japan.  Check out his latest harvest.

Cat's Light Through Parsley. Used with permission.

For beautiful plant photography:

1. Donna from GWGT (see above)
2. Cat, the Whimsical Gardener who creates wonderful imagery with the blooms and foliage of her garden
3. Rosie of Leaves and Bloom.  She just started her series on Google+ and photography so if you're interested in joining her, you can start with the first of the series by clicking here.

My favorite view of Alistair's back garden. Used with permission.

Unfortunately, some of my favorite bloggers have decided to limit the frequency of their posts.  I completely understand how time-consuming it can be to prepare posts on a regular basis.  Still, I am happy that they continue to post and open their gardens to us.  

1. Alistair and his gardens in Aberdeen.  I fantasize about having something like his back garden.  So lush and colorful.  Haha!  I bet you never thought you'd hear me say I like color.
2. The blogger of Grace in Full Measure who I am almost certain is swamped by her work or by training for marathons.  Quite possibly both.
3. Mr. Sujunctive is on hiatus but his Plants Are The Strangest People still has auto posts of orchids.
4. Fer, is posting again albeit not yet regularly about his little garden in Japan.  He is probably busy with his studies.

My Tillandsia capitata 'Marron'

I am more saddened by the fact that some of the bloggers have not been posting for some time.  I hope they are just taking a break and I eagerly await their return.  Solitude Rising, A Matter of How You See It, Onenezz, Somersault Clouds, Rosey Pollen, Angel turned Blogger.  

Unfortunately,  Paul, with his sense of humor, passed away last January and he will be missed.

My favorite Tillandsia ionantha clump.

Ending on a happier note.  A blogger previously lost has again been found.  Lui has a new blog.

Thank you again to everyone who has commented on this blog and who fill my free time with lots of interesting gardening reading.  Here's to another blogging year.  Cheers!

Comments

[Mark and Gaz]

Happy 2nd Birthday to your fab blog which I also eagerly read whenever I get the chance and you have a new post. Love seeing your photos which also makes me reminisce of all the wonderful plants you can grow there. Hopefully we can meet soon, will let you know next time I'm back in the Philippines. Keep up the good work :))

[Cat]

Bom, happy anniversary to you and your wonderful blog! You've been an inspiration from the beginning and it's hard to believe it has been two years already. Thank you for all the lovely posts you've taken the time to create. I love traveling the world with you and am always amazed at the life experiences you share.

Thank you deeply for all your encouragement and kind comments. You are a ray of sunshine in the gardening blogosphere and I'm so happy to have met you. The recognition you've given me is humbling. You've included me in such good company and I'm honored.

I'm looking forward to many more years of great reading! ♥

[Denise]

Congratulations on your second blog anniversary. What an interesting post. I followed all the links and found so many wonderful blogs I didn’t know yet (and my own, thank you). So I will revisit this post and make notes when I have time. Like you I feel sad when bloggers stop posting. I hope you will keep up the good work :)

[hardinars]

Wow, thank you so much, Bom! What a surprise and an honor to see my name in a post of my favorite versatile blogger. Ever since I started blogging, I always look forward to your blog which has the 3 I's: inspiring, interesting and informative. Such an enjoyable read that sometimes I have to read it twice to absorb all the things that you write about plants. :-)

[Patty]

Congratulations are certainly required Bom! For the past two years I have had the pleasure of visiting your blog for wonderful posts on plants I have never before seen. Those tillandsias are spectacular, almost alien in a way. I can't get over the colour, wow. Anyways here's to the next two years!

[Janet Genido]

Hi there! That was a great recap and I enjoyed reading it. I especially loved looking at the pictures of the plants and the gardens! I guess once a plant lover, always a plant lover:-)
I still get excited looking at a blooming rose, a sprouting pup from a succulent, a flowering fruit tree, the signs of spring, the changing color of leaves, reading your blog:-)......and much. much more. I'm just a simple housewife who derives so much pleasure and relaxation from gardening and being able to see God's little miracles through these wonderful plants!
More power to you, Bom and to your website. We love you! (And I'm not only saying that because you're family:-)

[Andrea]

That is a lovely way to appreciate your followers. So it is only your 2nd year! I've been blogging way ahead of you, maybe that's the reason i sometimes feel a little blog-burn-out :-). Thanks for appreciating my being always here, and for appreciating that foto which is really very descriptive of our countryside. I will always remember you for the Tillandsia, for the recipient of my cycas, and being the one who alerted me with my stolen photos, yet still keeps company of a few of them who have questionable ethics. The company you keep somehow gave me some second thoughts.

On the other hand, I would like also to take this opportunity to tell you i appreciate your writing skills, i wish i can do the same! But lawyers maybe really write better than PhDs, haha! My Atty-buddy also writes very well, photographs well, sings well and more, besides being also a Medical Dr and a birder! May you have more posts to come!

[The Plant Chaser]

@ Mark and Gaz : Definitely looking forward to meeting both of you when you come for a visit.

@ Cat : Thank you. I still don't use textures well (not good at all, to be more precise) but thanks to you it is something new that I have learned. Your blog continues to inspire me to try and be more creative when taking pictures of my babies.

@ Denise : I'm sure there are many more wonderful blogs out there. The list I posted barely covers it but I've tried to include everyone that ever made their presence felt on my blog.

@ Hardinars : Thank you for reading my blog. I'm glad you enjoy my posts. Of course you are included. Your blog makes for a good read as well.

[Donna]

Two years and counting for many more... I have so much enjoyed your travels and exotic plants. You post on plants that are so unique and visually interesting, ones that do not grow here unless in controlled conditions. Your favorite Tillandsia is an example, a plant that looks like a party favor. I appreciate all the kind words you said about GWGT and GA, and feel very humbled by your compliments. Thank you for mentioning my blogs and visiting these past two years. I have been visiting you for two years as well. We started about the same time, GWGT, about a month earlier. Much luck blogging on. We appreciate you too!

[The Plant Chaser]

@ Patty : It works both ways. You too have flowers I've seen only in pictures, if at all. The web has really helped make the world a smaller place and I appreciate you're sharing Canadian flora with me.

@ Janet : Thank you. You comment means much especially because you are family. Do you know you are the first relative to ever comment on my website? In-law pa at that. We share so many passions: plants, gardening, cooking and of course, eating. Looking forward to your visit. Garden tour and home-cooked food. Just request your cook. Ri does the international food and my specialty is Pinoy.

@ Andrea : It's my second year plant blogging but I did blog before. It really can be difficult sometimes so I understand your burn-out. I thought your photo would be a good intro image to Filipino blogs, after all the coconut tree is quintessentially Pinoy. As for the PEX people, I've met some of them personally and I don't think it would be fair to the nice ones to generalize and lump them with the bad. Hahaha! I don't think that's entirely true. I know some lawyers who write really bad.

@ Donna : Exotic to you and common to me? Like I told Patty in an earlier comment, it does work both ways. I've shown you some of Asia and you've shown me some of the East Coast, especially your beautiful falls which I hope to be able to visit and blog about some day. Thanks again for everything.

[Loree/danger garden]

Happy 2nd anniversary! (I really thought you'd been at it a lot longer)...I love the format you chose for this post and feel honored to be included, now I'm off to go check out some of those other blogs that I've not visited before!

[Alistair]

Bom, a very special thank you for showing a picture of my garden and linking to my site.

[Esther Montgomery]

Judging by the speed in which time has passed since your first anniversary (at which point your blog was already so well polished and established it was hard to believe it was only one year old) I must have turned a hundred-and-fifty without noticing. Congratulations and best wished for many more years of interesting, informative and inspiring blogging!

[1784]

Happy Birthday to your blog! Yours remains one of the few I've ever bookmarked, always well-written and beautifully photographed. Keep up the good work!

[The Plant Chaser]

@ Loree : Thank you for both greeting and compliment. I hope you enjoy the other blogs, too.

@ Alistair : Your garden is something to be shared and we are all lucky and glad that you do so.

@ Esther : LOL! I have no idea why you could even think your musings boring. One of your blogs should be renamed. :-)

@ 1784 : I am humbled. Thank you for appreciating my efforts.

[Jing Aiug]

Bom, congratulations on your 2nd blog anniversary!!! more power!

[Lrong]

Good morning from Japan, Bom... heartiest congrats for your second anniversary... keep up the excellent work... and many thanks for putting in such fine company...

[David]

Congratulations on 2 wonderful years, Bom.
You have such a popular blog it is like the center of a wheel with spokes radiating out in all directions.
I like the way you wrote this post. I too miss some of those bloggers that drop out. And Paul in Alabama! Oh my! I had visited his blog about a year ago and read about one of his plants. I did know he passed away. So sad.
But yes, it is good to end a lost and found blogger.
I know of one other blogger who also is in that category and I'm so glad she is back (Peace in the Valley in Florida).
You are nice to keep up with all of us so carefully!
****
Here's to many more wonderful posts in the years to come and to your always interesting and fun posts here at Plant Chaser.
Hope you catch most of the plants you are chasing! :0)
David

[Kanak]

Hello Bom, sorry I'm a little late in wishing you a very Happy Blog Birthday!! i stopped by to tell you about a video of an Assamese rock song where my son plays the drums. Do stop by and check it out.:) It's on my Blogger blog...http://goodmotherearth.blogspot.com

[Diana of Elephant's Eye]

Congratulations on your second blogaversary! Still hope to see 'my host' on Google Plus one day ... Thanks for finding Fer again for me, that's where I'm off to now.