A Preview to Horti Asia 2012

Last February, I was invited to the Philippine press conference for Horti Asia 2012, held at the Sulu Riviera Hotel in Quezon City.  It wasn't the usual press conference, at least, it was different from those I've attended in my professional capacity.  

This is actually my first time to cover a press conference instead of just attending it.  I never realized how difficult it is to take flattering photographs of people who are lecturing.  To the people featured below, my sincere apologies.  I know now why I am a lawyer and not a photojournalist. 

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Glossy

Updated on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 11:58AM by The Plant Chaser

Once upon a time when digital cameras were not yet invented there was a thing called film. After clicking the shutter button to take pictures, you bring the film to a photo shop to have it developed. You will be asked to choose the type of paper for your photos and usually you will be given two options matte or glossy. Things were more complicated in the past.

Last time I heard, film was already included in Appendix III of CITES (Read: threatened with extinction).

T. vernicosa outside our dining room window.

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The Man Behind the Plant

There is a saying, "Behind every great man is a woman".  

Well, behind every plant is the man or woman who discovered it or after whom it was named, sometimes both.

At the recently concluded Flora Filipina 2012, I had the privilege and honor of meeting the man behind the Vietnamese species Cycas lindstromii.  No other than Swedish cycad expert Anders Linsdtrom himself.

Anders Lindstrom accepting a Plaque of Appreciation from Evangeline Go, Chairperson of the Flora Filipina 2012 Expo and Fernando Aurigue, Chairperson of the Flora Filipina Conference.

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The Amazing Chase

I had been planning for some time to go get myself some new plants.  Then cousins flew in from the USA and I offered to host a dinner for them that same evening I was going plant buying.  Yes, plants and cousins all in one day.  My main goal being to buy new plants and get back home in time to prepare a 4-course dinner for my lovely cousins, Maybelle & Sonia, Manila-based Heidi and my sister Maricar who were joining us.

Join me as I recount this amazing chase.

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Phil Keoghan by Jennifer Boyer. (CC BY 2.0)

***For best results, you'll have to channel Phil while reading this.

Welcome to Metropolitan Manila.  Composed of 16 cities, it is  the National Capital Region of the Philippines.  It is from here that I embarked on a quest for must-have plants. 

My first task was to get up and depart at 3:40 am.

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The Water Tank's New Clothes

Regular readers of this blog and owners of blogs I frequent are  probably tired of hearing me say that I don't have a "proper" garden.  Some areas of Southern Metro Manila used to have a water shortage problem which is why our current home's grounds have hardly any soil at all.  What we have is a lot of cemented flooring which requires no trimming, fertilizing and most especially no watering.  Here are pictures of our "yard" a few months before we and the plants moved in.

The view from the back wall showing the base of our water tank.

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