It’s garden show time in Davao City

Manila Bulletin Online
August 25, 2006

It is garden show time in Davao City as the city celebrates its yearly Kadayawan Festival. Ven Gallego and other members of the Minfed (Mindanao Federation of Orchid and Ornamental Plant Growers) opened their yearly garden show yesterday at the back of Davao City SM Mall.

Exhibited are some of their most beautiful orchids and ornamentals. Topping the plants on exhibit is the Sansevieria Samurai of Lucy Halasan which was adjudged the Best-in-Show. The variegated Palisota of Ching Chua, on the other hand, was adjudged the first prize winner in the ornamentals category. Also notable is the Platycerium grande, the famous staghorn that is native to Davao. The judges included Fr. Felix Hora, Alfonso Ponce Enrile III, Francis Gener, Rey Santos and Zac B. Sarian. The best orchid in the show is the Grammatophyllum measuresianum.

Also notable among the winning ornamentals are the variegated Pink Ravenia, Arenga hookeriana, a profusely blooming bougainvillea, Alcantarea odorata, and others.

The exhibitors executed beautiful landscape booths. The first prize went to the booth of Ven Gallego which featured red grasses among other ornamentals. The second prize was garnered by the booth of Dr. Linda Martinez while the third prize went to the booth of Cirilo "Ching" Chua.

Over 200 commercial growers and hobbyists are selling their plants in the commercial section. A lot of sansevierias, bromeliads, ferns, aglaonemas, bougainvilleas, euphorbias and many other ornamentals and orchids are available at reasonable prices. The show will run through August 20.

Complementing the Kadayawan Garden Show of Minfed is the plant exhibition and special sale being conducted by members of the Floriculture Industry of Davao Inc. (FIDI) in front of SM Davao. The place is a new selling area of some 19 members of FIDI. During this special exhibition, an additional 20 members are also selling their products.

The FIDI exhibition is part of the promotional activity of FIDI to help the members market their products. Business is good, according to Vicky Jimenez of FIDI. In fact, she sold three of her cycads (Dioon mejiae) for R45,000 to a Davao businessman.

The FIDI is also sponsoring free lectures starting yesterday when Rose Sonora conducted a lecture-demonstration on flower arrangement. Today, Fr. Urbano Salada will lecture on basic bonsai culture.

Tomorrow, a lecture on basic orchid culture will be conducted by Sally U. Leuenberger. Sally is a CPA who went into commercial production of orchids. On August 17, Vangie Go will conduct a lecture on importing and exporting ornamental plants. Other topics are also scheduled up to August 21.