The Philippine Orchid Society along with other organizations have organized what is probably this year’s largest floral show, currently running through Feb 16 on the grounds of the Philippine Orchidarium near Quezon Circle in Quezon City. I was there this morning to kill three birds with one stone… a post for marketmanila, a few plants and flowers for family and friends celebrating birthdays, and some flowers for Valentine’s Day. If you have been following this blog for years, you would be aware that we are more likely to host “Anti-Valentine’s Dinners” for friends rather than battle it out with crazed, and frankly foolish, citizens out on the town on Valentine’s Eve the 13th or Valentine’s proper, the 14th. With restaurants, florists and giftshops taking advantage of the biarre need to buy, give or eat something with a loved one, I find the whole brouhaha a bit much. One can easily give a loved one stunning flowers as a token of their love and affection at any time of the year, so I object to having to pay 5x the normal price for a rose on the 14th of February. At any rate, plants and orchids make wonderful alternatives to cut flowers, so if you haven’t blown your hard earned money yet, consider a plant or orchid instead. Cook your spouse a simple but luxurious meal at home. And smile inwardly at all of the money you have saved in the process… :)
The show was quite good, in fact, better than I had expected. There weren’t that many exhibits but the variety of plants on offer, the ridiculously low entrance fee of PHP30, and a large selection of plant vendors next door made this well worth the hour spent there. Up top, a pair of stunning cattleyas in bloom. Above, a greenish oncidium hybrid of some sort… it was very unusual.
Avery lush vanda at an award winning booth… I recall these were a favorite of my mom’s, along with cattleyas and phalaenopsis/butterfly orchids, and the blooms were HUGE. Voluptuous is probably a better way to describe them.
More stunning cattleyas (there were hundreds of blooms at the show…
…along with plots or beds of purple phalaenopsis…
…in varying sizes and colors.
I am not even sure what this orchid is, though the stem suggests a vanda of some sort, and it won MAJOR ribbons, as part of the Cebu booth.
Lots of cacti for those with that type of fetish, though the central plant in this photo was a bit too phallic and prickly… if you know what I mean.
Lush ferns in one booth…
…followed by unusual ornamentals in another.
A beautiful booth chockfull of bromeliads, another prize-winning set-up.
More wacky cactus.
This beautiful booth with wooden “wheels” or the mechanism to grind things on the ground. It looked stunning, but I wondered about the practicality of it in real life…
The fascinating patterns, shapes and colors of plants up close. Nothing like it.
No idea what these are, but they looked very temperate, though they seem to thrive in our hot weather.
Beautiful, locally grown colored small calla lillies…
And finally, the most amazing bloom from a chunky cactus. If you are big into plants and orchids, you still have a couple of days to catch this show. And hit the stalls next door if you want to buy anything…
26 Responses
“a greenish oncidium hybrid of some sort”
That is probably a Brassia, if I remember correctly; Brassia Rex?
“I am not even sure what this orchid is”
That is probably a Rhynchostylis gigantea, or a hybrid of R. gigantea.
ntgerald, thanks, I figured someone would chime in. :)
Not only were the plants beautiful..but your shots were really great!! I’m always partial to ferns…but oh…all the shots are wonderful MM!!!
Will tell hubby not to buy flowers for me this year. Year in year out he buys me flowers (no matter how outrageously priced they are) because I love receiving them…I’m a hopeless romantic. But I have to be practical..will tell him to skip it. Hmmmm…chocolates na lang? Hehehe…he loves them so we can both grow fat hahahahaha!!!
beautiful shots! living in arizona myself i should say they have quite a selection of cacti. but the orchids, oh my gosh, my mother would love them.
happy hearts day to everyone!
MM!!!! I fell off my chair laughing with your first Cacti photo. hahahahaha
Mr. MM, there is also an ongoing plant and flower exhibit at the Quezon City Hall grounds. Quite interesting plant varieties there including carnivorous plants, very nice ferns, dwarfed fruit bearing trees and my favorite most of all – Gumamela flowers with lots and lots of colors to choose from.
beautiful, beautiful ferns & flowers!…great, great shots!
I love the plants with white flowers that you said “looked very temperate” What is the name of it?
danney, sorry, I don’t know the name of that plant, and it’s the first time I have seen it…
Marisse:…now that is what I call TRUE LOVE! ….giving you chocolates since your hubby loves them as well para pareho kayong dalawa LOLOBO!!!…hahahahahahaha
I KNEW you’d have something involving cacti and irreverent/crazy/funny captions like the one you posted here!! When Artisan Chocolatier fell off his chair, I guess we bumped our heads! hahaha
Your sense of humor is one thing that keeps me coming back to your site. But today’s post lacks something: where’s your now-famous ‘heehee’???
consol, I know you were meaning to email me re: scholarship plans but my marketmanila email is still malfunctioning… give me a few more days…
hehe–on cactus comment. i say the same for the Washington Monument on the mall…
love those flowers!the colors!! like models of gorgeous gowns, nag rarampa!!
those “temperate flowers” remind me of cherry blossoms
Hi Marketman,
I believe the exhibitor said those white flowers that look temperate belong to a Clerodendron native to India.
roelm, thank you very much for that… danney, I hope that helps.
We also have our own Clerodendron (Clerodendrum), locally known as bagawak, which is a large shrub or small tree. Very, very showy when it flowers. According to a website (https://philippinegarden.com/c.htm), it is the species quadriloculare.
The Flora Filipina show is actually on the grounds of the Quezon City Hall. There are free lectures on plant-related topics every afternoon.
Hehehe, “phallic” is the exact word that entered my mind when I saw the cactus. Wonder what papa Freud would say to that.
I love that “greenish oncidium hybrid,” it looks more dramatic than the other orchids.
Two years ago, I chanced upon a botanical garden with a large collection of cacti. I’ve never been into cactus, but the amazing variety, texture, flowering, and deformities for the lack of a better word, were amazing! Made me realize how pretty they were, and I have a small collection of the photos I took that afternoon. I doubt cactus would survive my black thumb though!
TPS, it’s pretty straightforward and representative, so I wouldn’t even have to delve into Freud… more like, what else could it be? Hahaha. I actually didn’t realize it at the time, as I was shooting whole booths of exhibitors, but when I saw the photos, I was rather amused…
that phallic, prickly cactus made my day. perfect for V-day, if you have masochistic or sadistic leanings, plus it’s a good gift to give to someone just as prickly, don’t you think?:P
flowers…. heheheheh..
happy valentine’s day people… ^__^
That prickly thingy does look like a…….”prick”! I didn’t know the word until ….I’d rather not say.
with my internet connection I better quit before my modem disconnects and I would feel like Betty Q.
I miss going to these garden shows, my papa and I used to frequent this and the horticultural show at Manila Seedling Bank.
I am a lover of plants and especially orchids and lately
started collecting cacti or cactus.I just came across this Show.I would appreciate much if you could e-mail me when this show ends or is it finished already? Please write the address at Quezon City too.
Thanks a lot.
Philippine Orchid Society usually held their show on twice a year basis the last was held just last August 27 to September 7, 2009 the next one will be on February 25 to March 8, 2010 ( 64th Annual Orchid and Garden Show) possibly Quezon Cityhall grounds lagoon area.
Upcoming garden shows include Cactus and Succulent Society this coming November 20 to 30, 2009 Quezon Memorial Circle near Max’s restaurant