- Author: Tina Saravia
What's the first thing a gardener does on her vacation? Sow some seeds and look for garden inspiration. I brought an herb seed starting set for my 10 year-old niece, and together we sowed the seeds. The basil seeds came up in 3 days.
My primary purpose in going to the Philippines was to attend my nephew's wedding.The bride was stunning in her white wedding gown with a fluffy, cloud-like peach-toned train and my nephew, the groom, was equally stunning and absolutely handsome in his white tuxedo. Everything went really well and we all had a great time.
But I have to admit, as everyone in the family was getting excited and anxious for the big day, I was also excited about the surrounding lush landscaping. I saw some majestic mango trees reaching over 2-3-stories high, at least 3 feet in diameter. Surrounding the trees are mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria spp.), lady palm hedges, (Raphis excelsa) and other plants we commonly find inside homes and offices here in our temperate zone.
Unfortunately, I just missed the mango fruit season. I was told they are abundant with fruit in the summer months, and the tree outside my bedroom window still had mangoes as late as November. Fortunately, there was a 'Saturday Market,' much like our Farmer's Markets, and I was able to get the 'crispy green mangoes' I loved to eat so much growing up.
I also saw Bamboo and palms planted next to concrete fences for privacy screening.
Speaking of privacy screening, I also saw some vertical planting arrangements of a variety of ferns in 4" pots. The effect is quite nice next to the sidewalk separating the street from the shops. Since it's rainy season, they get watered by the rain, sometimes several times a day.
Since we don't get 6 months of rainy season in Solano County, I can see doing that back home with succulents - a wall of potted succulents on the wire fence in my side yard or a wall of succulents to separate the chicken run. That indeed will be nice.