For the last time, we were invited by now a former colleague to her home to join her as she celebrated her birthday and a sort of her despidida party. She, together with her whole family were leaving for Guam, USA. They were migrating.
This former colleague was the ultimate plantita among us. She was a plantita long before the pandemic brought out the plantita in many plant enthusiasts and those that were just joining in the fad. She has a great collection of plants, some are really expensive and rare. If you have to sum up the worth of these collections, it really costs a fortune. Collecting ornamental plants is never a cheap hobby starting from purchasing of the plant to taking care of it like providing good soil and fertilizers. And I can say she is a real deal with all the plants in her collections.
I took photos of some of her collections,as I am amazed of these plants' beauty, rareness and price.
This plant caught my attention first. It was dangling from a hanging pot. It was also my first time to see this kind of plant. As I searched through google lens, I learned that it is called tassel fern. I can see why as it look like a tassel swaying with the gentle wind, showing off its remarkable beauty. It has this "foresty" kind of vibe to it which make this really a cool plant to be part of your collection. But I was not able to ask for a cutting since she was busy with other guests.
She has a variety of philodendron collection but this philodendron black cardinal is a head-turner. It has large leaves with deep dark color. I love how elegant looking this plant is. This is one of those expensive philodendron collection.
Aside from the philo black cardinal, I also love this philodendron cherry red that is part of her collection. It's like a lady in red lipstick with its captivating red lips you couldn't resist.
Calathea dottie in the house! One of my favorite calathea variety. Her collection is looking so healthy which reflects how good she is in taking care of her plant collection.
Calathea's are expensive too especially this kind and I find them hard to propagate. I have one of this and tried to propagate it but I failed.
Vanda orchids is a must to her collection. I could see how she loves orchids as seen in the variety of orchids she possesses. We were lucky to witness this strap leaf vanda while it is in bloom. The flowers blossoms in vibrance. If you can't appreciate this beauty then you must have a problem with you eyesight. Haha! I have my strap leaf vandas too but I love this pink flowers. It is something I look forward to collect soon because I just love the color if this one.
These are just some of my favorites among her collection. There are more beautiful plants and sometimes I just wowed the fact that she was able to take care of these plants despite being busy for the past years as a teacher and a mother. Her passion and time management is worth emulating.
Going through her garden, I truely admire her nurturing hands. Having a wide collection of ornamental plants can be tedious in terms of maintence and they aren't cheap too. They are like your babies. They need attention every now and then. But the joy of seeing them bloom healthy and blossom in their most vibrant colors make all the hard work and time worth it.
