Some Philodendrons in Davao City and Makilala, North Cotabato, Philippines

I visited some gardens in Makilala, North Cotabato and was amazed by the selection of beautiful plants there. I also visited a farm of a banker friend and was also pleasantly surprised by his collection. The plants for sale were good specimens and are much cheaper than in Manila Seedling Bank. I purchased some for my sister in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte (A small red bird's nest (P. melinonii) and its dwarf cultivar, a 'Lynette' (P. campii) a P. lacerum, some P. erubscens hybrids, a juvenile Monstera deliciosa and some palms. All will be packed in a cartoon and will travel with me to my home province.  These plants would be a nice addition to her new house.


Some plants in Makilala, North Cotabato.

I am very glad to have visited some gardens in Makilala while I visited the piggery farms using my feed formulations. The philodendrons and aroids in general were well represented together with some palms and sun-loving plants. Of course, I went directly to the area were there are nets protecting the shade-loving plants below.

This is a unique Philodendron, and may be a P. insigne. This plant loves to climb and the owner had cuttings to control the growth. It is a very beautiful plant that looks like an Asplenium nidus or an Anthurium sp. rather than a Philodendron.

Here's a shot of some of the Philodendrons in the garden. A beautiful specimen of P. x 'Moonlight' at the left and P. x 'McColley's Finale' (Cherry Red) adt the foreground. The plants were in excellent condition owing to the expertise of the garden owner.

At the back of the farm, a nice collection of red colored Philodendrons were growing nicely with only the leaves of the trees giving them their much needed bright filtered light. The collection include P. x 'Imperial Red', P. x 'Black Cardinal, P. x 'Red Congo', P. x 'Bird Congo' (as called by the sellers owing to its beak-like narrow leaves) and a  P. x 'Red Congo Compacta' (a smaller 'Red Congo' with compact growth and a price tag to much).

Some Plants in my Friend's Farm in Davao City

A banker friend of mine, which is also a Philodendron fanatic invited me to his piggery farm which he transformed into a well-landscaped resort farm. I never expect to see really big specimens in his farm. The following were some of his plants.

This is a variegated hybrid.

This plant look like P. x 'Imperial Green' and is the most abundant Philodendron in the farm. It was planted all over the place. I can't imagine how much his plants cost but he told me he already spent almost half a million on plants alone. His plants were in great shape when I visited his farm.

This is one of the largest Philodendron in the farm. The caretaker call this P. x 'Orlando'. A very beautiful self heading plant. He claimed the plant loved the coconut husks he put around it. The roots benefited from the organic matter from the decomposing coconut husks, and more nutrients means bigger and healthier plants.

This is also a large hybrid with reddish tinge on the new leaves maturing into green. Some parts of the plant receive direct morning sun, but enjoys the shade of the mango tree for the rest of the day. 

A nice young specimen of P. x 'Pink Princess' with a whole leaf in pink. I recommended that this nice plant be transferred to a tree or given a totem to climb to.

Although I forgot to take a picture, but the largest of his collection was a mature Red Bird's Nest Philodendron ( Philodendron melinonii) which he bought for quiet a sum of money.

The garden is still a year old but the whole landscape looks promising already. I look forward to visiting again and see his plants looking more fuller, mature and producing pups for others to enjoy.

Mindanao really has a good climate for Philodendrons. I look forward to the plants I'll be bringing home to Sindangan,  Zamboanga del Norte.  May they grow to their biggest and thrive for us to enjoy for many years to come.

Giant Philodendrons in Lucban, Quezon

Last Black Saturday, my friends and I went to Lucban to visit Kamay ni Hesus and sample the fine cuisine of the area. I never thought that I would find the largest of my top favorite Philodendron, Philodendron x 'Olympiad' (maybe a true Philodendron pinnatifidum) and a possible Philodendron maximum. The specimens in the gardens of Southern Luzon State University and Kamay ni Hesus were truly majestic.

This giant Philodendron x 'Olympiad' was planted at the base of a tree near the College of Arts and Sciences. The bright filtered light proved to be the best place to maximize the growth of this hybrid. I was even swallowed by how wide the spread of its leaves!

This is a group of Philodendron x 'Olympiad' planted in the main garden together with another giant specimen of Medinilla magnifica. Philodendron x 'Olympiad' is the plant that started my addiction to Philodendrons, and lately I had 2 healthy specimens from my good friend Oyeth.

The plants above were possibly Philodendron maximum. They were planted near the pond. Sadly, some succumbed to direct sunlight and showed signs of sunburn. The plants were truly large, up to 2 meters in spread.

(Update 8/8/14): The plant above looked more like Philodendron giganteum.

 I have the same plant in my collection and has been the fastest growing of all the Philodendrons in the garden. My plant produces almost 1 leaf per week, and the leaves are getting bigger and bigger. I love the plant so much, I bought additional two but smaller specimens.  :)