The Philippine Horticultural Society is the lone guest exhibitor that will landscape an area near the Feature of Birds Inc. Ray O. Sison (flutist) and Armando Derecho (guitarist) will render a special number. The exhibit will be open to the public for free from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from December 6 to 15. The show will feature cacti and succulents from the collections of the society’s members. Some of these plants will be competing for prizes in various categories.
For those interested in getting a commercial booth for the show, call Delia Chuan at 961-7836 or 0916 579-8980.
Lectures/demonstrations are scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates of the show:
Dec. 6, Saturday — "Uses of Cacti as Medicine/Beauty Aides as Protection" by Dr. Virginia "Nena" H. Evidente
Dec. 7, Sunday — "Cooking Using Cacti" by Lily Ann Tan-Manzano and Peter Bangayan
Dec. 8, Monday — "General Care of Cacti & Succulents" by Nonoy Sionosa
Dec. 9, Tuesday — "Potting Medium & Containers" by Kevin Belmonte
Dec. 10, Wednesday — "Identify Pests and Diseases of Cacti & Succulents" by Honesto "Toto" Adviento
Dec. 11, Thursday — "Commercial Propagation" by Anna Ruth Purificacion-Conde
Dec. 12, Friday — "Aviary Management" by Dr. Danny Ang
Dec. 13, Saturday — "Succulents and Natural Stone Arrangements" by Fely S. Gupit
Dec. 14, Sunday — "Flower Arrangement Using Cacti & Succulents" by Serapion S. Metilla
Dec. 15, Monday — "Dish Gardening" by Rosario "Chit" Rufo
Mass will be celebrated on December 7 and 13. A special mass will also be celebrated right after the lecture-demonstrations at 5 p.m. on December 8, in honor of the Immaculate Conception.
In the spirit of Christmas, the Cactus Society will also hold its outreach program for:
• The Sta. Catalina Sisters of Baguio City by providing them with plant donations for their Way of the Cross area to be landscaped in time for the Holy Week next year.
• The Good Shepherd Sisters of Tagaytay City by providing them with plant donations for their Retreat House area.
• The Pangarap Foundation Inc., by providing used clothes for street children ages 7-17, used books, used toys, used kitchen equipment and paraphernalia, fruit bearing trees and sacks of rice for the street children.
Your donations, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. Please bring your donations to the exhibit area. For Pangarap Foundation Inc. donations, call Sally at 741-2149, or Elsa at 741-4410, or Delia at 0916 579-8980. For plant donations, call Julie at 0917 841-5987, or Judy at 0917 244-8160, or Mely at 926-4199, 929-1744 and 0917 533-3809.
Some of the C&S which you may see during the show are strewn across this article. But there will surely be a lot more to see, including non-succulents as well. Maybe you will find that starter plant, which will get you hooked on the hobby, or simply as an interesting addition to your home gardens. Maybe you’ll learn a few things from the daily lectures on the hobby. If you’re a bird lover, there will also be special lectures and exhibits on this topic for you. All in all, this event promises to be a fun-filled and interesting one, and we hope to see you at the show.
You can e-mail the author at succulentophile@yahoo.com.