I had no idea what a horticultural festival was. But that didn't stop me from visiting it for myself!
After researching further, it's simply a plants and arts festival. Featuring thousands of endemic and unique Philippine flowers and plants, I thought it would be something great to experience!
This year's event was held from February 3 to 11, 2018 in the Quezon Memorial Circle. With just a P50 admission fee (discounts available for students, PWDs, and senior citizens), you could admire a variety of potted plants and stroll through all the gardens within the area!
There were four gardens to visit, namely: the Tropical Garden with corporate landscapes, the Rock Garden with vertical landscapes, the Elevated Garden with bonsai and flower carpets, and the Flower Garden with... well, flowers!
Aside from those gardens, there was the QMX Museum with terrariums, aquascapes, and orchid cultures! Commercial areas selling saplings, flowers, succulents, and even gardening equipment were scattered around the area.
Scheduled competitions, seminars, and workshops were also dispersed throughout the event duration. I never got to attend one myself since I only visited for one day, but the topics ranged from urban farming, landscaping, and even start-ups!
I ended up spending around two hours in the festival, which I think is enough considering the distances and the number of exhibits. What took longer were the photoshoots with the various displays and galleries!
My favorite among all the gardens and exhibits was the QMX museum, which featured plants in jars, terrariums and vivariums (with a two-headed turtle and several cute-but-deadly poisonous frogs), Japanese floral art of Ikenobo-Ikebana, and a painting/art exhibit!
I also enjoyed looking through the stalls in commercial centers because of the wide variety of things and plants to choose from. I've never seen so much greens in a single place before! If only I brought enough money with me, I could have bought a lot of useful equipment and even plants from these!
Having visited other parks and flower gardens in other countries and places, the gardens were not as impressive for me. I guess I just expected the flowers to stretch for a longer distance, and not just be confined in one space. But it was good enough for taking pictures of and showing it with friends and family members!
I believe the two hours I spent here were two hours well spent! By just going to this horticultural festival, I got to appreciate the rich biodiversity the Philippines has. In fact, I even got encouraged to try my own hand in herb gardening or even just trying to set up my own terrarium!
The next time the Philippine Horticultural Society, Inc. decides to host another festival, I'll be sure to go! And if you're in the Philippines living near Quezon City, I encourage you to visit and take a look at the galleries next year as well. You won't regret it!