Other Plants

Oher plants, well yes, there are many that grow here. There are so many other plants in the Philippines and most of them are new to me as a gardenered. I feel like a kid in a candy shop as I look around. Sometimes I think of theplants as exotic tropical plants, but that is because they were not part of any garden I saw in the northern parts of the USA.

The different shapes, sizes, and even the different growing requirements are daunting. This is where it seems I am learning to be a gardener all over again. Keeping a plant healthy, growing it, propagation, and pests are all new. Oh, seasons? What seasons? When do you plant here as the plants grow mostly year-round so it seems more of planting cycles than seasonal planting. For instance, I have grown radishes now 3 times this year, plant, grow, and harvest, then plant again. On and on, and on.

We are now able to grow some fruit trees and also have a small vegetable garden that we have started. The vegetableMaybe in a couple of years we will get measureable production from our trees.

Growing Seasons and Conditions in the Visayas

For me, most of it centers around where will the plant sit and what are the conditions going to be like in that spot. Not a well thought plan. Since I have been here for a few seasons, yes, there still are 4 seasons here. Seasons when you consider the sun anyway. Our house faces North so in the summer there is a lot of sun there. During the winter it sees just indirect light. It makes more of a difference than I thought.

Playing with these other plants I try to focus on what light conditions they thrive in and then create a suitable environment for them. Most soils need to be well draining due to the heavy rainfall that occurs here. That might mean in a pot or in the ground. I will move the pot if it is in a location that might become hostile to the plant. Who cares, and not worth the stress of worrying.

Some of our plants

Another thing here is that some plants can just have a stem cut off while walking by, and then stick it in the ground somewhere else. It will probably grow. Amazing resilient plants.

ScientificOther names
Aglaonemahmm???
Anthurium sppFlamingo Flower, Tail Flower, Pigtail Plant, Laceleaf
Bambusa multiplexChinese Dwarf
Carica papayaPapaya
Cocos nuciferaDwarf Coconut
Codiaeum variegatumCroton, San Francisco
Coleus scutellarioidesColeus
Dracaena sanderianaChinese Lucky Bamboo
Dracaena trifasciataSnake Plant, Mother-in-law’s Tongue,
Ficus caricaCommon Fig
Ficus lyrataFiddle-leaf Fig
Hibanobambusa tranquillansShiroshima or Hiroshima Bamboo
Hibiscus rosa-sinensisGumamela
Ixora coccineaSantan
Litche chinensisLychee
Mussaenda philippica Dona eva, Dona Aurora, Dona Luz, Dona Alicia
Phyllostachys nigraBlack Bamboo
Pleioblastus variegatus (fortunei)Variggated Bamboo
Rosa minutifoliaAmerican Rose
Rosa philippinensisPhilippines Wild Rose
Rosa stellataWestern Rose
Schlumbergera buckleyiChristmas Cactus
Schizostachyum brachycladumGolden Buho Bamboo
Selenicereus undatusDragon Fruit
Strelitzia reginaeBird of Paradise
Wodyetia bifurcataFoxtail Palm
Zingiber officinaleGinger