Tropical Gardens of the Philippines. Elizabeth Reyes
grow the modest and common cultivars and concentrate instead on planting more of the scented flowers such as Gardenias, Honeysuckle, Champaca and the wildly fragrant sanggumay or Dendrobium anosmum, all of which provide her house with a welcome scent.
Vicky Herrera has made her mark on this dramatic landscape. While respecting its splendid location, she has also made it her own.
Lush plantings of red Salvia and orange Impatiens provide color along the winding garden paths.
Brightly colored annuals highlight steps fashioned out of river stones and railroad sleepers.
A glimpse of the house through the dense floral display of modest and common cultivars mixed in with variously scented flowers.
Stone sculptures of anitos (spirit gods) provide a dramatic note in this wild and naturalistic garden.
The purple flowered Tibouchina urvilleana contrasts with red Salvia splendens.
A cool, green respite from all the color. A jade vine can be seen hanging above the bird’s nest fern on the post.
A sweet wooden gazebo provides shelter from the elements as well as views over the lake and volcano below.
Thunbergia mysorensis makes a dazzling display on a pergola. This woody-stemmed, evergreen flowering vine is native to India. The name, mysorensis, is derived from the city of Mysore in South India.
A wonderful example of the amazing Philippine jade vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys.
The spiky pink Celosia argentea, an annual herb sometimes considered a weed looks perfectly at home in this garden.
ANTONIO’S FINE DINING GARDEN
Tagaytay City, Cavite
Designed by Jun Obrero
The restaurant, reminiscent of a grand Philippine colonial house, is surrounded by a lush garden of shade trees and a rich assortment of ornamental plants. Dazzling maroon Bougainvillea works well with the delicate light green shades of the tree ferns.
Tall glass windows look out at parasols of tree ferns, Cyathea.
The secret of the elegant garden at Antonio’s Fine Dining lies in the cool climate of Tagaytay. Located 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level, with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, low humidity and abundant rainfall, Tagaytay is the Philippines’ second summer capital. Its cool temperate climate makes it conducive for growing a wide range of plants.
Antonio’s garden is tucked away down a hillside, a mile or so (2 km) off the main road, accessed by a long narrow road that ends at an imposing garden gate with a white wood door. The highly rated country restaurant, designed by chef owner Antonio Escalante, is reminiscent of a grand Philippine colonial home decorated with hanging glass lamps, decorative floor tiles and antique wooden furniture. Surrounded by a lush forest garden, the work of landscape designer Jun Obrero, it features tall glass windows that look out over abundant greenery. Tree ferns preside over a wealthy assortment of plants that include Medinillas, Heliconias, ornamental ginger and ferns.
A pond teeming with colorful koi surrounds the first terrace of the restaurant.
Tree ferns preside over a wealthy assortment of plants that includes bird’s nest ferns, Pandanus odoratissimus ‘Veitchii’ and red ginger, Alpinia purpurata.
A terrace ringed with Aglaonemas, red ginger and bird’s nest ferns reminds one of the azotea of the 19th century, a flat open terrace suitable for growing old-fashioned potted plant varieties and cottage garden favorites.
A wide wooden staircase leads to the outdoor terrace. Here, tables are set under majestic parasols of tree ferns underplanted with bird’s nest ferns and Aglaonemas. A square pond teeming with colorful koi centers the space. Down another flight of stairs is a second balustraded terrace that overlooks a garden planted with more tree ferns, Philodendrons and variegated Pandanus. Here, Escalante and his designer have taken cues from the azoteas of the 19th century Filipinos. The azotea was a raised, flat open terrace with a balustrade running along its edge. Supported by stone arches and decorated with Spanish tiles, these areas were suitable for growing old-fashioned, cottage garden favorites. Here one could focus on the beauty and specific function of individual plants. Surrounded by shade trees and perfumed with scented flowers, they often looked out onto distant views.
Escalante’s contemporary take on a traditional house and garden bodes well with patrons from Manila who keep returning not just for the food, but for the romantic ambiance of the forested surroundings that they find both relaxing and invigorating.
Umbrellas of giant tree ferns and shrubs of Medinilla provide contrasting leaf textures together with a potted variegated Pandan along a stairway.
The perrenial herb Dichorisandra thyrsiflora with small blue-violet flowers is sometimes called the blue ginger. It favors wet, loamy soil.
A brick path weaves through a forest of tree ferns punctuated with potted ornamentals.
Purple-white flowers from the potato tree, Solanum macranthum. A bushy tree, native to Brazil, it can grow to a height of 5 meters (15 feet).
A towering African tulip tree, Spathodea campanulata, dwarfs a seating arrangement in the garden. A close up of its large orange, bell-shaped flowers can be seen on bottom right photo.
The fragrant blooms of Saraca thaipingensis, the yellow Saraca tree, which is native to Southeast Asia.