A gardener's path, P.1: Studying plants in the wild
Hoya imbricata appears to dislike company plants and grows frequently in open situations. Photographed in Ilocos Norte Upon graduation from college, my first job was that of an assistant landscaper, and for my first salary I bought a book on, what else, houseplants. I also remember buying a Jewel Orchid ( Ludisia discolor ), but most of my other purchases were not plants, but books. In these books, I was introduced, not just in matters of plant cultivation, but plant genera and species I wasn't yet aware of at that time; I recall being particularly fascinated by Amorphophallus and orchids. A year later and I moved to the province, where there are still good patches of natural habitat left, although in many cases disturbed by human activity in various levels of degradation. Nevertheless, I have been fortunate to have made friends with similar free-spirited attitudes, and not long after we were beginning to explore our environs. An overwhelming thrill permeated- now I...