Duchess of KAYmbridge: The flowers of Kadayawan festival 2011

I always found the Catleya to be elegant . This purple one is no exeption .

If people in the west buy new plants and revive their gardens during the spring , I do mine during the month of August . Not that my garden needs reviving since I live in the tropics and my plants pretty much stays alive most of the time . However , it definitely needs a little sprucing up to give it that "fresh" vibe . I usually get tired at looking at the same colors month after month , so a little change is always welcome . The month of August is the month of the Kadayawan festival . It is a thanksgiving festival for good harvest. One of the festival's events is the Kadayawan plant exhibit at the SM Mall of Davao parking lot. Different nurseries from around Davao city and it's neighboring towns showcase their plants and flowers at the exhibit . It is usually the venue for the horticulturists to display new varieties of plants , flowers and trees. I found myself visiting the exhibit bright and early last sunday . I wanted to avoid the heat and the traffic . Like a little girl at a candy shop , I eagerly looked around and got overwhelmed by the countless choices on display . Since I love colors , I headed straight for the flowering varieties and found myself surrounded by different orchids , bromeliads , roses , variegated bougainvillas , hybrid hibiscus , yellowbells , bluebells , violets ..... ohhhhh the numerous choices made my head spin ! I traipsed around the aisle checking out one stall after the other , exchanging friendly greetings with several familiar faces . Pretty soon , I found myself caught up in the vibrant colors and the heady fragrance of the flowers . I had to supress the impulse of closing my eyes and imagining myself in a tropical paradise surrounded by exotic flowers ( a picture of Bali Hai comes to mind ) , lests I give and impression to the exhibitors that I've gone loco . After much deliberation , I finally settled for some orchids , bromeliads , a few herbs to add to my collection and a cinnamon tree.