PANAGBENGA: Baguio City’s Flower Festival

Float Parade

The ‘chameleon’ city of the Philippines, Baguio remains the undisputed Summer Capital and religious center from March to May; a bustling education and convention center from June to October; a plain hideaway from burnt out days of November; and the closest thing to ‘White Christmas’ from December to January.

But what makes of Baguio in February?

Through the years, Baguio has grown to be a city for all seasons – credit goes to the diversity of its own people whose alacrity in excelling in almost all fields is simply beyond description.

Thus, what was once conceived as a novelty perk to keep the tourists past the yuletide season in 1995, the ‘Panagbenga’, then simply referred to as Baguio Flower Festival, has undoubtedly become a major pillar in Baguio and the country’s tourism industry.

Through the years, the Panagbenga has steadily become the best avenue where Baguio people can shine and innovate what best depicts their community – with everyone co-owning the festival.

Panagbenga: A Kankana-ey (dialect widely used by Cordillerans in the Northern Philippine boondocks, specifically people from the Mountain Province and people from the Northern part of the Benguet Province) term meaning “a season for blossoming; a time for blooming.”

More than that, it is that season when the City of Baguio transforms itself from a mere window to Cordilleras, to a vibrant seat of rich ethnic landscape.

Watch as the people of Baguio provide the country and the world with a “bouquet” of participants in a month-long show highlighting Baguio as a melting pot of cultures; in a community affair creatively blending varying ethnicity winding up with the world-famous street-dancing cavalcade and parade of floral floats, among other activities during the month of February.

Welcome to the City of Baguio… Enjoy the ‘Panagbenga!’

Baguio Panagbenga Festival 2012:  Flower Festival 2012 Schedule of Activities

Panagbenga Festival 2012, this years Panagbenga celebration was officially announced open last November 2011. The festival is formerly called Baguio Flower Festival. It is an annual celebration in Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines. The world Panagbenga is a kankanaey phrase for “a season of blooming”.

It is among the Philippines much-awaited festivities. For the Panagbenga Festival 2012, the organizers have maximized the skills of the whole community in preparation for the 2012 Baguio Flower Festival.

Heres the 2012 Panagbenga Festival Schedule of Activities

November 14, 2011 – Panagbenga 2012 Launch and Concert
February 1, 2012 – 2012 Panagbenga Opening Parade
March 4, 2012 – Market Encounter
February 11, 2012 – Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom
February 12, 2012 – Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio
February 12, 2012 – Fluvial Float Parade
February 21. 2012 – Chinese Spring Festival
February 25, 2012 – Grand Street Dancing Parade
February 26, 2012 – Grand Float Parade
February 27 – March 4, 2012 – Session Road in Bloom
March 2, 2012 – Pony Boy’s Day
March 4, 2012 – Panagbenga Closing Ceremonies and Grand Fireworks Display

The Baguio Flower Festival 2012 highlight will be on February 25, 2012. Tourists will visit the Philippines Summer Capital for the the Panagbenga Grand Street Dancing Parade.

The Panagbenga Festival 2012 is definitely one of the Philippine Festivals that you dont wanna miss.

Landscaping: Another Easiest Way to Lessen What You are Carrying.

Humans are the best creation of God. We are given talents, knowledge, and most especially emotions on how to sympathize and empathize with other living and non-living things made also by our Creator. We, humans, were created differently from God’s other creations because we were given a heart to use it to create something different. We have lots of ways on how to show our emotions and these emotions bring us to indulge in other things where we think reflects what we feel.

Landscaping interests me more because it’s one of the ways where I can express myself. Some people escape from their problems by just being in a garden or being close to nature. It is another way of relieving the pain we feel. Though it just does a half the part of escaping from problems at least what we are carrying inside were lessened by our garden. Our creative imagination teaches us to apply it for the things that interest us the most. Designing, planning, and applying it to what garden we are looking for is just the same as in decision-making. Though were almost done in planning still we normally figure out that there is still not enough to our planning. During applying and designing, as we compared ourselves in designing a landscape, we encounter problems and changes. Changes that should be put correctly for what we’ve done before.

As a human, it’s natural that we encounter difficulties. Regret is always at the end. We can no longer step back just to correct and place it the right way. The best is that we learn from these mistakes. Comparing ourselves in creating a garden, what we find out makes our garden look bad to the eyes but we can still change it for something better which satisfy others and most especially creates a difference in you.

Center of Attraction

Designing a garden doesn’t end in just planting and organizing your plants. You can make a difference in your landscape by means of placing different styles, crafts, and other things that can contribute in making your garden a center of attraction.

Here are some of my suggestions to have a standout garden design:

Lights. Lighting is one of the major factors the gives attraction to your landscape especially at night. Choosing the lights that fit to your garden design is probably one of the more interesting parts in home garden design. That’s because lights create a reflection that makes your garden colorful even at night.

Crafts. Choosing crafts is another aspect we need to consider in an ideal garden design. We may place different kinds of craft in our garden but of course choose crafts that fits your garden’s theme. Say for instance, if your garden is a modern type design you should choose crafts that would fit to your garden design ideas. We can also use crafts, wherein, we can also place lights inside of it.

Rocks. Different rocks considering its size, texture or color creates attraction to your ideal garden. It may serve as boundaries for your plants and usethem to prevent your plants from getting damaged animals or heavy rain. Choosing rocks is another way to consider to achieve an idealistic landscape.

Plants. Any type of plant can create a different view in your garden. Flowering plants create a colorful garden. It doesn’t only gives attraction to your garden but it makes your ideal garden design look lush. What I’m trying to say, is that it prevents your plants looking plain to the viewer.

Creativity in choosing a theme for your garden is a big aspect we need to consider to achieve an idealistic home garden design. Using such things helps us to give life in your landscape. It’s not only for our viewers why we made our garden attractive but it also symbolizes our personality as well. Garden design reflects our personality through the way we care for our nature and continuing our purpose as to why our Creator made us.

Create Difference! Landscape shouldn’t be Escape.

Personality doesn’t always revolve in personal aspects, the way we think indeed is another aspect that totally describes one’s life. Creativity brings us remarkable results. It reflects in everyone’s personality and with this we can distinguish everyone.

Landscape designing interest me more. I highly appreciated homes having nice landscape and absolutely applied it in our home. Though some of it is hard to make by being expensive, I looked around for other probable resources that add my landscape more attraction. We may think that it’s just a trash, but using creativity made your landscape attracted to the viewer and the good thing is you help the environment in recycling things we think is just a waste. There are lots of plants to choose just organize it on its proper place where it should be placed. Kinds of rocks also added attraction to your landscape and even a piece of tree branch is useful in beautifying your garden. The most important in having a landscape is that you choose a place where in your plants adapt to the environment you wish it should be. Types of soil are also relevant for your plants, proper sunlight, and fertilizer makes your plants grow abundant in nourishments. I don’t know why landscaping interest me more. Only I know it made me relax and I love organizing things. While seated on the bench our own landscape reminds of brings back good memories and even thinking of future.

Choosing kinds of plants, rocks, and other things that made landscape a landscape is just like choosing your career. We choose a career that would fit to our expertise and above all to our interest. That is why being a computer graduate interest me more and through landscaping I applied it to my chosen course. Creativity an initiative teaches me to be a productive programmer.

Landscape: A Gateway to One’s Personality

Have you ever wonder why most people indulge in landscaping or home gardening? Is there a time that comes into your mind that landscaping creates a difference in yourself or in your personality? Being fresh in this kind of hobby or should I say career, landscaping interests me more because of some reasons:

·         Beautify our Surroundings:

Absolutely landscaping makes your home or your favorite place attracted to the viewers. It creates good impressions on the eyes and the important thing is it relieves stress. It’s such a nice feeling having a style in your surrounding because it promotes positive thinking to a person experiencing negative emotion.

·         Contributes to reduce Earth’s destruction:

Planting is one way that helps reducing Earth’s destruction. Plants help the environment not only for beautification but through giving us the most important gas, the oxygen. It helps reduce the heats we experience during summer and helps in conserving the energy.

·         Source of Income:

Selling plants nowadays is another way in supporting daily needs. I experience a family just by selling plants raised their children as a professionals. Imagine you don’t only create attractions to the others but plants on its own create income to yourself.

·         Promotes Creativity:

Definitely landscaping is one way to be a creative. With this, it builds our personality that in a simple way we can make a difference. You don’t need to be a rich person to provide all your needs in your landscape, just look around and you’ll find things that make your gardening create attractions. The bottom line is creativity.

No matter what is the reason why you’re doing landscaping, the most important to remember is you’re enjoying it. You don’t need to be a graduate in this kind of field to create a best design as long as it interests you more. Our interest put us to create a difference. A difference that totally changes one’s personality that brings a success to us.

Garden Design without Spending Too Much

Design is another way why most of us appreciate landscaping. It brings a good feeling watching your home garden having such a nice design. There are lots of ways in designing a garden. Others mostly preferred making a design that would describe their personality while some make a garden based on the article they read of by the influence of other person. Having a good garden design doesn’t mean we need to spend too much money for the design we want. So here are my suggestions on how to have a design without spending too much.

Recycle. Some of us after using empty cans, toys, and other things that looks waste for us, we just throw it on the garbage. We don’t even realize that we destroy our environment and we don’t anymore think that in a trash we could make a design out of empty cans, toys, etc. Aside from we can used it as a design, don’t you think that it is another source of income that you may use to buy for other materials you may need in landscaping. Using creative imagination brings about a good thinking on how to use a thing over and over again in a nice creation.

Use plants mostly seen in your surroundings. Choosing plants is a big aspect we need to consider in making a design for your landscape. Other plants may look good while some are hard to insert in our garden due to its characteristics. We don’t need to buy plants that we may be use in designing a garden, just turn around and you’ll probably found plants that would fit to your landscape design. Buying plants cost too much. In fact, those plants that are seldom can be seen in our surroundings cost expensive. There are other plants we just ask to have from our neighbors so why must buy plants. The important thing is you know how to care plants so that it will make your garden beautiful.

Branch of trees is not only for firewood but also for designing. After a typhoon, I saw my neighbor picking those stem and branch of trees. I wonder why he didn’t use it as firewood instead uses it to attach orchids. We can make lots of design in trees such as by making it as bench, you can place plants vase to it, make a good design out of it. By means of what he did, it only proves that in any thing we saw that looks a trash for us, can brings a nice look in our landscape.

Just be creative! Creativity doesn’t require spending too much. In fact, it’s a way to save money