Oasis of flowers

One of the most popular destinations here in Holland during spring is the Keukenhof. Honey and I have been planning to visit this well known garden for the longest time but somehow, the two months that this garden is open slips by so quickly that we never managed to squeeze in a chance to drop by.



L, a friend of mine since the good old auditing days, was here over the Easter holidays so honey and I grabbed the opportunity to finally see for ourselves what everyone was raving about. At first, honey was not sure how to get there but when we saw the cars starting to file up, we knew that we were in the right direction. After seeing all the cars headed towards Keukenhof, I thought it’s gonna be crazy and we’re not going to enjoy because of the huge crowd, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Even before we enter the garden, the field painted with various colours was already a site to behold. Keukenhof, which also means kitchen garden, is now on its 60th year and is situated at an area that used to be a hunting field where herbs are also planted for the kitchen of Jacoba van Beieren’s castle, thus the name. via.



I have never seen more flowers in my entire life. Tulips, lilies, daisies, amaryllis, roses, different types of orchids and so much more flowers whose names I’ve never seen before are all there in one garden. No wonder people are enamoured by this garden, it’s like a piece of paradise with its magical colours and cool breeze. I can imagine this place as an awesome venue for weddings, even prenuptial pictorials.



I am so looking forward to coming back next year, maybe even prepare a picnic basket so that we can stay longer in this oasis.

Flowers, fruits and more

One of the highlights from our recent trip to France is the trip to the garden/plant shop. They had various kinds of plants from blooms to fruit bearing to ornamental, they also have indoor, outdoor, hanging and water plants, name it they have it. Honey and I have always wanted to visit gardens here in the Netherlands coz we know they’d be really good, it is the home of the beautiful tulips after all, but we never get to go.

I love all the flowers, in different shapes, sizes, colour and scent, it was simply wonderful. Going to this garden also bolstered my desire to grow my own fruit bearing plants in our back garden. The look of lemon hanging from the branches was priceless, and beneficial too, if I may add.

I had to stop honey from buying all the tall trees, telling him that we’ll just buy them from here. We ended up with a pot of roses, several pots of strawberries, two pots of tiger lilies and a pot of parsley. These plants were immediately replanted on our back garden the moment we arrived home. That’s how excited we were about these beauties.



Good thing we didn’t buy much from France though, after talking to my colleague, who’s half French and half Dutch, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the plants we bought we’re actually imported from the Netherlands and that his parents (specially his mom who is French) buys loads of plants from here whenever their going back to France coz its much cheaper here. He also recommended a garden where it’s really good to buy plants. We’ll definitely drop by and buy all the plants that I want to grow myself.




I’m really looking forward to this coming Spring, more than ever, coz I’m excited to see all my plants mature to their fullest beauty.

Tulips and Spring

Like most people, honey and I have a frantic schedule during weekdays, therefore, honey and I like to take things easy on weekdays (if and when circumstances permit it). My typical Saturday morning would begin at around nine to nine thirty. I would take my own sweet time in preparing breakfast. Once honey and I get our fill of our weekend breakfast (which normally is a heartier meal than what we have during weekdays), I would start tending my orchids and the rest of the plants that we have at home. There is serenity and calm each time I look these beauties and a satisfaction fills me, knowing that they are as lovely as they are because I cared for them.

Same is the case last Saturday, after breakfast, I watered my orchids and the rest of the foliage at home. That is when I noticed this just outside my kitchen door.



If my memory serves me right, this pot was planted by honey almost two years ago. He planted these tulips way beyond the prescribed planting season that is why we didn’t get to see them sprout last year. I remember teasing honey and told him that he is not to handle plants coz he never managed to keep any of them alive. When I told him that the tulips he planted are starting to bloom, the smirk on his face was so wide, I just have to laugh.

Beautiful blooms, they signal the beginning of my favourite season… Spring.

Singapore Orchid Farm

Purple, white, yellow, red, orange… the palette of colors that welcomed us as we entered the famous Singapore Orchid farm was simply painstaking.
Ever since I was able to care for my own orchids at home, I became more fascinated with these pretty and elegant flowers. So I was like a kid in a candy store when our tour guide in Singapore took us to this orchid garden. The flowers are of varied shapes, sizes and colors. There was a section in the garden where all the flowers were named after famous people, heads of states or their wives, actors and actresses. It was a bit rainy when we were touring the garden but that didn’t damp my enthusiasm in taking in all the beauty that surrounds me. I had to make do with my phone camera as my digital camera’s battery died on me, but in spite of a less reliable camera, I must say that the beauty of the place was not compromised.





As I tour around the garden, I can’t help but think that this place is a great venue for a wedding or even just a wedding photo shoot. Simply wonderful.

Pretty little things

One of the very first things I have noticed when we moved here in Holland is the very beautiful, ginormous blooms that abound everywhere. Flowers here are hands down one of the most beautiful I have seen EVER! I’m not just talking about flower shops (although there are flower shops in every corner), a lot of houses here have very pretty flowers blossoming in their gardens, tulips, roses of all colors and sizes, orchids and so much more. I have never tried growing my own flowers that is why I envy those houses with flowers to boot.

If I like flowers, Junfer can’t get enough of them. I am contented at looking at them in the shops or in our neighbors’ garden but Junfer was never satisfied with that. There was a time when each afternoon that I come home, I would find a new orchid plant or a flower pot that he recently bought from the store. The problem was, he never knew how to care for them, poor little pots of pretty blooms. After a couple of days or weeks (depending on the type of flower he bought) the potted plants start to wither and die. I even had to tell Junfer to stop buying the plants since it’s a waste of such beautiful flowers. So Junfer refrained from buying so much flower plants and we contented ourselves with more sturdy leafy plants that needed less attention and care.

The next time we encountered potted blooms was when we had our house blessing, several of our friends gifted us with pots and pots of beautiful and colorful orchids, one was even similar to the one Junfer recently bought (and managed to kill… haha). That was when I decided that I have to take matters into my own hands, I told Junfer that from then on I would take care of the orchids. Since I know nothing about caring for such delicate flora, I did a bit of research on the net and asked some of our friends who have orchids in their own homes for tips on how to keep the plants healthy. I was so certain that these plants are difficult to keep alive because I remember my sister bought a purple-colored orchid from one of her trips from Mindanao and in spite of all the watering and fertilizing that she did, the orchid only made it through a few weeks, it shriveled and died. With the little knowledge that I acquired, I did my best to keep the fragile blossoms alive.

We held our house blessing in February, so it’s been five months ago and guess what…..



My beautiful orchids are still fresh, alive and vibrant with colors. I never knew I had it in me. Now I am embolden to explore the extent of my green thumb by planting other types of flowers in our garden or maybe even try planting berries or other fruit crops. Hmmm, I think that would make our garden and roof terrace more colorful and useful.