In Silang, a sustainable, multitheme garden oasis
Fukien tea trees, manicured topiaries and a thousand plant species offer unique experiences in landscape artist Shirley Briñas Sanders’ country retreat
Surrounded by geometric hedges and stately slender trees, a circular stonepaved driveway with a sunburst design creates anticipation upon arrival at Casa Grande Flora.
Clusters of eye-catching hedges, ferns, perennials and pine trees in front of the chapel further make a strong impression.
A side pathway, covered by a trellis of Thunbergias, leads to the chapel door and a shady corner where St. Francis, patron saint of animals and ecology, exudes peaceful vibes. The route to the tropical-themed lawn and poolside is dramatized by a stairway covered with an eye-catching arcade of Fukien teas.
Located in Silang, Cavite, Casa Grande Flora, the getaway-turned-events place of landscape artist Shirley Briñas Sanders, is home to over a thousand plant species.
Sanders had worked with the uneven terrain, tenderly guiding the plants and trees so that they appear to spring up as Mother Earth had planned it. Different garden themes create unique experiences as people move across the property.
The hilly area was inspired by the traditional Italian garden, characterized by clipped topiaries of Eugenias and bottlebrushes, a fountain bubbling from an earthenware jar, a row of Italian cypresses, lots of evergreens and living walls.
Panorama
Built on the slope, Sanders’ country house/guest lodging offers spots to view the panorama of the Casa Grande Flora and the neighboring plantations.
The evergreen arcade and stone staircase are enhanced by features of the English cottage garden, known for its colorful floral beds.
Unlike the Italian garden with its well-spaced and formal arrangements of manicured topiaries, the English cottage garden style is a crowded motley of yellow-green shrubs, blue forget-me-nots, purple princess flowers, Bryonias, Doña Luz and Doña Aurora flowers, yellow and orange lantanas, birds-of-paradise, frangipanis, blue irises and white trumpets, to name a few. Each of these flowers competes for space and attention.
At night the scent of dama de noche and pine trees from the grove fill the air.
The lawn and poolside are
styled as a tropical garden, replete with clusters of palm trees, bromeliads and dracaenas. The slim fronds of the sellum contrast with the lacy patterns of the trailing ferns. The tropical design plays with levels that range from towering coconut trees and hanging ferns to ground cover.
Despite disruptions from the Taal Volcano eruption and the quarantine, Casa Grande Flora is busier in 2020 compared to last year.
Wedding reception bookings have doubled, as couples scrambled to make up for their postponements. There are plans to build 20 villas to turn it into an urban resort.
Monet’s garden
Sanders credits her mother, who showed how the frontyard garden made their home a friendlier place.
Though trained in medical technology, she followed her passion for plants and learned
her craft through self-study and experimentation.
In 1978, she formed Metro Gardens for residential landscapes. Eight years later, she married Joe Donald Sanders, a professor at the University of Texas. However, she chose to stay in the Philippines while he continued to teach. He visited his family on holidays. (She was widowed in 2013). The surname had a nice ring to it, so that when she acquired corporate accounts, the business was renamed Gardens by Sanders.
A turning point came in 1989, when socialite Gretchen Oppen Cojuangco became a client. Cojuangco and her tycoon-husband, Eduardo, had just returned from exile in Hawaii. Their estate in Ponteve
dra, Bacolod, was in shambles after years of neglect. Cojuangco was looking for a landscape artist who wouldn’t take advantage of her.
At the Pontevedra estate, Sanders worked around the existing trees and livened up the landscape with vibrant ornamentals. The garden was highlighted by a Japanese bridge over the lily pond, a vignette inspired by Claude Monet’s paintings. That garden became Sanders’ “calling card.”
Eventually, she got commissions from affluent families from Iloilo, Negros, Cebu and Manila. Sanders has worked with Manuel V. Pangilinan, Imelda Marcos, former President Joseph Estrada and Laarni Enriquez, taipan Lucio Tan,
Annie Aboitiz, et al., and corporate accounts from Shangri-La Mactan, SM Group of Companies and the Ayala Corp.
In demand
Sprightly at 66, Sanders has been in demand throughout this quarantine. Affluent clients wanted to spruce up their gardens.
“Since they’ve been staying at home, they would like to enjoy their landscape,” she says.
Sanders has also become the go-to person for comparing prices of online sellers.
“These sellers have been taking advantage of the demand by overpricing their plants. I know their value because I have a nursery for my projects,” she says.
“People in quarantine want indoor plants like philodendron monstera. It used to cost P1,500, now it’s P8,000. The mother-inlaw’s tongue plant is also popular for purifying the air and doesn’t need much watering. From P50, it went up to P800.”
Often asked about her formula for a beautiful and sustainable landscape, Sanders’ standard reply goes back to the basics: “Selection and location. There’s no such thing as a green or brown thumb. Choose the right soil and climate for the plants and know the best plants for the sun or shade. You can’t grow tulips and mums from Baguio in Greenmeadows. Landscaping isn’t just about aesthetics. There’s a science to it.”