Bucalan Sunflower Garden

             Not as spellbinding as the Hokkaido Spring Gardens but this latest local tourist magnet may as well be on its way in that direction.

             There is without any doubt that the Bucalan Sunflower Farm is the hottest go-to place in La Carlota to date.  Established only a little over a year ago, the small patch of land (used to be the sugar central mud press dump site) now teems with golden blooms that lent the rather drab landscape with something beautiful to behold.

            In Greek mythology, the nymph Clytia died of a broken heart, transformed into a sunflower and relentlessly follows the love of her life, the sun god Apollo.

            Unrequited love or not, behind the farm is an inspiring story that needs to be told. Here Bucalan Sunflower Farm bares all.

Who is Bucalan Sunflower Farm (BSF)?

             I’m a police officer assigned in Mindoro. I own the place but my father manages it.  Our family name is Flores. In Spanish, Flores means flower, right? Both my parents are not only plant enthusiasts but have green thumbs as well.

           

What is so special about sunflowers?

            I have been assigned to various places around the Philippines and I’ve seen a lot of theme parks and gardens. It was the sunflower that really caught my eye.

            My fascination for sunflowers inspired my best practice at work involving the Tokhang inmates. Institutional work program for inmates is part and parcel in the reformation process but the question lies on what program to implement. So instead of the usual agricultural produce like rice or corn, we agreed to take a more novel step and engage in producing cut flowers instead.

            To cut the story short, the program was a success. Our produce were sold to local flower shops and we even supply some to Dangwa in Manila. As a result, our inmates found purpose with this unique and profitable venture.

What motivated you to start a farm in Bucalan?

            As our initiative here in Mindoro met is purpose and with more seed to spare, I suggested to my father to make use of the barren space and start a garden for recreation. We started with only a hundred seeds. Then the flowers bloomed and people started to notice.

             

            When I started a page on Facebook about our farm, the public’s response was overwhelming. It was shared many times over which resulted to an influx of visitors. It was unexpected.

            Entrance is free as the garden was not intended for commercial purpose. It just feels good to see people leaving the place happy.

           

What shall we all expect from BSF in the future?

            The garden will be reopened to the public in September. For the convenience of everyone, we will develop the area inside Central Azucarera de La Carlota near the Admin building. We will start with a thousand seeds featuring varieties coming from Japan.