PRIVATE INITIATIVES: The Madrones Garden

At a one-hectare property on the crest of a hill in barangay Cansilayan is nestled the Madrones Gardens . There, bromeliads, anthurium, ferns, oleanders, orchids, hibiscus and many more plant varieties grow and thrive. Mrs. Josefa Madrones, a retired school teacher tends to her garden daily; she has found that gardening is a lucrative and a fulfilling venture. A member and past president of the Buenavista Cut-flower Association, Mrs. Madrones was introduced to composting in 2000 when the association started producing and selling their own compost. Now Mrs. Madrones has installed in her garden several compost boxes filled with dried leaves, manure, sawdust, and worms. She has taught her garden workers the composting process. She uses the compost product on her bromeliads and anthuriums. She notes that plants treated with commercial additives wilt easily and do not have the dark deep colors which plants with compost exude. Mrs. Madrones is actually afraid of worms but she is now producing her own African Night Crawlers. These seem to have found at the Madrones Gardens a paradise, all to themselves.