My dear late mother has always wanted to propagate this particular tree planted in the garden. It is a medium-sized tree with white colored bracts surrounding smaller yellow flowers. Her rehab doctor, who just so happened to be our neighbor, had inquired previously how to propagate it when we were regularly going to physiotherapy. My mother tasked me to propagate it, but I had no idea how at the time. The tree looks pretty enough, with the white leaves making it look like it's full of white flowers, when in fact the real flowers are very small yellow ones.
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| Mussaenda Philippica white bracts and yellow flowers. |
After a brief search, I learned that the tree is called Mussaenda Philippica var. aurorae, or nicknamed Doña Aurora after Aurora Quezon, the then-first lady of former President Manuel L. Quezon. It is one of the few ornamentals favored by landscapers that are actually indigenous to the country. There is also a version with rosy pink bracts (var. Doña Luz) which I occasionally see in home gardens.
I will try to propagate from cuttings and via air-layering. I will see whether I have any luck with either method. A quick web search tells me that the most common way of propagation is through cuttings, but air layering can produce a faster-growing clone.
Before I can do any of that, I need to remove a balete (strangler fig) that has somehow attached to the upper part of the tree. My father might have placed it there on purpose since he has been playing a lot with baletes as an easy way to make bonsai. It has taken over most of the branch it has grown on, and since I had to trim the main tree to prepare for a particularly strong typhoon, I am concerned that it will eventually kill the host.
I have a lot of plans for the garden in the coming months, and I am excited to execute those plans gradually. Of course, I will be posting updates when they come.
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| Mussaenda Philippica var. aurorae seen in a landscaping setting at Iloilo Memorial Park. |