It is predictable to find
Cocos nucifera or coconut in any Philippine landscape. You could practically find
niyog all over the archipelago. Because of it being so common, designers have probably gone tired of using it in landscapes giving rise to the use of more contemporary palms like
Roystoneas (Cuban royal palms) and
Woodyetias (Hawaiian or foxtail palms) in modern gardens. Or so I thought...
Last Sunday I got the chance to visit the Esplanade walk over at SM MOA (Mall of Asia). The architecture and landscape are definitely contemporary. But what made me smile is the use of the cliche coconuts in its coastal modern garden.
I was thinking the designers and developers probably opted to use the niyog because of affordability (other plants in the landscape were 'economical' choices like talisay-
Terminalia catappa and caballero-
Caesalpinia pulcherimma). But when the strong seawinds blew into the niyog's ever durable pinnate leaves, I got to realize how underrated the coconut tree has gotten as a waterfront landscape plant. It was probably the best choice for that coastal landscape - sure beats to pay hundreds of pesos for a coconut tree than thousands for any other collectible landscape palm.
It is predictable to find Cocos nucifera or coconut in any Philippine landscape. You could practically find niyog all over the archipelago. Because of it being so common, designers have probably gone tired of using it in landscapes giving rise to the use of more contemporary palms like Roystoneas (Cuban royal palms) and Woodyetias (Hawaiian or foxtail palms) in modern gardens. Or so I thought...
Last Sunday I got the chance to visit the Esplanade walk over at SM MOA (Mall of Asia). The architecture and landscape are definitely contemporary. But what made me smile is the use of the cliche coconuts in its coastal modern garden.
I was thinking the designers and developers probably opted to use the niyog because of affordability (other plants in the landscape were 'economical' choices like talisay-
Terminalia catappa and caballero-Caesalpinia pulcherimma). But when the strong seawinds blew into the niyog's ever durable pinnate leaves, I got to realize how underrated the coconut tree has gotten as a waterfront landscape plant. It was probably the best choice for that coastal landscape - sure beats to pay hundreds of pesos for a coconut tree than thousands for any other collectible landscape palm.
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