The Naturally Native View

The Orosa garden

The adjacent lanai

Pathway to the garden

I went to Alfonso in Cavite for a Metro Home magazine shoot.  I was told that the house we will visit had a nice view and of course a garden that would compliment it. I was expecting that the vista had something to do with Taal Lake as I knew Alfonso is near Tagaytay.  But when we reached the place, I realized I was wrong.

 

The private view

The house we visited was Rene Orosa's, an interior designer from the US.  It was located inside the town proper near the church. Rene renovated his ancestral house into a cozy hideaway tucked into the slopes of a creek ravine. The view mentioned was not the iconic Taal view but of the deep creek valley. It had a clean water and the lush greens bordering the rich and moist banks of the mountain stream.  The trees look like they are the original plant cover as most of them are native plants, including impressive large specimens of Macaranga grandifolia.

Macaranga grandifolia

Surprisingly Alfonso town still hides a few natural wonders. They are unfortunately hidden away inside the private properties for owners to enjoy.  But then again I would imagine such a view would be exploited if it had public access. The Orosas really treat it as a prized possession as most of their garden and living areas revolve around maximum appreciation of the creek valley. They carefully framed it with an equally lush garden. 

Tropical ornamentals

I wrote a more detailed account of the Orosas' garden in the next issue of Metro Home, out December 12. You could find more pictures of the whole garden plus images of the house's interiors. I hope you do get a copy and check them out.