Waling Waling Flowers from Davao

During a recent trip to Davao (for work), my boss and I had a chance to visit this orchids farm that houses the “Waling Waling” – one of the most sought after orchid plant in the Philippines.

Vanda Sanderiana – the scientific name for Waling Waling.

Waling-waling, an orchid endemic to the Philippines and only found originally in Davao-Cotabato, foothills of Mt. Apo and Zamboanga del Sur. This orchid was already known in Europe as early as 1934 and has made a name for the Philippines that could be the envy of any flower lover people of the world. The 1927 edition of Sanders’ Orchid Guide, which contains “all the best known species, varieties and natural hybrids of orchids in cultivation, including their native countries” has listed the Vanda sanderiana (its former name) and prefixed it “a magnificent Orchid.”  [source]

A magnificent orchid indeed, with white petals on top and gold/orange petals below, surrounded by speckles of brown-red color.

Aside from Waling Waling, we saw other varieties of Philippine orchids, like these below (sorry I didn’t take note of their names anymore):

Gerberas were also in bloom and this Pastello variety, known for its bright orange color, is just so pretty to look at.

I think this is a Dalma – it’s actually white but came off with a vanilla white color in my camera.

This is where the flowers are tended and grown.

If you happen to love orchids then this place is an absolute must-see.

And did I mention that the orchids here are priced 30%-50% lower than those being sold in Manila and Tagaytay?   No wonder my boss bought plenty of these lovely orchids.   The people at Waling Flower House are so used to having buyers from Manila and they know how to properly package these fragile blooms for air travel.

Now for those planning to buy orchids from Davao, it’s best to check them in early at the airport because they have to go through a quarantine test.

But if you prefer a worry-free shopping for Waling Waling orchids, you can order them online at Orchid.ph which is being managed by the Puentespina Orchids & Tropical Plants, Inc., the very same company that owns the flower shop we visited!  They also have offices at Quezon City (+63 2) 9242730, Makati (+63 2) 8435303 and Dangwa, Manila (+63 2) 7409759.   Check it out!