Category: wildlife garden

Treetop Adventures

Featured by Healing Present Nature & Wellness Center, posted in Color Combo & Design, Food Garden, Gardening and Landscape Design, Raised Beds, School Gardens, Therapeutic Garden, wildlife garden

By Michelle Domocol @inflourish_
Back to Inflourish: Cebu Blog

As a child, it felt magical to play in a treehouse, feel closer to the sky, and capture a bird’s eye view. I was overjoyed and curious. Treehouses and tree decks are some of the best settings for imaginative play, relaxation, and daily connection with nature. Today, I’ll share some fun ideas for gardens that enhance treehouses and tree decks. The inspiration can enrich a treehouse or deck in a backyard, community garden, or a local school. Feel free to incorporate these planting combinations into personal projects or share them with community members looking to improve a treetop design.

A treehouse adorned with a succulent greenroof above borders of floral shrubs, colorful foliage, and aromatic groundcovers.

Vibrant Foliage & Flowers. Planting floral and foliar color are beautiful ways to attract interest and highlight your treetop structure. You can concentrate on a particular color combination, motif, floral scent, or educational theme to help determine your plant palette. Or you can select plants based on particular height and space requirements. With this criteria, floral groundcovers, shrubs, and a few trees may suit your site. With cozier spaces, potted plants, epiphytes, and vines are preferable.

Or get creative! Add a shallow raised bed of flowering succulents on the rooftop of your treehouse. Or add a succulent border or raised boxes on the perimeter of your tree deck. If your site is larger it space, add additional flowering fruit trees. And don’t forget colorful shrubs as an option. San franciscos (Codiaeum spp.), Mais-mais (Dracaena spp.), cordyline lilies (Cordyline spp.), and Mayana (Coleus spp.) pop with deep maroons, golds, hot pinks, and other rich hues. Remember to observe your site’s soil conditions and sun exposure to further refine your plant selection. Here are some vibrant floral exemplars that grow well in my area:

  • Waling Waling orchid (Vanda sanderiana)
  • Philippine ground orchid (Spathoglottis plicata)
  • Rose Mallow shrub (Hibiscus moscheutos)
  • Sampaguita shrub (Jasminum sambac)
  • Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia spp.)
  • Heliconia spp.
  • Torch ginger (Etlingera elatior)
  • Ylang Ylang tree (Cananga odorata)
  • Siar tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum)
  • Narra tree (Pterocarpus indicus)
  • Malapapaya tree (Polyscias nodosa)
  • Bani tree (Milletia pinnata)
  • Binunga tree (Macaranga tanarius)
A tree deck supported by an old Acacia surrounded by big-leafed, shade-loving plants and ferns. The Acacia is also adorned with vines and fern epiphytes.

Trees with Shade-loving accents. Adding trees with shade accents can also enrich your tree house or tree deck. In time, this combination will turn into a shady, cool respite from the heat. Your shade-loving accent can be big-leaved gabi, palmettos, Colocosia spp., monsteras, and ferns while the native trees can have sprawling crowns, graceful palm leaves, compact treetops, and/or seasonally produce fruit. Other tree species could be Alibangbang (Bauhinia malabarica), native bamboos, Panalipan (Diospyros tenuipes), and Maritima (Vatica maritima). Alternatively, you can focus on adding compact fruit trees or larger fruit trees like native figs like Dakit, Lagnob, and other Ficus spp. Other suitable fruit-bearing choices could be Banana varieties, Avocado, Nangka, and Balimbing.

A field of heliconias and birds of paradise with a background of fruit tree accents leading to a treehouse.

Trees that can support Houses or Decks. Most of this article focusses on enhancing an existing treehouse or deck with a surrounding garden. If you need advice for the right tree to support a new treehouse or tree deck, ask an engineer, experienced builder, or treehouse designer.

There are many ways to build a treehouse. Sometimes the entire structure is attached to the tree. Others build structures with no weight on the tree. Additionally, builders incorporate gaps in the platform and roof so the tree can grow through the house and deck. In my experience, treehouses are made with healthy, mature, multi-trunked hardwood trees. In Cebu, old Fig trees, old Mango trees, mature Yakal, Ipil, Lawaan, Narra, and Acacia are used in tree decks or treehouse projects.

Have fun creating and enjoy your future treetop adventures!

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Forests Upwards & Outwards

Featured by Healing Present Nature & Wellness Center, posted in agroforestry, Food Garden, Gardening and Landscape Design, wildlife garden

By Michelle Domocol @inflourish_
Back to Inflourish: Cebu Blog

Last June I took a break from posting an article and dedicated more time to managing new projects for Healing Present. The in-house construction and plant nursery staff are working hard to grow tree saplings and upgrade fences around our established forests and budding new agroforestry gardens.

I’d love to share some brainstorms for plant combinations for our upcoming forestry and garden plots. It’s incredibly essential to focus on Healing Present’s private reforestation but Cebu’s fragile environment needs the broader protection and resource enhancement of Mananga-Kotkot-Lusaran watershed forest reserves and public green spaces like CCPL (Central Cebu Protected Landscape).

Beyond Healing Presents current projects, I want to also share my personal aspirations for community-led watershed forest restoration through CCPL (Central Cebu Protected Landscape):

Support Existing Watershed Forests. On Healing Present’s existing forests’ creeks and natural pools by increasing biodiverse native canopy cover and understory. We will use techniques like assisted natural native plant regeneration, medium diversity planting, tree island nucleation, and coverage rows to increase cover in degraded riparian buffer areas. We would plant climate-adapted, typhoon-resistant canopy species (eg., Anisoptera thurifera, Parashorea malaanonan, Shorea malibato, Petersianthus quadrialatus), deep-rooted windbreaks and erosion control species (eg., Calophyllum inophyllum and Diospyros blancoi). If possible, we’d like to echo this action on a broader community-connected scale. In the future we’d like to join other organizations’ efforts to provide vegetation and technical support to local watershed forest reserves in the nearby CCPL. Increased canopy cover improves our watershed’s functionality and ecological services such as wildlife connectivity, riverbank stabilization, and freshwater recharge. Any effort to truly increase biodiverse the watersheds’ native canopy cover between forest fragments and other degraded areas of the watershed forest reserves would benefit the province and city of Cebu.

Support Existing Watershed Agroforestry training and implementation. In Healing Present, we promote and plant multistrata agroforesty designs for native forest restoration, our own consumption and health benefits. In the future, we’d like to provide support for existing agroforesty initiatives that are more around our nearby watershed. We’d also like to help existing reforestation projects plan crop cultivation schedules that ultimately lead to phases of forest restoration. Some combinations we’ve recommended around Balamban and properties include species that are :

  • high-value timber (e.g., Anacardiaceae and Caesalpiniaceae, Verbenaceae);
  • cash crop nut trees (e.g., Canarium ovatum);
  • high-demand fruit trees (e.g., Citrus spp. Mangifera altissima, Chrysophyllum cainito);
  • local fig tree species (e.g., Ficus nota);
  • nitrogen-fixing vegetation (e.g., Moringa oleifera);
  • perennial culinary and decorative (eg., Zingiberaceae).

We’d also like to join organizations in their efforts to provide training and resources for locally accessible agroforestry interventions and sustainable enterprises. CCPL, for example, would benefit from a strong and continued Successional Agroforestry Training Program. Trainees would learn market demands, community preferences, biophysical conditions, labor availability, affordability, and infrastructure. Options would be compatible with regionally practiced agroecological methods, low tillage, and climate-smart agricultural techniques. The multi-strata agroforests permitted in CCPL could be intercropped with native nitrogen-fixing vegetation, fast-growing nitrogen-fixing groundcovers, fodder species, and perennial crops in multiple-use zones, depending on the trainees’ site conditions and management goals.

Other suitable site designs, affordable crop management, buyer negotiations, product marketing, and commercialization would benefit the existing and new farmers in CCPL. Featured management techniques could include selecting multipurpose trees/shrubs that enrich soil and crop productivity (e.g., Leucaena spp.), contour vegetation strips, floral insectary hedgerows, living fences, windbreaks, and multistrata homegarden designs. The program will facilitate farmer-to-farmer exchange with existing homegarden and medium-scale systems. Some examples would focus on ginger-based agroforestry models, diverse taro systems combined with native shade trees (e.g., Dipterocarpaceae), climate-adapted crop varieties, and improved grafted varieties.

The targets on agroforestry and improved watershed management in CCPL enhance community-led engagement in watershed protection. Agroforestry-based production presents economically viable methods to simultaneously implement watershed restoration and generate income for communities of growers.

Support Native Bat Habitat. In Healing Present’s forests and CCPL I want to refine the focus on stabilizing resident keystone bat populations (e.g., Golden-capped Flying Fox, Large Flying-fox, and Little-Golden Mantled Flying Fox). Strong bat habitats support the restoration of the watershed’s multiple ecosystems and their indigenous flora and faunal communities.  The protection of bat populations also sustains their role in watershed forest regeneration, commercial fruit pollination, and agricultural pest control through Cebu. If reforestation is successful, the aim is to increase native bat forested habitat connectivity between fragments of closed canopy, open canopy and other tropical rainforest patches

In Healing Present, we want to increase the amount of food and habitat trees preferred by Golden-capped Flying Fox, Large Flying-fox, and Little-Golden mantled flying fox (e.g., Ficus aurantiaca, F. variegata, F. crassiramea, Nauclea orientalis). In CCPL, if more bat habitat projects move forward, the sites for bat corridors and applied nucleation can connect areas of wooded grassland, shrubland, closed canopy forest, highly fragmented primary and secondary tropical rainforest patches, riparian forests, and ravine dipterocarp forest patches. 

I’m excited Healing Present continues to increase the vegetation in our forest fragments but they will weaken if nearby greenspaces and watersheds outside our private properties are unprotected, bulldozed, and covered in concrete. Hopefully effective community efforts can battle the unmitigated commercial development, sand and gravel extraction, solid waste pollution, agrichemical pollution, and unsustainable charcoal production on our precious Mananga-Kotkot-Lusaran watershed forest reserves in CCPL.

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Landscaping Local & Homegrown

Featured by Healing Present Nature & Wellness Center, posted in agroforestry, Color Combo & Design, Gardening and Landscape Design, wildlife garden

By Michelle Domocol @inflourish_

Back to Inflourish: Cebu

In today’s post, I’m celebrating landscapes–large and small–flourishing with native trees, shrubs, ferns, flowers, and grasses. Gardens that showcase the Philippines’ endemic and indigenous flora instill pride. I recently saw a presentation that emphasized Philippines has over 3000+ indigenous trees while all of Europe has only 454 native species. And boy do some European countries campaign for the protection and widespread use of their small pool of local trees. In Cebu, our own government buildings are adorned by the same typical palette of non-native foliage planted around local hotel chains.

The culture of undervaluing native species originates from a host of historical and economic reasons. One cause stems from a commercial plant industry that isn’t equipped to propagate many types of native species. Plus customers are unfamiliar (or assumed to be inexperienced) with native species’ maintenance needs and aesthetic.

But those trends can change. I hope we eventually invest in a horticultural industry and culture that celebrates, researches, and proliferates the protection and integration of endemic and indigenous flora in our personal gardens, commercial spaces, and public parks.

Here’s a fun design to inspire new garden combinations that feature endemic and indigenous flora.

In this design, the numbers represent the following types of plants: 1-Ficus species; 2-Nauclea orientalis; 3-Native and naturalized Bamboo species; 4, 5, 6, 8, 10- Groups of Native Shrubs; 7, 9, 11- Native Ferns

1- Ficus species. You can use local fig species like Ficus nota, Ficus variegata, and Ficus ulmifolia. These species are fast growing, attract beautiful birds, and fruit all year. Ficus nota and Ficus ulmifolia grow to 3 to 5 meters and shade smaller gardens during hot, sunny days. While Ficus variegata grows in full sun and rises to 25 meters.

2-Nauclea orientalis. Locally referred to as Hambabaw or Bangkal, these trees sprout distinctive spherical fruit. They are fast-growing, tolerate waterlogged soils, heavy winds, and produce beautiful blooms in full sun. They can reach 15 meters and their outstretched leafy branches offer cool air (like natural air-conditioning) and excellent shade.

3- Bamboo species. Native bamboo species from the Cyrtochloa, Dinochloa, Schizostachyum genera are great choices. When planted in groups they create natural screens and privacy from neighbors.

4, 5, 6, 8, 10- Shrubs. Borders with alternating sections of shrubs create bold accents. For example, grow 5 local blueberry shrubs in a group. Then next to that group grow a cluster of 5 Cratoxylum shrubs. Alternating clusters make more visual impact than a single row of different individual shrubs. Other shrubs you can plant are bignay species, lemongrass, and pay-at (Clerodendrum macrostegium, Clerodendrum brachyanthum, or Clerodendrum intermedium).

7, 9, 11- Native Ferns. Diplazium esculentum (edible fern) and Lygodium species (nito) are wonderful, hardy choices for combining groups of ferns.

I hope this design encourages you to discover more native flora in your local forests and plant nurseries. And if you already know about local indigenous and endemic flora, I hope you’re inspired to garden with native species and teach others about your knowledge of local trees, shrubs, and flowers. The above photos of plant features are from Co’s Digital Flora and Wikimedia commons. I highly recommend Co’s Digital Flora if you’d like to learn more and marvel at the abundance and diversity of native species around the Philippines.

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Welcoming the Holiday Season with New Garden-Savvy

Featured by Healing Present Nature & Wellness Center, posted in agroforestry, Food Garden, wildlife garden

By Michelle Domocol @inflourish_
Back to Inflourish: Cebu Blog

As we welcome the upcoming holidays and the new year, I’ll share new updates from the Healing Present’s reforestation projects and amazing techniques we’re using in our gardens and agroforests. Maybe our garden and forest projects will inspire you to relax and share a love of plants and natural wonders with your friends and family this holiday season. Some of the upcoming articles will feature wonderful work from our resident garden managers like Ariel and Yengyeng. We’ll share new designs and video tutorials on:

  • food forests and agroforestry home gardens
  • vermicomposting, coconut husk fertilizer, and mulching
  • new decorative vertical garden techniques
  • native forest regeneration methods
  • native tree care
  • seed saving
  • and fun ways to reuse and give new functional lives to old doors, old glass or plastic bottles, and other discards

I look forward to sharing our updates. You’ll also be hearing from local gardeners, forest managers, and farmers about their land management progress and techniques. I’ll share fun interviews and we can marvel in their exciting news together. If you’d like your garden, farm, or forest featured in this blog, email ask.inflourish@gmail.com

Till next post, Happy Holidays!

a,c,d-using old picture frames, doors, & tree trunks to make beautiful vertical gardens;
b-making fine mulch from fallen branches or exotic trees;
f– saving seeds from the garden trees like achuete;
g-making strong plastic twine from old bottles; h-coconut husk fertilizer
Vermicompost snapshots: Feeding and adding fluffy cardboard bedding for our prized vermicompost worms. They love vegetable scraps and chopped banana pseudostems aka bani or banana trunk.

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For our Singing Feathered Friends

Featured by Healing Present Nature & Wellness Center, posted in Container Garden, Gardening and Landscape Design, Raised Beds, School Gardens, wildlife garden

By Michelle Domocol @inflourish_
Back to Inflourish: Cebu Blog

October in Cebu brings steady rainfall and a daily chorus of bird calls. Healing Present’s (HP) headquarters is located in the bustling, concrete landscape of Cebu City. It sits far below from the farm’s upland vegetation and pocket forests.

Photo 1. Features in Bird-friendly garden behind HP headquarters–A: Assorted foliage plants; B: Fruiting vines; C: Flowering ginger lilies; D: orchids attached to post

Although the headquarters are surrounded by cement homes and ragged roads, we manage to create an oasis for local birds (Photo 1). It’s truly awe-inspiring what a collection of potted plants, raised beds and vines can do (Photo 1). Without fail, every morning and afternoon, we are visited by local avians like black shamas, sunbirds, flowerpeckers, and more.

In general, adding plants that attract local birds benefits you and the local ecoystem. Birds visit urban gardens for food, water, and temporary protection from predators.

In turn, they grace us with relaxing songs. For some, birdsongs are reminders of our unique ecological heritage. These urban bird oases are also wonderful venues to teach children about nature without traveling too far from home.

Here are 3 strategies to create your own bird-friendly garden.

1. Offer a Fruit & Nectar Buffet. Add fruit-bearing and nectar-rich, flowering shrubs, vines and trees. If you live in a smaller space with a balcony or small courtyard, select dwarf fruit trees or shrubs that grow well in containers.

In urban Cebu’s humid, rainfall, and tropical climate, we can plant so many combinations of tropical fruit or berries. Try adding your favorite local fruit. I’ve seen birds flock to gardens with batwan, biasong, lomboy, or seryales.

If you have a larger space, add mature native trees and vines. As your fruit/flower garden matures, birds will appreciate the free food and nectar. You can add non-fruiting plants too. Birds like to protect themselves amongst large leafed plants (Photo 1) like elephant ear, ferns, crotons or other foliage.

2. Leave the fallen leaves. In Cebu, there’s a compulsion to constantly clean up old leaves. In a bird garden, fight this urge. You can sweep the leaves and debris under the plants. But please don’t throw them and worse yet, burn them. These precious leaves return nutrients to your plants. They also attract harmless insects birds love to eat.


3. Discourage cats. Cats can threaten and attack local birds regularly. In Cebu, sometimes it’s difficult to protect your garden from stray cats. If you have your own pet cat, try to keep it inside or away from your garden. You can also put a bell on your cat’s collar so birds are warned as it approaches.



Photos 2 to 5 are my sample designs. They may inspire your next bird-friendly garden.

Each design illustrates an outdoor space with bird-attracting flowering and fruiting plants. Native and endemic plant varieties are also highlighted.

“Tropical Lounge” (Photo 2)

Photo 2. “Tropical Lounge” plant map

A: Outdoor seating area with cluster of native Phalaenopsis orchids, flowering Heliconia latispatha, and a local variety of Dwarf Lakatan bananas.
B: Bignay fruit tree (Antidesma bunius) and Kamagong (Diospyros blancoi)
C: Dwarf lakatan in container
D: Large-leafed foliage plants

○ ○ ○


“Relaxing Patio” (Photo 3)

Photo 3. “Relaxing Patio” plant map


A: Kamuning shrubs (Murraya paniculata) around a pond
B: Talamisan Citrus tree (Citrus longispina) with Vanda orchids attached to trunk
C: Mix of Luy-a (Zingiber officinale), ginger lily (Zingiber spectabilis), and ferns
D: Reclining outdoor chairs to observe birds and rest

○ ○ ○


“Garden path” (Photo 4)

Photo 4. “Garden Path” plant map


A: Walkway with bordering gardend. A mix of cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and local Santan shrubs (Ixora philippinensis).
B: Native Dendrobium orchids growing on decorative boulder
C: Behind the flowering borders, you can add large-leafed foliage like taro. If you have more space, you can plant trees like Cebu Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cebuense) or Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa)

○ ○ ○


“Terrace” (Photo 5)

Photo 5. “Terrace” plant map


A: Islands of Gumamela varieties (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
B: Dwarf Limonsito (Calamondin spp.) tree in a large circular raised bed with attached circular seating
C: Group of dwarf papaya growing in containers
D: More hibiscus shrubs in front of a slightly raised terrace

I hope these designs inspire some enthusiastic brainstorming for our feathered friends. Till next post, enjoy the rest of October’s birdsongs.

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