All abloom!

I  went back for a visit to Dangwa Flower Market one weekend admiring once more the sea of colors in this place that throbs with life  24/7. This time, I was able to talk to more vendors and luckily met one of the pioneers, Aling Agapita Pamulaklakin.  Kind and very accommodating, Aling Agapita took me back to the '80s when there were only a handful  of them selling fresh-cut flowers in a bus station that came to be known as Bulaklakan ng Maynila.  

Sunshin-y day!

Everyday, the flower vendors, including Aling Agapita, waited for the fresh produce that would come from the Mountain Trail delivered via bus to Dangwa Bus Station along Dos Castillas Street in Samplaoc, Manila. Back then, there were only a few selections the most common of which were roses, of course.

Velvety roses in a row.

Blooms on display.

Red ginger torch flowers lovely to put together into an arrangement. 

" Paper roses. Oh, how real those roses seem to be!"
... and they are!

Fresh eucalyptus

Simply stunning!

A climb in  demand for fresh-cut flowers opened another window of opportunity for the flower vendors. Some varieties are now sourced from Bangkok and Ecuador.

Fresh orchids imported from Bangkok.

Long-stemmed Ecuador roses.

Aling Agapaita tells me more about her life selling fresh flowers and how a bus station evolved into a flower market . Her story is featured  in the online magazine, Positively Filipino ( based in San Francisco, USA), May 29, 2013  issue. 
Read more...

The first of May

The heat  just won't let up this first of May. Still, I'm loving summer.

Dangwa Flower Market: Oasis of colorful blooms

I've always wanted to visit Dangwa Flower Market and walk about its alleys at a leisurely pace to admire and enjoy the sight of colorful blooms: roses, gerberas, chrystantemums, tulips, etc. I've been  there a few times, always rushing and would drop by only to buy a bunch of white roses or  fresh poinsettias during the Christmas season. Over the weekend, I finally had the chance to see those pretty blooms up close, smell the scents and have a little chat with vendors selling diverse and exciting varieties of fresh-cut blooms all year-round. 

Potted orchids for orchid lovers:  Php 700

Roses rule in this market!

  

A bouquet of lovely roses can fetch up to Php 300 and Php 100-120 for a dozen (loose). Haggling is allowed.

Freshly-delivered floral produce.

.... more blooms

Asters and greens (above) to spruce up your flower arrangements.

Since this is the wholesale flower market resource for event planners, distributors and florists, the whole stretch of the market  gets very busy on special occasions and buying frenzy starts really early.

The market sits in  close proximity to the Dangwa Bus Terminal in Dos Castillas Street in  Sampaloc, Manila ( very near the University of Santo Tomas along Espana, Manila ).