A landscape artist’s natural sanctuary in Laguna

Call it beginner’s luck. In his debut exhibit at the W/17 showroom, landscape artist Ponce Veridiano has been quickly replacing paintings on display. Despite the rawness in his canvases, his large-scale abstractions are moving fast. Some works reference the explosions of color from the flowering plants in his aerie on a 35-hectare property in Nagcarlan, Laguna.When Veridiano started building his second home 10 years ago, he had to alter the landscape by readjusting the hillside. The slanting terrain and rocky ground seemed incompatible for construction. Hence, the ground was manually leveled. His three-level house with tiered gardens is built on a slope that overlooks a forest and stream. Constructed with clear glass to bring the outside in, exotic woods and stones installed by the Igorots, the house easily blends with the environment.

At the pebble-washed foyer, the long hardwood bench draws the eye to the end: The riprap walls frame the water plants on the pond and the raw landscape.

Mini-gardens

The dining room, bedrooms and Veridiano’s studio on the lower levels are accessible only by stony stairways outside of the house. These hardscapes are lined with pots of mini pandakaki, cycas and native trees such as tibig, suameis and bantolinao. Upon descent, you literally stop to see and smell the flowers and the foliage.

Unlike other gardens with lawns and islands of plants beneath huge trees, his landscaping comprises three levels of potted plants and panoramic vistas.

The mini-gardens on each level stun visitors with contrasts in scale, color, texture and light and shadow. Veridiano’s design philosophy: more large leaves, more masses of foliage, more flowers equal more life. His trademarks: topiaries, pebbles, boulders and broad-leafed plants.

The landscape artist says it wasn’t necessary for him to design the garden since he was already surrounded by nature. The rich plantings that fringe the home merely reinforce its connection with the forest.

“Basically, I don’t have a lawn because the terrain is sloping. There’s not much land to plant. But the bamboos grow wild here,” he says.

Over time, plants started to grow on the steps. Veridiano says seeds were blown by the wind and started to grow wherever the sun and soil conditions suited them. The riprap walls and boulders from Antipolo are softened by sensations, giant ferns, philodendrons, aglaonemas and calatheas. The stairs are lined with stone mushrooms crafted by local artisans.

Plant commune

Each level is designed like a plant commune, consisting of companion species that thrive best under the same conditions. The plants were selected for their effects: suamei trees for their graceful forms, impatiens for their vibrant blooms, dracaenas for their striking leaves.

“During summer, the medenilla is like a chandelier with red flowers,” says Veridiano.

The main garden on the second level consists of outdoor rooms, a koi pond and pocket rock garden.

The bamboos, native trees and glass railings act like walls that create these outdoor room, decked with tables that display bonsais. The focal point is a living sculpture of a blue bush bonsai tree which lends a sense of calm while the under stories of bucida flowers and bougainvilleas burst with colors.

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By the lanai, a fish pond, surrounded by wild impatiens, enhances the serene ambiance. Huge cement stepping stones, imprinted by anahaw leaves, were inspired by the stepping stones shaped with elephant’s ear leaves in Bali. “Instead of piedra china, these anahaw stepping stones look more natural,” says Veridiano.

Most visitors enjoy the pocket garden room, carpeted by black kudo pebbles and adorned with boulders and shade-loving plants such as philodendrons and syngoniums. The stone goddess Kuan Yin quietly blesses the place.

In this frenzied world, Veridiano’s haven becomes a sanctuary as the house embraces the forests. And the measure of his wealth is by the abundance of the dense plantings. —contributed INQ

The exhibit runs until March 23. W/17 is at La Fuerza Plaza, Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound, 2241, Chino Rotes Ave., Makati City.