Darjane's Garden
The sunflowers in the Darjane’s Garden is nothing like we’ve ever seen. We were expecting to see the usual sunflowers that grow along the hillsides. But these sunflowers were worth the ride through the narrow and steep roads going to Shilan, La Trinidad. We were welcomed by sunflowers as big as serving plate in the entrance of Darjane’s Garden.
According to Mrs. Jane Montes, owner of Darjane’s Garden, the sunflowers were supposed to be sold, but since it bloomed late, they were not able to sell it. Instead they opened their flower farm for public viewing, it clicked, and in just few days the sunflowers went viral online and crowds came to their garden to personally see the ten thousand sunflowers in full bloom.
Mrs. Montes is a returning client of Jaime V. Ongpin Microfinance Foundation, Inc. According to her she returned as client because of convenience and loans are accessible. She used her first loan to augment the tuition of their children and as a returning client, part of her loan goes to the farm operations.
Aside from the experience of seeing gigantic sunflowers and other flowering plants in their garden we took home yet another lesson in resilience through Darjane’s Garden. Sometimes life does not go as planned, yet they made the best of what they have even when it was not something that was planned for. They continued sowing, the harvest they received may not have been what they have expected but it was worth their toil. Mr. and Mrs. Montes did not give up despite setbacks of not being able to sell their sunflowers yet made a tourist destination in the heart of Shilan, La Trinidad. During the pandemic and constant lockdowns, they still continued to plant despite not having patrons, now that the restrictions are slowly lifted the flowers they planted in season of lack are becoming attractions to local and foreign tourists alike.