The best thing about the sampaguita is that it is so easy to care for – at least, within our shores. In temperate regions of the world, frustrated gardeners can only sigh in resignation as their sambacs wither and die when frost arrives. The sampaguita loves heat, which is why it has fallen in love with our country as much as we have unconsciously embraced it into our culture. It grows best when the soil around it stays moist but not soggy. Enrich the soil with compost every two months, and fertilize every other week.
One final thing about the sampaguita: each flower actually lasts for less than a day on the plant, lasting anywhere from just 12 to 20 hours, usually reaching its peak a few hours before midnight, but each plant flowers profusely the whole year through. Doesn’t all that make the sampaguita a small yet legendary, fleeting yet profuse, and a most colorful, white and welcome addition to every Filipino garden?
One final thing about the sampaguita: each flower actually lasts for less than a day on the plant, lasting anywhere from just 12 to 20 hours, usually reaching its peak a few hours before midnight, but each plant flowers profusely the whole year through. Doesn’t all that make the sampaguita a small yet legendary, fleeting yet profuse, and a most colorful, white and welcome addition to every Filipino garden?
