Sunflower maze rising in Pangasinan town

This sunflower maze in Tayug town aims to draw more visitors to eastern Pangasinan. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TAYUG, PANGASINAN—The country’s first sunflower maze is beginning to take shape in this agricultural town in Pangasinan province.

Seen from above, the giant maze of flowers would look like a fully opened sunflower sprawling at a 2,100-square-meter portion of a 3-hectare demonstration farm in Barangay C. Lichauco here.

The farm is owned by the Allied Botanical Corp. (ABC), a vegetable seed breeder, producer and distributor.

“This year is our takeoff to [becoming an] agri-tourism [destination] after the Department of Tourism accredited us as a day farm. We are offering something that is educational and fun for both kids and adults,” said Michael Caballes, ABC president.

The maze, designed by landscape artist Toni Rivera, will be the main attraction of the company’s open days, which will run from Feb. 17 to May 17.

“We have timed our open days to coincide with Baguio City’s Panagbenga (Flower Festival), so that tourists going to or coming from Baguio can drop by the farm,” Caballes said.

As much as 8,000 sunflower plants would make up the maze, he said.

With pathways wide enough to fit four people walking side by side, Caballes said the maze can accommodate up to 100 people per tour.

It will take at least 30 minutes to complete a tour of the maze.

Making it fun

“We are making it fun. We created three secret gardens, which are actually dead ends. [The gardens are] where people can take selfies or just rest and try to figure out how they can exit,” Caballes said.

The ABC farm is a 30-minute drive from the Carmen exit of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx). Commuters can take airconditioned buses bound for Metro Manila, Pangasinan or Baguio, get off at SM City Rosales and take a van to Tayug town. From there, they can take a tricycle to the farm.

The walkway leading to the maze’s entrance would showcase an urban and edible landscape, green walls and ornamental plants.

“We will have assorted flowers, like the celosia, marigold, petunia, torenia and other bedding plants. It will be a very colorful landscape before you enter the maze,” Caballes said.

Ornamental plants would be sold at a nursery beside the company’s main building.

Recycled materials, such as blue drums, tires, office drawers, steel cabinets, doors and chairs, will be adorned with plants “to give [tourists] some ideas as to how urban and edible landscapes could be accomplished,” Caballes said.

The old Ford truck of ABC founder Willy Co was included in the display, planted with different edible and ornamental plants.

Tourists would also be treated to a vegetable showcase in an area adjacent to the sunflower maze.

Aside from the familiar “bahay kubo” and “pinakbet” varieties, Caballes said the farm would feature more than 500 varieties of vegetables, including different types of leafy vegetables, which are not yet being grown in the Philippines.

In an adjacent 8,000-sqmfarm is a watermelon and melon plantation.

Visitors can pick their own melons for a fee.

“It’s going to be educational for people who will see what kind of flowers and vegetables they can grow in this kind of weather. This is the hottest place [in Pangasinan] and these are basically the adaptable varieties,” Caballes said.