Tourist rush shuts flower maze, garden

A worker tends to a flower patch at the ABC demo farm. —WILLIE LOMIBAO

TAYUG, Pangsasinan — The sunflower maze and garden showcase here were temporarily closed to the public on Tuesday to allow their owners to rehabilitate the flowers damaged by the swarm of visitors during the weekend.

Herlo Atole, farm manager of the Allied Botanical Corp., said more than 10,000 visitors flocked to the maze in the farming village of C. Lichauco here on Feb. 26. The maze could only accommodate 100 people at a time.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. The flowers and plants were heavily damaged. We need a couple of days to replace them,” Atole said.

The maze, which is made up of about 8,000 sunflowers, is the main attraction in the company’s 3-hectare demonstration farm that also features flower and vegetable gardens.

At least 30 different varieties of flowers are planted in a colorful bloom field fronting the maze. Vegetables used as ingredients for the dishes “pinakbet” and  “chopsuey” are also displayed at the farm.

Atole said the rain on Sunday also caused the sunflowers’ petals to fall, making the flowers less attractive.

“We expect the second batch of sunflowers to bloom by the last week of March,” he said.

Since the Feb. 17 opening of the maze, an average of 1,500 tourists have visited on weekdays and up to 6,000 visitors have toured it during weekends. —GABRIEL CARDINOZA