Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas known to many as consultant to billionaires, first ever woman President of the American Association of the Philippines, Kiwanis Lieutenant Governor Elect, Top Events organizer, Businesswoman, Go Negosyo speaker, writer and influencer is now as certified “Plantita Plantpreneur.”
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| Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas at the Hidden Hills Farm by Josefino |
Why the Sudden shift?
Actually, it’s not a shift, on top of all the above-mentioned credentials, she still finds time to commune with her plants, at Hidden Hills Farm by Josefino.
Hidden Hills Farm by Josefino is a 2-hectare farmland nurtured by his late father, Josefino Velasco Bondad. When he passed away, Engr. Grace took over it and promised to cultivate and enhance it so as how his father does.
“It’s my fathers legacy……initially, my objective is just to assist my mom to be busy for the death of my father so we both went to planting to make the farm that he left colorful and for us to be busy. It helped us also convert our loneliness and depression to positive energies, nurturing the plants and taking care of the environment.” shared Engr. Grace
Hidden Hills Farm is full of fruit bearing trees like Avocado, Mulberry, Golden Caimito, Cashew, Lipote, Mangoes, Daranghita, Chico, Coconuts, Bananas, Jackfruit, Lansones, Rambutan, Durian, Bignay, Abiu, and Santol,. It has some ornamentals before but not to the category of the high-priced rare ones.
During the pandemic, when almost everybody at home wants to have something productive to do... when plantitas and plantitos are flooding all social media platforms, and a fad for collecting ornamentals is at the helm, she thought of getting a caladium. She started with one pot but was able to propagate 5 more and sell.
“So I got an opportunity to earn because of
planting which makes me relax then at the same time, earning”
From there, she became interested on the rare
species of ornamentals and started collecting, propagating and “earning”. As of
this writing, Engr. Grace has completed the Top 10 rare in demand houseplant in
the world on her wishlist, including 6-figure priced varieties;
1. Variegated
Monsteras
2. Philodendron
White Princess
3. Philodendron
Melanochrysum
4. Philodendron
Gloriosum
5. Anthurium
Veitchii
6. Anthurium
Warocqueanum
7. Monstera
Adansonii Variegata
8. Monstera
Obliqua Peruvian Form
9. Philodendron
Pink Princess
10. Variegated
Syngonium
She’s very delighted with the rarest of all
monstera, Obliqua according to many is the one from Peru, often described as
being "more holes than leaf". Another reason why this plant is so
difficult to sell and grow is that it grows extremely slowly. ... only after
several years will an obliqua produce those characteristic, highly fenestrated,
barely-there leaves. From one celebrity article before with few leaves already
cost for Php 250K with 4 leaves while Engr. Grace has 12 leaves already as of
this moment and trailing. There are some die hard Plantitas already waiting for
her to propagate and sell to them. What a fulfilling passion. Green minded
indeed.
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| Engr Grace with her Monstera Obliqua |
Monstera Obliqua is one of the rarest varieties, and it is often confused with Monstera Adansonii. While both of these Monsteras have lots of holes in their leaves, there are a couple of key differences. Visually, Obliqua looks like it is more hole than leaf.
Earning 6 digits a month for what started as a diversion activity is fulfilling! Unexpected but it happened to Plantitapreneur Grace.
"I found joy, happiness and financial abundance in my garden, this is so unexpected...and so rewarding"– she concluded.
To visit the plant collection and the 3 IG friendly villas; https://www.facebook.com/HiddenHillsByJosefino/
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