"Private” Heliconia Day Tour and Plant Sale = Carla Black`s Heliconia Farm in Volcan= Finca La Chichicas
Event created by Judith Tovar
Event details
JUNE 20, 2018 (WEDNESDAY) = only 30 spaces available
"Private” Heliconia Day Tour and Plant Sale = Carla Black`s Heliconia Farm in Volcan= Finca La Chichicas
(Carla will have a presentation at BCP on June 12).
Carla & Angel’s home is surrounded by beautiful gardens with more species of heliconia than you can imagine, as well as other beautiful tropical plants including tropical water lilies. The garden is filled with beautiful heliconia flowers, magnificant views, water features, and hiking trails.
The farm is called “Finca Las Chichicas”….named after the Panamanian common name of the most prolific heliconia in this country, Heliconia latispatha.
What is heliconia?
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of flowering plants in the Heliconiaceae. Most of the species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku. They are a sister to the banana family and are closely related to ginger and Bird of Paradise. There are 250 species of all colors in shades of yellows and reds. Carla Black says she might have the biggest collection of heliconia species in the world!
Plant lovers find the Panamanian tropics a lush wonderland of botanical curiosities. Heliconias are one of the more unique varieties of flowering plant found here in great abundance.
Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias.”
Every year..for 2 days only… Carla opens their garden to the public and they have an enormously popular sale of heliconia plants. This year the plant sale weekend is June 23 -24, 8:00am- 4:00pm. This is the only time of year the general public is invited in to look around.
June 20 (3 days Before her Public big plant sale)…Carla Black will give us a “private tour”. You will also be able to buy plants that day. This will give you a chance to enjoy their beauty and acquire them for your home gardens….in a “private” environment! You are the “lucky ones” …..you will be able to pick and buy your heliconias before everybody else!!
***Carla will accept “preorders” and set them aside for you to bring home in the bus on June 20. Please review her website and let her know which plants you want to buy BEFORE we get there. Reason for this is because it`s confusing to see what`s what without the cut flowers, or trying to remember which are for sale while on the tour.
Contact information for Carla Black:
e-mails: heliconiatortuosa@gmail.com OR gardens@volcanbaru.com
Website: www.heliconiagarden.com
Today`s itinerary:
1.) We leave Boquete at 8AM. Get to Volcan around 10AM. The drive from Boqueto to Volcan is a very scenic, beautiful ride. You will be surrounded by mountains and nature all the way.
2.) When we get to Carla Black`s farm ….we will have a 2 hour “private tour” with her.
3.) AT 1 PM we will have lunch at “Mana Restaurant” in Volcan.
5.) After lunch we will drive back to Boquete.
6.) We should be back in Boquete latest 5PM.
People should come ready to walk, with sturdy shoes and walking sticks. Bus will drop us off at entry of the farm. Walk from the entrance to where you can sit down is about 200m., down and up. For those of you who do not want to walk anymore, you can sit in the garden while the rest of the group goes to the far corners of the farm.
This entire package includes: The round bus trip, coffee and cinnamon rolls before we leave Boquete, snacks, water and wine on the trip to and from Boquete, fee for private tour with Carla Black at her amazing heliconia farm, Lunch at “Mana Restaurant” in Volcan.
Total package: $80.00 per person
Please contact:
Linda Hart – lhart249@hotmail.com OR Judith Tovar - easytravel@cwpanama.net