Hazelyn's Passion: Cactus and Succulents

For some people, cactus is considered an unfortunate plant because of its prickly spines. But not for Hazelyn Guerrero of Bacolod City who has probably more than a thousand plants both in her home in Bacolod City and in her farm in Sitio Mambucano, Brgy. Cabatangan, Talisay City, Negros Occidental. "I've known of people who have been unlucky in their personal or family lives and yet, they don't have single cactus plant," Hazelyn sadly notes. She also mentions that she has a lot of Chinese customers who even believe otherwise. As we all know, the Chinese are very keen observers of customs and traditions.

So as we usher in this New Year, this is an appropriate feature to dispel the superstitions that cloud the beauty of these unique plants and that prevent plant lovers from collecting them for fear of the mystery that's connected with it.

Hazelyn had been actively collecting cacti and succulents for the last 20 years. She continues her acquisition but she has already stopped counting because she couldn't keep track of how many kinds she already has. She explains that the general term for these dessert plants are succulents because their bodies can hold water. However, those that have spines are commonly known as the cacti and those that have smooth juicy parts are called succulents.

As a young child, Hazelyn recalls that her first cactus encounter was during the days she spent at her maternal grandmother's greenhouse where the latter kept a more famous variety better known as Queen of the Night. When it was time for the plant to bloom, they would wait patiently into the night just to catch a glimpse of this elusive blossom as well as a whiff of its unique perfume.