Pangelinan, 74, roams around her house in Chalan Kanoa to tend her orchids and other exotic plants.
Every Saturday, she will be at the Sabalu Market in Susupe to sell some of her plants.
But earning a profit is not her goal. When she started the hobby of collecting plants, it was strictly because she wanted to have them.
“Money is not the most important for me. Friends are more important,” Pangelinan said.
When orchids became popular on island about 10 years ago, Pangelinan recalled that many people, especially those from the states, who passed by her residence and saw her garden asked her about the prices of her plants.
“I just gave them which one they liked,” Pangelinan said.
She spends thousands of dollars every year buying orchids and growing them.
“That’s were almost all my money goes,” she said.
Pangelinan used to participate in orchid shows at hotels where people, mostly tourists, insisted on buying her plants. That’s when she started making money out of her orchids.
At the Sabalu Market, people can buy her orchids for as low as $2, but the most expensive sells at $50.
Many of these orchids came from Thailand and other Asian countries, costing her $600 in shipping expenses.
Pangelinan is known for her generosity. When people with disabilities come to her stall and like some of her orchids, she gives them the plants for free.
She also gives orchids to priests.
For graduation and other school activities, the former elementary teacher never accepts money from parents who want her flowers for their children’s leis.
Just recently, she donated some of her plants to the Commonwealth Health Center’s psychiatric ward.
So although Pangelinan continues to sell her plants at Sabalu Market, she still spends more than what she earns.
It’s all worth it, she said.
She believes that nurturing her plants helps her maintain good health.
Watching her plants makes her feel good and healthy.
“I watch my plants all the time. So whenever I come out and look at them, I can easily tell when they’re bad or good,” Pangelinan said.
She also believes that sharing her gardening skills with other people can help the island stay beautiful.
“When many people start growing plants they will make the island more beautiful,” she said.
Pangelinan continues to collect plants.
She orders orchids from Honolulu and Guam along with pots, fertilizers and other gardening necessities. From the boonies, she collects plants she finds attractive.
Pangelinan’s orchids include cattleya, vanda, dandodrium, pelonapsis and onsidrium.
She also has over 100 species of euphobia, different species of desert rose, fox tail, cacti, caladium and a lot more.
The joy her plants give her is priceless, she said.
For those who want to see her garden, call 235-3183.
