At this Nueva Ecija spot, bougainvillea is the main attraction

Cherry Blossoms has become so popular among Filipinos, we often time our trips to Japan to just to catch Sakuras in bloom. Tourist destinations offering Sakura-feels are even opening up across the Philippines as Pinoys continue to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Add Nueva Ecija's Casa Batik to the list, then. The 7-hectare garden and farm, located in San Nicolas in Gapan, has the beauty of the bougainvillea front and center.

In an interview with "Dapat Alam Mo!," owner JP Matias shared Casa Batik started out as a family farm, when his parents bought two bougainvilla plants of different colors.

"Yung beauty, yung factor kung bakit nag-enjoy sila sa pag collect," he added.

From the usual red and purple, the family was able to grow their bougainvilla collection to include yellow, orange, peach, pink, and the sakura-like pink-patch.

Casa Batik boasts of some 500 varieties of bougainvillas. And they come in various forms too — from lush trees to trellises, as small plants and large potted ones. Visitors can buy the flowers from as little as P150 to as much as P100,000.

The destination also has a cafe, where visitors can sit and enjoy coffee and pastries, while relishing nature's beauty all around. 

Bougainvillea is native to South America with 18 species found all over the world, "Dapat Alam Mo!" reports. The colorful flowers are actually modified leaves protecting the smaller flowers inside them.

Said JP, it's easy to care for bougainvillaes as it loves direct sunlight, of which we get a lot of in the Philippines. It only needs to be watered every other day.

Open daily. Weekdays 1pm-7pm. Weekends 8am-7pm. Cafe Batik 1pm-7pm 

— LA, GMA Integrated News