No more ‘blooming’ grad sunflowers for UP after calendar shift

Apart from the Oblation, few sights on the UP Diliman campus are as iconic or as memorable as University Avenue bedecked in sunflowers—a traditional sign of the dual joys of summer and of graduation.

But all that is going to change.

Shortly before UP Diliman's university council met on Monday to approve the academic calendar shift to August, students rallying outside had paper sunflowers in hand. 

There won't be real sunflowers for next year's graduation if the shift continues, feared these students, because they only bloom in April.

Every year, the avenue leading to the Oblation is brightened up with sunflowers which grow taller than your average Pinoy. Reaching their full bloom in April under the favorable heat, the sight of yellow petals is deemed as a fitting parting gift for the university's fresh graduates after four—or sometimes more—years of studying. 
 
As timeless as the sablay

For any student working on his or her thesis, seeing this field of yellow on the way to school is often a welcome motivation to finish school work in time.

"It's an inspiration, a tangible reward after the pressures of my last semester in UP," said graduating journalism student Mel Lopez. "Masarap siyang i-look forward, kasama na ng diploma at sablay."

The sablay is UP's traditional graduation garment, which the august Filipino institution prefers over the Western cap and toga.

With the calendar shift now approved by UP Diliman's university council pending the Board of Regents' finalization, will the campus still see the these yellow buds of sunshine if graduation next year will fall on June?
 
Where to now, sunflowers?

"That was the question raised to me by former (UP Diliman) chancellor (Caesar) Saloma," recalled Engr. Alden Aynera, director of UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Office (CMO)"Sabi ko, 'actually sir, it's up to May lang. By June, nandiyan ang sunflower but it would die down.' It cannot withstand the rain because of the the weather, diba ang summer natin May lang. Actually half ng May, tag-ulan na."

"Sabi ko, We can still plant, why not? Pero hindi ko na masisiguro sa inyo na it will bloom the same way it would during summer."

The CMO would plan the sunflower planting in January, then start with the Php360,000-400,000 project around 60 days before the graduation day in April. 

For the first time, said Aynera, his office's monitoring of flowers is now on a daily basis as they note growth rate and weather conditions for future use. 

Ideally, they should use the seedlings from the sunflower buds, but they are forced to buy seedlings each year because they are left with zero specimen after graduation.
 
A time for everything

"We procure three kinds of seeds, test kung ano ang mas may magandang yield. Pero hindi kami makapag-preserve," Aynera told GMA News Online. "Kalaban namin ay tao, pinipitas."

UP graduates and visitors usually take photos of sunflowers when these are in bloom, but the souvenir-taking also often involves pulling the stalk out of the ground. Aynera himself said he has seen a family cut up a whole bunch of sunflowers before the graduation rites.

"Yung seeds din minsan pag buo na, kinukuha ng mga bata, kinakain. Ganun din yung mga ibon," he said. "How can we harvest the yield if maunahan kami ng tao at ibon?"

Last year, white-on-red announcements requesting that sunflowers be spared from cutting were seen next next to the rows of yellow.



"May research din ang UP natin (tungkol sa sunflowers)," said Aynera. "Yung research ng isang graduate student ng bio, nasa Amerika ngayon, parang lumalabas na may capability ang roots na makapa-lower ng high blood. Nag-request sila na pitasin ang flowers para naman sa research."

Sunflowers can withstand heat, but heavy wind and rain might pose problems for their growth, said Aynera. Even moderate rains can be harmful, since wet soil is ideal for worms.

"Minsan yung mga kambing din ng mga malalapit na residente, umaabot sa mga tanim," said CMO admin aide JP Gonzales. "Kapag nakikita namin, binubugaw naman. Kaso minsan, huli na. Hindi naman namin kilala kung sino ang mga may-ari."
 
Like babies in bloom

This year, 59,000 seedlings were planted along the 2-km total length of University Avenue's sidewalks and center island. Including the seeds placed behind the amphitheatre, where graduation ceremonies are held, Aynera said the final number could be above 60,000.

"Mahirap, kasi you are approximating that it will bloom on the day you want it to bloom. Kung hindi mag-bloom, failure iyon para sa iyo," he told GMA News Online. "Pero yung three days pa lang na you expect it to germinate, expecting the bud to go out of the 'shell' masaya na yun."

"It's a baby. Kailangan maalagaan mo siya hanggang tumibay siya." 

In a mixed blessing of sorts, Aynera said that the university will continue to plant and grow sunflowers—but they won't be as big nor as bright as alumni remember them, come June graduation time. — TJD, GMA News