Tucked away in the small town of Los Olivos on the road between La Villa and Macaracas is an amazing man whose passion is orchids. His name is Rogelio De Sedas.
Rogelio started out as an Agricultural Engineer, working in the sugarcane industry. He did this for 9 years, during which he learned a lot about controlling diseases in sugarcane. At one point his boss told him to go to a sugarcane conference in Cuba to listen and see what he could learn. Little did he realize when he checked into his hotel, that the organizers expected him to give a lecture in the morning. He spent the whole night pulling data together and, with knees shaking, managed to get through the unexpected event.
The next 25 years Rogelio spent in his own garden business (Jadiniera De Sedas, S.A.) in Panama city where he had 17 employees. Eight years before he was to retire, he purchased a 10 Acre (4 Hectare) plot of land in Los Olivos with the dream of reforestation there. He planted 280 fruit trees in pots, and when the 8 years came around for his retirement, he loaded all of his trees onto trucks and transported them to be planted in Los Olivos. The past 20 years has been spent creating his orchid gardens.
When you walk through his gardens as he shows and teaches you about all his orchids and succulents, you can see his great passion. Everywhere you look there are artfully displayed orchids growing.
He also worked with a government initiative for a while, but they kept wanting him to travel, teaching and advising others. And although he enjoyed the teaching, he really wanted to get his hands in the dirt and care for his plants.
Rogelio gets all excited when he notices some new “babies” beginning to grow on his plants. His face lights up like a proud papa. He will charm you with his knowledge and obvious love of what he does. You can’t help but get caught up in the beauty and awe of his place. And of course we couldn’t resist buying a few! Which, by the way, have brought smiles to our faces as we enjoy their elegant beauty.
We left with a queque (a cake-like sweet made with cane honey and coconut) each, a curcumin root to grow and some sweet peppers that he grows. We will be going back for more plants for sure, and of course just to visit our new friend.
Rogelio gladly welcomes visitors by appointment. He only asks you contact him at least 1 day prior to your visit. (Call or Whatsapp: +507-6607-5118)
Your photos and writing made me feel like you were introducing me to a new friend. I can see his excitement and passion-even with his face covered! I would love to meet him someday.