Baby Rubber Plant

Variegated Leaf Plant

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Wikipedia has a simple explanation about variegated leaf that a novice like me can understand easily. It says that a variegated leaf has green and non-green parts. The green parts contain chlorophyll so that they can photosynthesise but the non-green parts have no chlorophyll so they cannot photosynthesise. Variegated leaf plants do stand out from other plants. I have a few of such...

Arrowhead Variegated

Arrowhead Variegated

Monday, March 30, 2009

I found this plant during one of my regular walks at Bukit Kiara. It was growing wildly, overflowing to the bank of the tarred trail. So, I plucked a baby plant by the trail and grow it in a container. From the shape of this plant, I understood why it is called Arrowhead (Syngonium Podophyllum). The one I have is a variegated type....

Golden Money Plant

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Many Chinese love Golden Money Plant (Jing Qian Shu) and you can find this plant mostly in Chinese-owned shops and houses. The plant can be placed indoor or outdoor but should be undershade. The one I have in my garden bears flower when the weather is cool for a long period of time. The flower is cream coloured and the shape looks like...

Pretty Arty Plants in PJ

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Our city council's gardeners are becoming more and more creative! Recently I noticed many nicely trimmed topiaries in round and box shapes around Petaling Jaya (PJ). I admire these trees and shrubs when passing them in the car. My journeys on the road are now becoming more interesting. After looking at these pretty plants, I am now considering writing some words of encouragement...

Asplenium Nidus

Bird's Nest Fern

Monday, March 23, 2009

One common plant found in most homes is Bird's Nest Fern. Its leaves are tongue-shaped and apple green in colour with spores underneath and grows out from a fuzzy brown wool rossette. The brown midrib of the leaf is very strong. The rossette looks like a bird's nest. When my sister-in-law gave one to me, its leaves were huge, about two feet in...

Chicken Gizzard

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Chicken Gizzard may not be a pleasant-sounding name but it is actually the name of this pretty and fancy looking plant. This interesting plant, which is botanically known as Resine Herbstii Aureo-Reticulata, has red stems and green leaves with yellow and red veins. Some of the leaves have tips that point outward but mostly are pointed inwards, similar to the shape of a...

Bukit Kiara

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bukit Kiara is one of the few green lungs left in Kuala Lumpur. It is located on the fringe of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, at the border of Petaling Jaya. It has become a popular recreational place for Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya residents. I go for walk at this community forest at least once a week. It is not only...

Wandering Jew

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Here is my Wandering Jew, botanically called Tradescantia Zebrina, that I bought from Cameron Highlands (my favourite holiday destination!) in 2006. The plant has trailing stems that grows pretty quickly. In the beginning, I elevated the pot using a pot stand. The foliage drops down as it grows. Now, I have placed the plant on the ground instead. I always need to train...

Strawberry Pot

Monday, March 16, 2009

I found myself interested in strawberry pot after looking at a picture of a beautiful French blue pot in The Garden Shed Fall/Winter 2004 issue by Better Homes and Gardens. Strawberry pot looks like an urn and has pockets around its body. Here, we can find either a terracotta or glazed ceramic type. But not all gardening shops sell such pot. ...

Flower of Prosperity

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Adenium Obesum is known as Flower of Prosperity to the Chinese (Fu Kwai Fa in Cantonese) and widely known as Desert Rose. It can be propogated using stem cuttings or seeds. The Adenium Obesum I have in my garden has flowers which are pink at the sides and white in the centre. It blooms whole year round. However, when it rains heavily, the...

Bukit Gasing

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

On Monday morning, I was with a group of friends at Bukit Gasing. We trekked for about an hour and I was exhausted after that. The short trail we followed made us went many steps up and down. We ended up trekking along a stream to exit. My knees ached after the walk. So, was the walk worth it after all? Yes indeed!...

Crasula Family Succulent

Monday, March 09, 2009

This succulent rosette plant is from the family Crassulaceae. In the Crassula family (Crassulaceae) there are a number of plant genera. The type that I have in my garden looks like one of its hybrid, Graptoveria Opalina. It is a small plant forming rosette of greyish green fleshy leaves that grew from the stem. The leaves breaks easily, so got to be very...

My First Sweetheart Hoya

Saturday, March 07, 2009

I bought two Hoya Kerrii Variegated heart-shaped leaves on Tuesday at Ikea. The leaves are green in the centre and yellow at the sides. Each leaf was planted in a tiny plastic pot. I repotted both of them into a small square pot and placed the pot in a bright shade/partial sun (morning sun) spot in my garden. Hoya Kerrii is a member...

Begonia 'Martin's Mystery'

Begonia Looking Glass

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Looking Glass is a lovely begonia plant. The leaf is metallic silver with green veins and red underneath. It has pink flower clusters. Likes part sun/shade places. And an easy plant to grow as well. The metallic sheen is more intense if the plant is exposed to more hours of sunlight. Else, the leaves would be cranberry with less metallic sheen. ...

Indoor Green Project

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Last Sunday, Stanley, Kelvin and I went to Sg Buloh to look for office/indoor plants. It was quite hot when we were there. Fortunately there were passing clouds that gave us some shade intermittently. Stanley wanted to plant African Violet in small terrarium to keep the plant from pest attack and over watering, hence making African Violet easier to maintain. I was looking...

Horse Face

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Alocasia Polly is the Latin name of this plant. It is highly easy to maintain. Just do not overwater will do. This plant came free! It sprouted from the soil one day. It must have come with the soil I bought from the nursery. Now, there is a new shoot growing out from one side. ...