Cheer Up Gloomy Sky!

Monday, December 16, 2013

There are always flowers for those who want to see them -- Henri Matisse When everything seems gloomy (it has been raining daily!) and not many plants are in bloom, my Petrea volubilis, commonly known as Sandpaper Vine or Queen's Wreath, produces racemes of purple flowers to perk up the garden. What a pleasant surprise :-) The vine is a native to West...

Garden Sowed with Love

Friday, December 06, 2013

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee -- Muhammad Ali This very inspiring quote simply let us know how the great boxer wins. That is so true for that particular sport. But in gardening, best thing to do is to grow all things with love :-) There is so much to learn in gardening. I thought I was growing my plants really well but...

African Daisy - Gerbera

Something Cheerful, Something Pretty

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view -- H. Fred Dale Sometimes the garden offers some surprises! This Gerbera Daisy plant has not been flowering well for such a long time. I was so glad to see its flower stalk coming out from the centre of...

Weeds!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

I don't have a gardener because I enjoy pulling weeds. It's hard to explain, but there is something fulfilling about pulling out a weed and knowing that you got all the roots -- Justin Hartley I used to have some bulb plants growing from this pot. Overtime, the bulbs are gone and this creeper appeared. I am calling it a weed. But since...

Seeing Them Grow

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I grow my plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly is for the joy of seeing them grow -- David Hobson The sight of blooms is always an attraction. I enjoy the process also. First a healthy plant then come beautiful...

Bugs Only

Friday, November 08, 2013

God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done -- Author Unknown It has been raining in the afternoon almost everyday recently. The nights have been cool and wet. Hence, I usually skip my normal watering routine the following morning and check on my plants whenever I have the opportunity to do so. ...

Strange Discoveries

Friday, November 01, 2013

My fake plant died because I did not pretend to water them -- Mitch Hedberg Some gardeners like to have a fake flower or two in their garden. I was walking pass a house last week and saw a strange flower (not the pic below!) growing out from a cute little bush. At a split of a second, my friend and I concluded that it was...

Alternanthera sp.

Flourishing Greeneries

Friday, October 25, 2013

We need a place in which we may flourish and be ourselves -- Timothy Radcliffe It has been a wonderful week and my plants are growing and blooming better than usual, yay :-D Glad to see them looking pretty! I was also so motivated to do some gardening works. Weeding was easy as compared with re-potting. Good thing many of my pots are plastic....

Colour-Rich, Nutrient-Rich

Thursday, October 17, 2013

How lovely is the silence of growing things Once plants are comfortable enough, they will just grow and bloom freely. Though some may flourish slowly and some quickly, they tend to be always knowing how to appreciate the gardener. I was admiring the wonderful leaves of my Begonia 'Martin's Mystery' before a 'hair cut'. The trailing-scandent has brilliant silvery pink, rounded leaves that...

Amaranthus Perfect Red

Bright and Very Cool

Thursday, October 10, 2013

I was so busy over the weekend and got really tired. Anyway, I am thankful that I managed to have a good rest on Monday and finally have the time to upload a post today :-) I will begin with my old Copper Leaf Plant (Chrysothemis pulchella). The plant has the brightest yellow flowers and orange sepals! And the coolest leaves among the...

Growing Wonders

Friday, October 04, 2013

The week has been rather strange but a wonderful one. I did some reading and almost forgot to water my plants because I was so engrossed with what I was reading. But it turned out to be a blessing as just when I remembered to do so, the cloud came to indicate rain... and it really rained :-) My One-Day-Yellow Desert Rose (Adenium...

Amazing Week

Saturday, September 28, 2013

What a great week it has been! It was full of sunshine over last weekend and I took the opportunity to do some gardening, yippie! The Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) was the first to get a cut back. The shrub grew a little crazy this time round. Though it bloomed a little more than usual, I have to prune it as the stems...

Black Bat Flower

A LIttle Ray of Sunshine

Friday, September 20, 2013

I had the most relaxing weekend and hope you did as well! It was Malaysia Day on Monday 16 September, and we had a long weekend of fun, shopping and food (and coffee too of coz!), haha... Also I managed to finish some writing that I was supposed to do and finally, finally now I have the time to blog about my garden,...

African Daisy - Gerbera

A Wet Week

Thursday, September 12, 2013

I hope you have had a great week! Well, it was mostly cloudy and rainy here in Petaling Jaya. In fact, as I am typing this post, the sky is still suggesting bad weather for this week though the forecast says tomorrow is going to be sunny. Even the temperature has dropped by a few degrees! It is usually around 32°C in the afternoon...

Pretty in Pink

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Planting a shrub or two is not a difficult act. The shrubs that we grow add beauty to the garden and reward the gardener with their gorgeous leaves and flowers. One shrub that I have been growing for years now is this pink Aglaonema. It is one of the most beautiful foliage plant one can easily add to the garden! The plant however...

In Bloom

Friday, August 23, 2013

Some flowers stay open for days, and some open and close within the same day itself. Regardless, they are ever-alluring! They are attractive in their own ways. Some blooms have brilliant colours, some have fantastic structure and shape while others have bewitching scent. I love them all :-D The Dwarf Ixora plant in the background of the pic below is one of those...

Myanmar's Eden

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Min ga la ba! (Hello!) My first time to Myanmar was more than 10 years ago. Last month, I went there again, as a tag-along-traveller following an unplanned itinerary. The enchanting town, Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as The City of Flowers and the botanic garden, National Kandawgyi Gardens just knocked my socks off. I was overwhelmed by so much beauty to see! Pynn Oo...

Black Bat Flower

Smiley Moons

Friday, August 02, 2013

There are too many things to be done these days but good thing the weather has been quite moderate. I don't have to water as frequently as I used to. Also I didn't feed my plants as frequently. Well, that is why not many plants are blooming. Many are growing more foliage - taller and bushier only. A few however are good in giving me some excitement. For...

The Top 5 Ways To Spoil Your Pet (And Yourself)

Friday, August 02, 2013

Over $55 billion dollars will be spent by Americans on their pets this year. This doesn't mean that you need to bust the budget pampering your pet, and yourself, in the process. Not only do pets offer emotional rewards for their owners, but they can help provide exercise and even help decorate your home. Pampering your pet could mean more than grooming or...

Aphelandra squarrosa

It's Not Over Yet

Saturday, July 20, 2013

My watering can brushed very strongly against a flower bud of my Solandra langiflora (commonly known as Chalice Vine or Cup of Gold) the other day and it fell off from the stem to the ground. If that accident didn't happen, there would be another big bud ready to pop up anytime right in the middle of the vine, sigh... While most of...

After the Haze, More Blooms!

Saturday, July 06, 2013

Happy July and greetings everyone! :-D The sky has cleared up and no more haze, everyone is back to work and so is the gardener – weeding, pruning and snapping pictures... The Strophanthus preussii has been quite productively. Each time it flowers, it flowers profusely! The white and yellow blooms are so noticeable under the bright sun. The tresses swing and tangle up when the wind blows....

Hazy Sky, Dry Garden

Sunday, June 23, 2013

The haze is back :-( In times like this, I just wanted to stay at home. But at the same time, I am so glad I garden... I can count on my plant to supply me with better air to inhale while bringing some cheers ;-) The little blooms from my Cryptanthus that are hiding at the back have been taking turns to blossom. The...

Miss June

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

In the garden, I have been busy weeding. When the temperature warms up, that's when the weeds grow to show that they rule the garden... argh! Anyway looks like I am going to like June. There seems to be less prolonged rain and more moderate sunny skies recently. Hence I am hoping that the climate stay this way for the sake of my plants....

Carissa Macrocarpa

Picking Up

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

One morning as I was walking in the garden after a light rain, I spotted one Hibiscus acetosella flower was about to blossom. But due to the rain, the petals were all covered with water. I was hoping when the sun come up, the petals will dry up and will open up nicely. Sadly, it didn't manage to recover... I also did some...

Citrus × limon

Some Old, Some New

Monday, May 20, 2013

As a wedding that I attended last week is still fresh in my mind, when I saw my blue Plumbago in bloom, I recall a rhyme that goes like this... Something old, something new, Something borrowed, something blue, And a silver sixpence in her shoe. According to traditional British custom, the four "somethings" mentioned are meant for the bride to carry on her...

At Last!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

I have been waiting for new happenings to show up in my garden these days so that I could post something new but nothing out of the ordinary has been seen. Anyway, how's everyone doing? The little guy below took a while to open and before that to grow back its lush leaves. I was glad to see the first bloom opens. I...

Pretty Smells

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

It is easy to understand why the blooms of Strophanthus preussii are called medusa flowers. They have long appendages that can look pretty scarry at times. When wind blows really hard, they tend to tangle up, hehe... I like to see the climber flowering in great profusion so that I could see some older flowers in pale yellow and the newer ones in...

Epipremnum aureum 'N' Joy'

I Heart Earth Day :-D

Monday, April 22, 2013

Specially for those green at heart... I just wanted to share with you, my simple and natural way of showing the green side of me ;-) I used one of my Epipremnum aureum plants, commonly known as money plant to make this 2D heart-shaped topiary. I wrote about this little gardening project in the New Straits Times (a local paper here) and the article was...

Aphelandra squarrosa

Honey-Sweet Blossom

Monday, April 15, 2013

My Hoya kerrii flowers have opened! I am so thrilled to see two bunches of them opening one at a time. They may not be as gorgeous as its pretty leaves... still good enough to bring some cheers. Pic below is one of them... A day later, I saw nectar oozing out from its central crown of the flower. Looks like sweet syrup, so...

African Daisy - Gerbera

Blooming Times

Monday, April 08, 2013

Oftentimes plants that flowers take their own sweet time to bloom. Some re-bloom faster than others but they usually take a long time to re-bloom or maybe the gardener is simply a bit impatient ;-) Let me start with the one that I have waited for the longest time to re-bloom, my Hoya kerrii! Not just one peduncle this time but two... yay!...

A Little Bloom Brightens the Day

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Just living is not enough... ...one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower, quoting Hans Christian Andersen. ...

Garden Solutions

Which Style of Garden Furniture is Right for Your Garden?

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Garden furniture can add a touch of elegance or a touch of luxury to your garden. But there are so many choices when it comes to looking for the right design. Have you ever considered landscape architecture when it comes to the look and feel of your garden? Have you ever thought about the best ways of enhancing the plants and flowers which you’ve...

Garden Solutions

Top 10 Uses for Your Garden Log Cabin

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Garden log cabins are romantic, beautiful, high value, energy efficient buildings which can add so much value to your home. You can transform a simple garden into something truly spectacular but if you’re not sure what you can use your log cabin for, here are the top 10 uses to inspire you. 1. Summer house for sunbathing If you love enjoying the British...

Garden Solutions

The Top 5 Must-Have Garden Buildings

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Garden buildings are not only practical solutions for garden storage but they can create a stunning feature for your garden too. They can be extremely stylish additions to your outdoor space and here are the top 5 must-have garden storage that you will just love! Top 5 Garden Buildings for Garden Owners Now let’s take a look at our favourites when it comes to outdoor...

Garden Solutions

Get a Garden Shed to Improve Your Health

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Who would have thought that a garden shed could become such a popular choice of peaceful retreat for the people of Britain? Often a storage place for all our tools and gardening accessories, the garden shed is now being recognised as a place where we can find peace and quiet for the good of our health, and according to the Daily Mail, solitude...