Have a Joyous Season!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas -- Calvin Coolidge Meanwhile here are some garden progresses. Firstly my Thyme! Oh, the herb is so gracious. Each time I prune it, the little shrub grows back so quickly. The plant smells wonderful...

Best Things Are Often Unexpected

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

My variegated Gardenia produces inconspicuous flower buds so when I spotted one flower recently, I was surprised by its sudden appearance. Anyway, I love the smell and its white petals. It's such a charming flower! Btw, giving gardenia flowers to someone means telling the person that "You are lovely!" Have you given one to someone before? ;-) ...

Billbergia Pyramidalis

B-r-o-m Time

Monday, December 08, 2014

There is nothing as satisfying as seeing the bromeliads in my garden blooming and glowing. I am so glad to see a few of them blooming at the same time. The wait is over, yay! Not sure if this is the norm... the flower stalks of my Billbergia pyramidalis grew towards the direction where there is greater sunlight. The bright orangy-red of the flower...

New Plants, Old Plants

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Glad I spotted the flower of my Kaempferia pulchra plant. Good thing it was facing the doorway, else I would have missed it. Saw it as I was walking out to the garden one morning. This one is unusually 'shy'... hiding inbetween the leaves ;-) Actually the shrub has not been flowering for some time. A little 'pampering' goes a long way. After a...

Therapeutic Indulgence

Monday, November 10, 2014

I spent a few days shopping for (and buying!) plants last week, which was very therapeutic :-) Seeing the many gorgeous plants, I was so tempted to bring home all of them!! Alas, I stuck to my old favourites. I spotted a group of Gloxinias on a rack at one nursery and quickly picked up two -- one red and one blue with white...

Caixin 'Hong Kong'

Objects of Obsession

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Brilliant blooms are attractive even when they are small in size. Past few weeks have been really great for certain plants. Though there were storms and even thunders, my Monocostus uniflorus benefited from the wet weather. The plant was blooming almost non-stop though the blooms were emerging one-by-one. The cooler temperature has certainly brought much comfort for this petite spiral ginger :-) ...

Euphorbia Milii

Delight in Chevron

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Where flowers bloom, so does hope -- Lady Bird Johnson The Dendrobium orchid flower buds blossomed one by one and they are two sprays of them now. Pale pink so sweet. I like! But I just wish they are more orchids. The other orchid that is in bloom is the Phalaenopsis bellina, called The Beautiful Orchid. The flower also blossomed one by one. ...

Morning Dragonfly

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

One morning, I woke up earlier than usual and as I was walking towards the watering can, I noticed a dragonfly perched on my orchid, resting on the spray of flower buds. Never moved a bit and for a long time. It was not even disturbed by my presence as I (and my camera!) was so near the insect! Still sound asleep, my...

Flowers, Fruits and Seeds

Friday, September 19, 2014

The sun has been hiding behind the clouds but the roses including Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) made their appearance felt. My One-Day Yellow Desert Rose produces blooms that have tinges of red on its yellow petals these days. Though pale in colour, they cheer me up every time they appear :D My Rosa 'Othello' rose scaled so high up till I could see the flower....

Caixin 'Hong Kong'

Reorganising the Garden

Friday, September 05, 2014

For many months now, the Oxalis regnelli 'Atropurpurea' bulbs seemed like they are all rotted or wilted. They didn't! Instead, the bulbs sent out more blooms than leaves :-) I moved all my potted plants so much when I was re-organising the garden. I am sure I had damaged some foliage and even flower buds along the way. But for this hoya, Hoya...

Capsicum frutescens

Merdeka Day Give-Away :-D

Thursday, August 28, 2014

What is ahead, Malaysia? I thought one plane crash was bad enough. We had two!! No more, please!!! Perhaps it is time to just forget about the sorrows for while now that our dear country is turning 57 on 31 August. As we celebrate our Merdeka (Independence) Day, I have something to make you happy :-) The pictures that I have included in this...

Replant and Repot

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The deep pink boom of this Othello rose (Rosa 'Othello') gets lighter by the days. It is nevertheless a brilliant big rose and it is beautiful. Every time I look at the rose, it just reminded me of rose syrup that I wanted to make for a long long time. But with just one bloom... nah ;-) ...

Garden Progresses

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Acerola (Malpighia glabra) seedling is reacting a little strange in my garden. The plant seems to take its own sweet time to grow. While I like slow-growers, this one proves to test my patience. Never knew that it would grow so, so slow. The mother plant though (which I have been keeping as a bonsai) does grow faster than this seedling. Hmm... perhaps...

Amaranthus Perfect Red

Hot Picks

Thursday, July 24, 2014

It has been really hot and dry for the past weeks! Watering plants is one important task that I cannot not do! Ahhh... the joy of gardening? Well it is! I was really pleased to see many of my plants faring alright. As I was walking out towards the gate I was so glad to see an open rose-like flower from my Jasmine...

Alive!

Monday, July 07, 2014

OMG... my Money Plant is half dead! I forgot to check on it for more than a week, and my usual watering schedule didn't quite work this time round :-( Good thing the vine is very forgiving. Just add some water to the pot and by the end of the day, boom... the leaves look lively again :-) ...

Glaring Blooms

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

There are not many plants in my garden that is blooming. Most surprising are the usuals like hibiscus plants... none of them are flowering. The obvious ones are the ones in white. The Jasmine sambac 'Grand Duke of Tuscany' double blooms have finally opened. Both blooms didn't open simultaneously but one after another. They are precious nevertheless, as the plant was a gift from my neighbour's...

Surprises

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

There is not much to update from the garden this week. Just that I am so proud of my Euphorbia bracteata (Synonym: Pedilanthus bracteatus) shrub. The plant, once short and had only one stem has recently grown more stems, leaves and flowers! The most fascinating part about this plant is of course, is its bird-like blooms... The green bird-like blooms that are enclosed within...

Billbergia Pyramidalis

Hot Pods & Blooms

Saturday, May 31, 2014

There is always a time for a Bromeliad to shine and this time it's Billbergia pyramidalis's turn to take centre stage :-) I noticed the bloom even when it peeped out from the leaves. You just can't miss! The outstanding bloom looked extremely red against the bright green leaves. No wonder the plant is commonly known as Flaming Torch. As the inflorescence develops, its many...

The Ups and Downs of Gardening

Thursday, May 22, 2014

If I am a plant, I probably would have caught a cold by now. The mornings are sunny but in the afternoons, the sky just darkens and heavy downpours follow. This is how the weather has been going these days in Petaling Jaya - chaotic! Save for the plants that are in the porch, I have not been watering them for days already. Nevertheless,...

Rosy Passion

Sunday, May 11, 2014

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world -- Leo Buscaglia Rosa 'Kate' This is a well said quote, isn't it? Roses are gorgeous and timeless beauties. To date I can't pinpoint a particular rose or even the colour of a rose that I like most. They are all so pretty! ...

Day to Night Time

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

We must cultivate our own garden. When a man was put into the garden of Eden, he was put there so that he should work, which means man was not born to rest. -- Voltaire When it is bright and clear, the rain came pouring. Sometimes in the night also. Regardless, it is also an opportunity to sow seeds and propagate plants in the...

The Plants Inside

Sunday, April 13, 2014

No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden -- Thomas Jefferson While the gardener is passionate about growing a lush garden with healthy plants, there are still plenty to learn about plants and their needs especially when circumstances changed. While the Money Plant (Epipremnum aureum) and Satin Pothos (Scindapsus pictus 'Argyraeus') were...

Captain Ozone

Saturday, April 05, 2014

Anyone seen the new Captain America movie? Comic superhero comes to life on-screen... I thoroughly enjoyed the show and wish he was real in the light of the rising crime rate ;-) In conjunction with Earth Day month, I would like to dedicate this post for those who care for Mother Earth. Anyone heard of Garbage Enzyme? It has been promoted a long time ago...

Anthurium Acropolis

A Bit of Sweet Respite

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Although the weather is still hot, the few heavy rains did brought a little respite to the long dry spell we had earlier. The plants in my garden perked up more after the rain. One night I smelt wonderful fragrance from my Solandra longiflora vine. The next morning, I noticed it collected a little water inside the pale yellow flower... saving some water for...

Dry Spell Colours

Friday, March 14, 2014

I have been staying indoor most of the time due to the hot weather but my plants are not. By late afternoon, I can almost hear them 'screaming' for water! The pic below shows my Holmskiodia sanguinea (common name: Chinese Hat Plant), Adenium obesum (Desert Rose) and Bougainvillea 'Apple Blossom'. The Chinese Hat blooms on the left have dried with very few green...

Amaranthus Perfect Red

Hot Favourites

Thursday, February 27, 2014

I was feeling under the weather for two weeks. The flu is still bugging me and the unusual dry spell is not ending any sooner. To make matters worse the sky seems blocked as the haze is back! Though the plants in the garden have to thrive harder for their leaves and flowers to flourish, some are doing ok. Here are some of...

Chinese Hatplant

Lively Garden

Sunday, February 09, 2014

My hippeastrum sent out its last stalk of flowers last week. It took a long while this time round for the flower stalk to appear and leaves to flourish after the 'forcing process' earlier. It was amazing to see how well the blooms tolerated the heat. It was so hot during Chinese New Year! Another plant that has done well is my Holmskioldia...

Colour Rules

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Orange is the prominent colour in my garden for the week when my orange Hibiscus rosa-sinensis sends out a flower or two on different days. The colour is more dominant when the vine, Chinese hat plant (Holmskioldia sanguinea) next to it is blooming at the same time. In the late afternoon or when the sky is cloudy, the little hat-shaped blooms are still very...

At Last!

Monday, January 13, 2014

I am glad to have completed a few things that I have been procrastinating. I guess I am still in holiday mood, hehe... Anyway, I am super happy now!! Does the pic below look unreal? It is real! I can't believe I could actually grow African violet. The little plant has been doing so well. I have really enjoyed watching the dainty blooms opening...

Petals and Leaves

Monday, January 06, 2014

Happy New Year 2014! May this year brings you lots of happiness and many gardening successes :-D I had a good yearend holiday and I hope you have had a good one too. Just a day before the first day of New Year 2014, my African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha), a flower blossomed... So dainty, cute and delightful... a violet African violet! Few months back...