Aaron's Gardening Blog

Heatwave

2012-02-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

It's been HOT here for 3 days in a row. Even my plants are feeling scorched and parched. Fortunately, my time management skills have greatly improved and I'm able to take care of myself, my schoolwork and my plants without sacrificing anything. I'm still exhausted though and hope for some nice, heavy rain to end this blazing heat. The sight of my garden flourishing is certainly a relaxing and exciting sight, though!

A nice show of red and pink from my garden.

The carnivorous plants are growing nicely in my garden.

Back To My Roots

2012-01-31T06:28:00.000-08:00

Way back in 2009, I started blogging after my ICT teacher instructed us to create a blog. Back then, growing carnivorous plants was my passion and focus and therefore my blog was all about them. Looking back now, who'd knew how my life would have turned out. I branched out into growing more varieties of plants, instead of just carnivorous plants. Flowering vines, hibiscus, roses, and bulbs. Then came my period of neglect as I was caught up in my busy school life. My garden suffered as a result and my carnivorous plants collection dwindled. However, now I'm feeling nostalgic and want to grow these unique plants again.

This is my latest nepenthes, N. x dyeriana

I've also created a mini-bog to accommodate the new plants I've ordered and here's the result:

New Year, New Growth

2012-01-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

It won't be too long before the Chinese New Year celebrations, and there'll be loads and loads of chores and preparations for it. Things are going out of control in my final year of high school as teachers are giving tons of homework to prepare us for the very important examination in November (aiming to get straight A+ in every subject). However, I still have some free time for my passion for gardening. Here are just some photos to share.

A New Year

2012-01-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

So a new year has begun (and that means school too!). This year will be my final year in high school and I'll be taking a major examination this November so I guess I have to start working hard from now. I'll also be taking my Grade 8 piano examinations so I definitely feel under pressure. However, I hope my hobbies could vent out all that stress. Anyway, here are some photos to celebrate my first blog post of 2012.

End of the Year

2011-12-24T04:51:00.000-08:00

This year is coming to an end, and so are the holidays. It's a really rainy Christmas here with heavy downpours and thunderstorms occurring almost daily. However, life has flourished here in the rain. Here are some photos to share. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my blogger friends!

Comeback

2011-12-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Finally, I'm back to blogging again. I've been on vacation for a week, then busy entertaining my Singaporean aunt and a distant cousin. Anyway, my garden has been improving a lot since the last post. The various plants are thriving, including those previously fussy or fragile ones.

My poinsettia rebloomed while I was on vacation. It was a wonderful surprise since I heard that poinsettias are hard to rebloom.

The delicate bloom of my waterlily

Some ladybugs on the lilypad.

The hardy and everblooming Mandevilla

Heliconia rostrata on a blooming spree.

This large red hibiscus is finally blooming after a bad case of mealybugs and aphids.

The self-seeding, hardy Angelonia providing my garden with an unlimited number of purple blooms.

The delicate flower of a resurrection lily.

The tiny bird-like flowers of this Pedilanthus is such a great source of nectar for the native birds that they have made my garden a regular feeding and nesting place.

To all my blogger friends, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

End of School

2011-11-18T08:23:00.001-08:00

Now that school has ended, I'll have plenty of free time for my various hobbies. Though I'll have to double my efforts next year for a major examination. For now, here are some random photos as celebration.

A four-petaled Madagascar Periwinkle

A bloom from the flourishing adenium bush.

An inflorescence from the common heliconia.

A peek into the center of a Bird's Nest Fern

A pitcher from Nepenthes albomarginata hanging in the air.

Free Again

2011-11-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

Now that the horrible sleepless nights of burning the midnight oil and last minute cramming of knowledge into my overloading brain, finally I get a whole lot of free time to compensate for. I can't say I'm too pleased with my average results in the test though, especially Chemistry. Anyway, now that I'm free again, I can go back to all my hobbies, including gardening and blogging! Here are some recent blooms to celebrate my new free time.

The heliconia surprised me with a bloom just after my exams were finished.

The ever-blooming adenium flourishing in my garden.

Flowers of a Nepenthes. One flower usually means it's time for reproduction, but 2-3 stalks means stress. Guess they still have not recovered from my neglectful period while I was busy.

But this pitcher is a hopeful sign that they'll grow back and recover gradually.

The robust pink hibiscus is starting to produce lots of buds.

These white anthuriums are the hardiest anthuriums in the garden.

This orchid, usually hidden behind the palm fronds, is a pleasant surprise every time it blooms.

And finally, the hardiest and easiest climber to grow in my garden, the mandevilla.

So Little Time

2011-10-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

My final examination is just around the corner and I'm anxious. I really need to pass with flying colours if I want to stay in the top classes. Cramming History, Chemistry, Biology and Physics into my brain is a pain that I must face though if I want to succeed. Anyway, I'm just sharing some plants in my garden. I won't be too active in the coming weeks again because there's too much knowledge I must squeeze into my brain (Did I mention that I have bad memory, oh well...)

The buds of my ixora plant, waiting to bloom in splendor.

The flowers of a nepenthes, proof that my nepenthes are currently under stress.

My multicoloured rose has finally decided to bloom again, with more fresh red shoots coming up.

Some fungi growing on the shelf where I placed my roses. The heavy rains must have been perfect for them.

The hardy, vigorous grass orchids never fails to flower.

These hardy angelonias are a constant bloomer in the garden.

The bud of my white hibiscus, the most vigorous hibiscus in my garden.

Surprisingly, the Venus Flytrap has been quite easy to care for although it's not native here. While the native Nepenthes are sulking and producing stress-induced flowers, the Venus Flytrap are growing at a rapid and encouraging rate.

Orchids Orchids Everywhere

2011-10-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Today, I went to a hotel with a two friends and a teacher to check on the hall reserved for our Prefects Annual Dinner on the 21st of October. (I'm in charge of the decorations and aesthetics and I will be performing on the keyboard too). My parents were busy, so the teacher who accompanied us offered me a ride back. She stopped by her sister's house for a while, and the garden was choke full of orchid plants, in pots, hanging or planted on trees.My teacher (herself an orchid enthusiast) told me that her sister was an avid orchid enthusiast and spends her free time collecting and tending orchids. Amazed and awed, I took some photos of the many gorgeous orchids in the garden. Here are some of them:

Passing Time

2011-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Just sharing some pictures of my plants, which are recovering fairly quickly.

My hardy and easy grass orchid

The recent heavy downpours have helped these rain lilies in producing blooms.

The jasmine is filling the air with a heavenly scent.

A single rose bloom after viciously attacked by caterpillars.

The Venus Flytrap is now back in action and ready to eat.

The white hibiscus bush covered in buds.

Also, I just turned 16 yesterday. Time passes so quickly.

Photography Practice

2011-09-19T03:20:00.000-07:00

Now that I have enough decent-looking plants in my newly revived garden, I decided to have some fun practising my photography skills, especially macro and zooming. Here are the results.

Revived

2011-09-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the many plants in my garden that got harmed from neglect as I was struggling with my schedule. Fortunately, they have been showing signs of recovery!

I had to cut back this whole brunfelsia (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) plant after it got attacked by scale insects. The plant had literally nothing else other than some fragile branches after I was done trimming it. Since then, it has sprung back to live and exceeded its previous growth, and filling the air with it's lovely fragrance.

All my hibiscus have declined in growth since I became too busy to tend them. They lost a lot of leaves and became a little stunted. However, they are showing signs of resurrection as this pink hibiscus decided to bloom after month without flowers.

Under the carpet of weeds, my African Football Lilies have sprung back from their dormant bulbs and have produced their first new leaves. It'll be quite some time before they bloom again. And I have massive weeding to do now.

After dying back into a sorry pile of dried branches and decaying leaves, my jasmine plant has decided to regrow rapidly. The buds are already forming.

The angelonia have sprung back to life too after looking dead for a month. It's already flowering too. And it's invaded another pot.

I still don't know what purple leaf this is, but it has regrown amazingly fast since it declined in growth. It was a gift from my grandmother.

Finally, this fussy plant have shown signs of recovery. I thought it was going to die after it got crushed by it's own pot after being toppled over by a strong wind. Fortunately, these green shoots from my Venus Flytrap is a hopeful sign.

Random Shots

2011-09-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

While tending to my garden (It's hard to revive a neglected garden), I decided to take some random photos to share. I'm trying to be more active again on blogger. Well, here are some of the plants which are still healthy.

Also, Selamat Hari Raya to all the Muslims and Happy National Day (Though I'm late by 4 days)

Little Help Here?

2011-08-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

My mom just bought 3 new plants for the garden. Some aren't exactly new, but I still need help. It would be great if someone can tell me the needs of each plant so they don't decline in health.

A crinum lily

An orchid (needs an ID)

And some curcurma/siamese tulips

Hardy

2011-08-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Most of my plants, especially the high-maintenance flowering plants have suffered from neglect as I struggle to make ends meet. However, some plants are growing just fine without my attention and care.

The Tillandsias are doing just fine, and even flowering without my care.

The Little Bird Plants (Pedilanthus) are growing just fine too.

My favourites are still the mandevillas. They are still showy and robust even without me checking for pests or fertilising. Even when all other climbers (aristolochia and passiflora) have declined in growth, the mandevillas still flourish.

Variegation

2011-07-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Currently busy with yet another examination, here are some pics I managed to snap during my free time.

Random Blooms

2011-06-30T02:55:00.000-07:00

Just taking a stroll in my garden, and I decided to take some photos of the random flowering plants currently blooming. I'm happy the variegated bleeding heart vine sprung back to life after looking dead for months.

Photography Contest

2011-06-27T03:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, I've started to garden again after losing interest from frustration. Pests were swarming over my plants and just won't go away, and the plants were in bad condition. Fortunately, the pests started disappearing mysteriously, to my delight. And my garden condition improved overall.

Recently, my school had a photography competition with a nature theme. Being bored, I just snap a few mediocre snapshots from my garden. It was a great surprise to know that I got first place since the photos aren't anything special.

Some of the photos:

Thieves of Time

2011-05-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating for almost a month, balancing work and leisure, and now there's an examination which is going to last for the whole month! I wish I was as free as last year!

I'll just take this time to share some of my plants, and I'm sorry I have been inactive for so long and for countless times!

Time flies so quickly, just like how this amaryllis faded before I've even seen it's bud!

Blooms and Bunnies

2011-04-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

Just playing with both my camera and my bunnies! Still trying to get the hang of the macro stuff on my camera. I tried taking photos of small blooms of sundews. Why don't you be the judge of my terrible photography.

Purple Passion Flower

Mandevilla

Ixora

Cactus

Tillandsia

Wrightia

Fern

Blooms of Drosera paradoxa

Blooms of D. tokaiensis

Mischievous bunnies.

Feel The Heat

2011-03-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a terribly hot and exhausting day. The glaring sun was especially merciless after days of downpour. After a tired day at school and tuition, I feel like resting.

So far, my life has been good. I missed blogging and my fellow bloggers. I hope I'll get more free time again so I can get back to my hobbies.

I know I hadn't been able to remain active, but with my new schedule, I hope I can blog again.

My garden has been growing just fine, though there are signs of neglect... I still garden whenever I'm free.

My grandfather has been kind enough to provide us with 2 bunnies. They have voracious appetites. They munch on everything they see. What a glutton!

Anyway, I can't wait to get back to blogging again. I really missed all of you.

Photo Practice

2011-03-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

Still playing with my new camera, hopefully I can get better results next time. Looks like I have more time now, with no more sports practice. Hopefully I can get back to being active again.

Testing My New Camera

2011-02-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

Busy again, but this is the last week of sport's practice, so I'll have more free time then. I've just got a new camera from my wonderful mum for passing with flying colours in my examinations. I'm just testing it, though I don't have the skill like some of you do.

My pink, double-petaled anthurium

Yellow Hibiscus

Orchids

Raffle's Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes rafflesiana 'Kuching Squat Red')

Some foliage

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2011-01-30T01:02:00.000-08:00

It's been raining cats and dogs for days now, the drains are getting full and the whole atmosphere is foggy and chilly. I don't mind rain, it's good. It waters my plants, and lowers the temperature. But when it gets out of hand, it's terrible. Clothes won't dry, some pots are flooded, and delicate flowers are getting pelted by heavy rain.

And it's almost Chinese New Year already. Time sure flies!! I'm currently free for 1 week before school reopens and suffocate me. Sorry to all my fellow bloggers for not being active for so long.

Anyway, I'll try to free my schedule a little and get back to blogging. So stay tuned!

Glooms

2011-01-09T03:46:00.000-08:00

It's raining heavily almost daily in Malaysia nowadays. It's quite a chore to run back and forth, collecting the hanging clothes before they get drenched in rain. It's a new year, and that means school is a nightmare again. I have sports practice, tons of homework, tuitions, housework, prefect duties, and more chores.....

I don't have the time for hobbies too, especially papercrafting and blogging. Sorry I don't have the time to comment on all your blogs anymore. I may be active only during weekends and holidays. But I'll still try to view all your blogs...

Anyway, the rain is good for the plants and i don't have to water them anymore (except lots and lots of shaded plants everywhere. I even got nagged because I forgot to water 2 potted palms....)

Here are some of the rain-drenched plants.

Dreams of a White Christmas

2010-12-22T05:54:00.000-08:00

There's no winter and snow in the tropics, so it's impossible to experience a white christmas. Still, we have a colourful one instead.

Carnivore Update

2010-12-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

It's been some time since I bought the sundews. They have grown so much and some are now entering dormancy. Believe me, dormancy in the tropics is HARD because there is no winter. The plants usually start going dormant during the rainy seasons.

A shelf with plants and fertilisers.

Venus Flytrap

D. omissa producing lots of plantlets.

D. binata

D. tokaiensis

D. intermedia 'Great Swamp' entering dormancy.

D. filiformis

Some pinguicula/butterworts.

And lots of nepenthes

And a grasshopper. I really hate these pests because they attack my nepenthes. Once a nepenthes is attacked, it takes a very long time to recover and sometimes will just die.

The Hot, The Loud and The Proud #7

2010-12-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

It's time again for the Hot, the Loud and the Proud meme. It's Foliage Frenzy this time with lots of tropical foliage of various species. Besides, I've shown too much flowers and they need a rest haha.

Phuket Trip.

2010-11-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

My family and I had an enjoyable holiday in Phuket from 22/11/2010 to 26/11/2010. We just went to our hotel room in Laguna Holiday Club on the first day, which was Monday.

My mom with some orchids in the lobby.

My little brother in our hotel room.

The hotel was large, with lots of plants!

The next day, we went to a famous temple there for prayer and some photos!

It was scorching hot!!

We decided to cool down in a shopping mall.

We then visited the Big Buddha on top of the hills, but I didn't really take any photos.

Here is the scenery from the hill.

We went to the beach too. But just for some snapshots.

We went to Phi Phi Island on a cruise the next day. I didn't brought my camera so I don't have any photos. But it was fun trip, we got to feed the beautiful tropical fish with bread haha. There was an underwater aquarium under the cruiser. Fish from the open sea can swim through small openings beneath the ship and we got to feed them! They were so adorable.

After that, we had an enjoyable seafood and tom yum dinner. And spaghetti too!

We went back to the hotel feeling exhausted and sleepy.

Phuket's nightlife was so amazing! There were so many Caucasians in Phuket that you just can't see to spot any other race. Guess they love the beach and hot weather though I prefer throwing snowballs and building snowman (which I haven't got to experience yet). The local Thai shops sold many souvenirs and clothes. And almost all the restaurants served seafood. Yum....squid.

On the next day, we went to the beach for a quick swim, but then it got too hot and we jumped into the swimming pool nearby!

After a long day, we went to a restaurant with a magnificent view of the sea. There were many plants there since the owner is an avid gardener. Most of the plant were even labeled with Scientific names so the owner's not just a typical hobbyist.

We went there just in time to watch the sunset.

On the final day, we went to a famous snack shop. My parent bought so many snacks! Then we went to the airport and after a long journey, reached home. Unfortunately the scorching heat at the carpark must have caused our car's windscreen to expand and it cracked slightly.But we went home satisfied! Back to posting and commenting again!!

Musical Mayhem

2010-11-15T04:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not being active for quite some time, but I was busy preparing for a concert at school! My friend Tee Jian Hong , a former student who went to Singapore to study, came back home. Some English College students were visiting our school. Since he was an avid Lady Gaga fan, we selected Bad Romance to perform. Unfortunately, the school sound system was so terrible!! Out of the 3 microphones, 2 were broken. So the choir wasn't really loud and clear. Then, I was playing the keyboard but the teacher can't find a mic or amplifier so it's not loud enough to notice..... and there was no mic for the acoustic guitar played by my friend, so it's not clear too. Only the main singer (Tee) and the drums were loud, and without my keyboard melody, we kinda mess up the tempo and pitch hahaha. I'll get back to posting and commenting again next week. I still have one more performance this Thursday.

Hear the disaster for yourself hehe.

Ra-ra-ra ah ah a, Roma roma mah ah, Gaga ooh la lah ah, Want your Bad Romance.

The Hot, The Loud and The Proud #6

2010-11-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

For this Hot, Loud and Proud meme, the theme is 'The Vibrant Tropics'. Here are some of the bright, vibrant and stunning plants of the tropics.

Savage Garden

2010-10-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

Some new carnivorous plants.

Mighty Minds Disappointing Aftermath and a Trip To Sungai Buloh and 1 Utama!

2010-10-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well, even though we didn't win, it was a valuable experience. And I don't think getting No. 7 out of 14 teams is terrible. Maybe I'll work harder and try again next year.

We were having a delicious dinner at RHB Bank Headquarters

Arjun (right) and Haziq (left)

Haziq (right) and me (left)

After the disappointing results, we were somehow relieved since we had lots of free time for shopping!! But I slept early and went to Sungai Buloh the next day.

Some begonias from Sungai Buloh.

White mandevilla

A nice anthurium

A beautiful Morning Glory

And then we went to the Secret Garden of 1 Utama.

My brother and I at the Secret Garden

Calathea

Abutilon

My mom and my brother, Jordan, with a Rangoon Creeper.

Some lovely yellow flowering vine.

Many other shrubs and flowers.

Ginger!

Yellow flag.

An Aristolochia. I wonder when mine will flower?

Canna

Cute bottle gourds!!

Then we went to the rainforest of 1 Utama.

Mom, Dad and Jordan

And we witness the beautiful gigantic waterlily, Victoria amazonica

Hahaha my awkward face.

Then we returned home, somehow disappointed yet happy and satisfied.

Mighty Minds National Challenge!!

2010-10-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this: http://aaronvft.blogspot.com/2010/07/mighty-minds-quiz.html

Well, this Friday (15th October 2010), I'm going to Kuala Lumpur for the National Challenge!! Still a little nervous, but I hope we will emerge as the champions!!

Latest news on Mighty Minds: http://thestar.com.my/mightyminds/story.asp?file=/2010/10/14/mightyminds/7222806&sec=mightyminds

I'll be really happy by just being a finalist. But since we are already there, we might as well win! Going to Sungai Buloh for more plants after the competition.

I wonder if I can sleep tonight.

The Hot, The Loud and The Proud #5

2010-10-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Not really much this time, since I'm preparing for my exams 4 days later. But here is my special plant that I was talking about in my previous post.

Get ready for a really sticky situation.

Is there a worse way to die than drowning agonizingly?

Yes.

D. tokaeinsis

Drosera are vicious plants, even more than nepenthes!

Those drops of dew sure do look tempting, even more if you're an insect.

But wait, something's not right.

D. binata

Drosera uses this sticky 'dew' to trap unsuspecting insects.

D. filiformis

Then, the poor insects get suffocated by the dew and starts being digested alive.

D. intermedia 'Cuba'

And then absorb the now digested fly soup.

So you can see that drosera, which suffocates and burns the insects, are definately more aggressive than our passive pitcher plants.

D. omissa

OK, now for a totally different topic, this is a gift from my cousin who bought it from Australia. Hope they are able to grow in this climate.

Bloomsday!

2010-09-20T01:47:00.000-07:00

With a burst of blooms, here are some of the currently flowering beauties in my garden. I'll be posting a very special plant after this, I'm just giving it time to adapt after a long journey through courier service.

Passiflora. Love the detail of the flowers.

Heliconia. I love those with hanging flowers the most.

Anthurium. This weirdly shaped anthurium is so extremely incredibly rare here.

Succulent blooms. Cactus and another unknown succulent.

Pedilanthus or Little Bird Plants. They are quite popular during the Chinese New Year as they are regarded as auspicious.

Orchid. Lovely orange brightens up my day!

Dianthus. I love the multi petal carnation-like dianthus the most.

Angelonia. Lovely dark indigo.

Lantern plant. Anyone know what species this is? It really resembles Chinese lanterns.

Cosmos. So lovely and elegant!

Petunia. Hope they continue to flourish.

Purple

2010-09-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Now, for a showcase of purple plants! Unfortunately the passiflora and gloxinia aren't currently blooming. Some plants that appear pink are actually purple in real life.

Dianthus

Angelonia

Coleus' tiny blooms

Ground orchid.

Unknown purple foliage. Anyone knows what it is? It will produce small pink flowers and usually grown as a bonsai here.

Petunias

Cosmos

Ti plant?

The Hot, The Loud and The Proud #4

2010-09-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

This time, I'm combining it with my National Day post. Malaysia's birthday was on the 31st of August. I guess I'm 2 days late....but it's not too late to say "MERDEKA"!!

Get ready for lots of HOT, LOUD and PROUD!

The national flower of Malaysia, the Hibiscus

Love the protuding stamen stalk of hibiscus blooms.

And then there's another bloom common in Malaysia, orchids!!

These are ground orchids, instead of those regular dendrobiums.

But the main focus of this hot, loud and proud meme will be Nepenthes this time. These are some of the currently pitchering Nepenthes..

N. rafflesiana 'Kondo var alata'

N. veitchii

N. mixta x fusca

N. rafflesiana 'Kuching Squat Red'

N. x hookeriana 'Hot Lips'

N. x 'Cemerlang'

N. albomarginata 'Cameron Highlands'

N. hirsuta

N. x ventrata

More blooms please!

2010-08-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

After a whole day in Johor Bahru again, went to Yi Xiang nursery again to buy some plants and here they are!

Pink Hibiscus

Various cosmos of all colours and sizes.

White and Red Carnation

An adenium

Roses!!

A ground orchid

Something's gone terribly right! My dianthus is flowering like crazy again!! I knew that fertiliser worked!

Ridiculously Rare Plants in my Neighbourhood

2010-08-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder, why don't people ever grow these plants when they are very suited to the local climate. Beautiful yet hardy plants seem to be missing in my neighbourhood. Every house has like the same plant such as adenium, bougainvillea, hibiscus, orchid, and boring foliages.

Here are some of the beautiful yet rarely grown plants that should be in the neighbourhood.

Come on. Mandevilla just need bright light, plenty of water and something to climb and it's beautiful!

The same goes to passion flowers. I've never ever seen passion flowers except the fruiting varieties (and only in 2 houses) in my whole town. They are beautiful, vigorous, and hardy.

Water plants tend to be unappreciated too, except the sacred lotus. Look at these gorgeous waterlilies. They are seldom grown here at all.

This species is an impressively rare plant here. I've only seen it in a nursery in Kluang. No other place has this red water lily.

Suprisingly, anthuriums are so rarely grown here that I have yet to see a house with one. My teacher brought 2 to school though for the Botany Club.

And instead of the boring old anthuriums, nurseries should try to find unique species.

Roses are also heat tolerable and beautiful. I wonder why everyone thinks that roses will die rapidly in the lowlands.

At least tillandsia is gaining popularity now. They have such unique and exotic leaves.

Nepenthes have a reputation of dying easily too, which is completely false. With proper care, they are rewarding and easy to grow.

They come in all shapes, colours and sizes too!

This special 'black' variety of N. albomarginata is beautiful. I love the purple-grey colour and the white stripe beneath the lips.

Dianthus and cosmos too are suprisingly rare since they grow well in this climate.

Blooms!

2010-08-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Lots of plants are blooming in my garden now. Some have been awaited for so long! But the long wait finally paid off when these plants start blooming!

Stephanie's hibiscus seeds finally grew into this gorgeous beauty! Thanks,Stephanie!

Can't wait for the other buds to blossom too!

Another hibiscus, newly bought just a week ago. Hope it continues to flourish.

Roses are blooming again! I especially love this white one, since the flowers are lovely and last long too.

Pink is beautiful too, although the flowers wilt extremely quickly.

Stripped rose have the most buds of all my roses. Can't wait for all of them to bloom.

Such a lovely scent, from this pure white jasmine.

Finally, dianthus starts blooming again after I abused trimming and fertilising on it.

One more thing that makes me happier than this....

......is this! It finally started blooming again, and lots of buds too! It's like 3 flowers a day.

Such a unique shape that passion flowers possess.

I hope everyone notices this when they pass through my house.

Glimpse of My Updated Garden

2010-08-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Remember my garden. Here! Wondering how is it now? After my father and I went on a shopping spree for plants. I think I have to show you the updated garden.

Let's start from the front gate

Out we go

The purple passiflora on my fence is starting to flower again! Finally adapted after so 'long' (actually it adapted quite fast).

Turn right and you'll see these dieffenbachia, alocasia, calathea etc.

And more plants if you continue!

Turn again and we are under my balcony

Look to your right and you can see lots of my plants all clumped together.

Cactus on the windowsill

Look behind you!

Continue front and you'll see a row of nepenthes (Pitcher Plants) on your left.

Nepenthes hirsuta just hanging around.

The corner of my back garden. Overgrown elephant ears and fan palms with cute blackish purple plants below.

Up the stairs from my back garden to my 'balcony' where my maid dries the clothes.

Roses on the shelf.

Stephanie's hibiscus going to bloom, with rain lilies and coleus flowers in the background.

It's a jungle behind my house!

Let's turn back. Hibiscus is blooming well!

Palm trees and my water garden.

Big bird's nest fern on a table in my garden

Heliconia just hanging around.

My parent's room has a balcony cramp full with sanseviera

Another balcony, with calathea and yucca.

This is a yucca right?

Hope you enjoyed the journey!

Sunday Blooms

2010-08-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's a perfect weather to take photos today, not scorching hot nor heavy rains. And most of my plants are very refreshed after yesterday's heavy downpour which crushed my new red hibiscus bloom. Anyway, I'm glad to have the chance to take early morning photos, since I usually have piano classes, but now my piano examination is over (scary....it's not a common thing here to meet a Caucasian in a hotel room with a miniature piano.)

Blue waterlily is the most frequent bloomer of all water plants! It's like they are blooming everyday.

One of the very few times I get to take a photo of a crinum lily without any wilting flowers since they usually wilt during the afternoon the next day.

Don't mind those rotten buds, they got drenched in heavy rain. Still, these are pretty and smell heavenly especially at night. I think its called 'sedap malam' here, which means night fragrant flower. The scientific name is Polianthes tuberosa.

Adenium is making a comeback after being ravaged by spider mites ( curse those pesky pests!)

I can see many rain lily buds popping out of the ground after the heavy rain the past few days.

Turnera subulata, a morning bloomer with flowers that fade in the afternoon, so I've never seen it bloom since school ends at 2.00 pm. I took a cutting from my neighbour's bush and I can't wait for this to turn into a bush too.

Dianthus is blooming their heads off. The weak stems can't support the heads.... Oh well..

Stephanie's hibiscus seeds have grown into this! Can't wait to see the blooms.

Roses are on a flowering spree after I shifted them to my hot balcony. You can see the many developing buds. They love sunlight after all! I can't deadhead these in time!

Can't wait to see them all bloom!

Wrightia was dying when I abused pesticide on it but has recovered and is putting a show of cute fragrant blooms.

The next generation of sunflowers have germinated! This is my second generation, can't wait for them to flower already and plant the third generation!

The Hot, the Loud and the Proud #3

2010-07-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Another dose of hot, loud and proud madness! No separating into either hot, loud or proud since these are a mixture of all those fantastic features.

Nothing says hot like this passion flower. Vibrant scarlet and exotic shape, it sure attracts the attention of my family and friends. This is one flowering plant that my dad is proud of.

This balsam really appeals to me with that almost black leaves and bright orange.

Wonder what plant this is. The small but bright purple flower contrasting with the patterned dark green leaves really stands out from the palm trees they grow under.

Lovely red lipsticks. The bright red elongated flowers with the neat leaves makes my dad happy. He's planning to buy another one! What's this plant called?

Pumpkin blossoms! This is the first time I see them in full bloom since they wilt once I get back from school. The bright yellow and the cute and hairy leaves makes it a beautiful vine. Still waiting for pumpkins......yumm!

Reminds me of morning glory.

Cute dianthus is still adapting to the change from shade to sunny. Didn't know they grow so fast from cuttings!

Petunias are my dad's favourites. Currently mine is producing plenty of blooms every day!

This is one of my proudest achievements. It's N. viking/N. globosa, a Tropical Pitcher Plant and its also a seedgrow specimen. It can be hard to grow nepenthes from seeds since they are slow. Some species take months or even years to germinate, but this germinated in about a month.

One interesting fact is that while most nepenthes becomes more vibrant in full sun, this becomes redder when under shade.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this post.

Colourful Anthuriums

2010-07-25T04:43:00.000-07:00

Other than Passion Flowers, Roses and Nepenthes, I'm also collecting anthuriums. Though rare species and hybrids are still hard to find, I'll buy them if I see them. Here are some of the colourful flamingo flowers.

Red

White

Pink

Dark Pink

Orange

Dark Red

Light Pink

Double flowering, green and pink

Unique and rare (at least here) species of anthurium. Anyone seen this before?

And my crazy cactus, which is the tallest cactus in my house.

It is as tall as my younger brother.

Curling and Twining

2010-07-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

Climbers are among my favourite plants, mainly because most of them have gorgeous flowers and grow fast. Mandevilla, Passiflora, Nepenthes, and Bleeding Heart Vine are among the climbers I have.

What are your favourite climbers??

Here is my front fence, being used for the plants to climb.

Scarlet passiflora is being a very vigorous grower.

Many buds still developing on the many vines of the scarlet passiflora.

A regular Mandevilla. The double-flower variety is still developing buds.

No flowers yet, but I can see buds developing on this purple passiflora. The leaves are neat too!

This Mandevilla was a lucky find. Haven't found any other nurseries with this variety.

My largest passiflora, not flowering or fruiting yet.

Some climber from my neighbour's garden. What is it?

The tiny yellow flowers.

Another climber from my neighbour. Cute pink flowers but what species is this?

Cosmos sulphureus

2010-07-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Autumn Belle for the name of this plant.

At first I thought it was a zinnia, then I thought it was a marigold, but in the end it was a cosmos!

It took about 3 months to mature and flower.

A spider? on the flower

And thanks Stephanie for the hoya cutting. It has grown a new leaf.

Wet Feet

2010-07-10T00:35:00.000-07:00

Maybe there's miracles in the water! My water lilies and lotus are usually slow to produce flowers. It's like maybe a flower every 3 day (or 1 day if I'm lucky). Somehow, they are producing lots of flowers now. I'll blame it on the weather again.

My aquatic 'pond', complete with lotus, water lilies, fish, snails, algae and water weeds.

Some water lilies

A purple water lily

A pale light pink water lily

A pink water lily, hanging out of the container.

Still lots of buds.

And who can forget the large beautiful blooms of lotus?

And let's welcome the newest member of the family.

Poor Passion Flower, it's blushing! I love this scarlet species.

Whites

2010-07-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

White often symbolise purity and innocence. Well, there are as many whites in my garden as my pinks.

What is your favourite white flower? I love lilies but unfortunately are unable to grow them here.

Here are some of those plants.

Not only do they look cute, but they smell nice too! Love these tiny jasmines.

The YTT plant aka Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The flowers are purple on the first fay, turns light purple the next day and finally white before falling off.

The drops of blood have fallen from the heart, so now the only thing left are pure white hearts on my Bleeding Heart Vine.

Dendrobiums are still flourishing and the flowers are so long lasting!

Wrightia religiosa, which it is grown as a bonsai and have a wonderful fragrance.

This fittonia was a gift from my friend who have transferred to Singapore. It's the closest thing to a pure white leaf in my house.

Chilli blossoms have a spicy scent, but they look so cute close up!

Recently, the rain lilies are sending lots of buds. Must be the weather.

And my collection of anthuriums (as well as passion flowers) is growing fairly quickly.

Too bad my hibiscus and roses are not blooming now or I'll have 2 more pictures to add here!