Happy 2011!

Happy 2011, Everyone and my dear Readers!

Your comments and thoughts posted in my blog are much appreciated. Happy that my blog captures your interest; planting, the scenes and creatures. My favourite is when we captured birds in our garden.

And thanks for visiting. Sometimes I visit this blog for inspiration. A great topic to share/show to interested gardeners, friends and colleagues as well.

Gosh time flies! I hadn't plant-blogging for over a year, and feeling rusty. Mummyhood is certainly a fulltime 24/7, a challenge but I'm loving every minute of it! My little boy's 6 months now, a keen observer and laughs easily. Plan a "gardening comeback" when he's over a year and could walk, to join me in the garden :) ... to create a happy garden.

Can't wait to revamp my flowerbed!

Here's to wishing everyone - a Sparkling New Year, 2011 and happy blogging/ planting/ sharing !!

Soon ...

Very soon ...

Looking good.

Punches and kicks all the way! I wonder if he'll like gardening? :P

Success with Pentas

Remember Egyptian Stars (Pentas Lanceolata) propagating project in Oct? Thanks to James Missier, these beautiful cutting survived (100%) and replanted into flowerbed. Now they're budding!

Look at the colour-variety of Pentas that you could choose. They looked like little trumpets hehe :D

Pinks and Whites arranged next to Joyweed (Alternanthera Dentata 'Purple Knight') for contrast. Darker reds enhance bright light colours to glow. I'm advised frequent trimming Joyweeds to adequate height because as they grow taller, its stem at base becomes hollow and weak. Guess they'll have to stay short *grins*. Oh by the way, Joyweeds easily propagated.

Will wait out till Pentas filled up the flowerbed for a good picture. The bed is highlighted at the ends with bright purple Globosa and bright oranges; Zinnia (right) and Gerbera Daisy (left).

Need help to identify the plants below.

Chinese favourite Joyweeds for being 'forever red' (red symbolize auspicious). The new orange flower 'forever prosper' and the evergreen plant 'forever live'.

"Loving someone is like caring for a garden, love it too much or too little and it dies, but love it just right and it will live forever." - Anonymous

Cross-breed?

I blogged in my last post about pulling out the old leggy Zinnias and Marigolds from the flowerbed. For months I've tried sowing its seeds to grow, I think 4 or 5 batches - I couldn't remember now. Seedlings grew to a foot tall then they all dried up so easily - perhaps from over-watering?

I replaced these flowers with Pentas. And what-da-ya-know? Spotted this lovely bright orange Zinnia, taking up the backstage right corner. Now we've planted its parents in the front row so I was amused that this shy seedling preferred otherwise.

What a minute ... I was just flipping those the old blogs and couldn't find . I had Zinnias 'Yellow Flame' and 'Pink' planted in June. They grew above 3 feet tall and became leggy with smaller blooms. I find it hard to grow their seeds. In Nov, I bought dwarf-looking Orange narrowleaf zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia) to replace them. Dreadful rainy spell destroyed all before I could plant them into ground and snap photos.

Could this be a "cross-breed" ? Wow.

Sweet smelling 'Bunga Kerak Nasi' or 'Kesidang' (and many more other local names) before and after bloom. This pest-free flowering vine plant bloomed a few times in Nov and Dec. They enjoyed the rainy spell :)

Lovely bright yellows (Turnera) glows in the gloomy and wet mornings. It has spread out a lot since Sep. 

A cutie moth (to me, but hubby insist it's a butterfly, what do you think?)

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.). It does looked somewhat like an Anthurium in white. I love having Anthuriums, they look exotic like Orchids and blooms could stay on over a month. In fact I bought Pink anthuriums twice, tried in sunny and cooler locations, without much luck.

I'm told that Peace Lily requires filtered sunlight or else its leaves will burn easily.

Desert Rose's bud 2 weeks later (Adenium Obesum).