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).

morning sickness

Is morning sickness finally over? I really hope so.

I've been missing in action for awhile :P ... nausea overwhelms me throughout the day, it's depressing! I just could not be in the garden hence leaving all gardening duties to 'mother nature'. Hubby and MIL helps with waterings only on hot consecutive days. Terribly grateful having garden maintenance last month to weed, remove weak and old plants, trimmings and thinning everywhere, fertilizing and pesticides.

Suddenly I developed a keen sense of smell. Moths been laying eggs and caterpillar more frequent (weekly) leaving pungent feces and chewed Periwinkle leaves.
 

So we replaced the 6 feet tall Periwinkle with our beautiful grown Wrightia antidysenterica, now reaching 3 feet tall. The foldable support helps to give it a lift from those heavy downpour.

 

 

Planted Peace Lily on Wrightia's old pot, will post it soon. Its other names are Spathe Flower, White Anthurium, White Sails (Spathiphyllum spp.). Perhaps the 'white sails-like' attracted MIL as she loves the sea, ocean. Has air purifying properties, removing toxins from surrounding atmosphere. Love the deep green shiny broad leaves. Made sure its caterpillar-free :P

We've replaced our potted Periwinkles with newer flowering plant, yet to find out its name. Coming soon.

Pretty pink bloom, despited heavy downpour and wet season, and neglect. It's sustaining well compared to Red Christian Dior now naked (leave-less) brown stem. Seeing it about to bloom, gave natural fertilizer (recommended by Rose Nursery).

Desert Rose is budding too :)

Surprised really from the neglect and wet days, and its budding. Mother nature is helping :)

Desert Rose accompaniment with Bougainvillea and Sui Mui for the sunny (sunset) spot. Sadly Bougainvillea losing out most of its leaves from insufficient heat, as if hibernating. Sui Mui, more and more leaves.

Will be posting soon on our revamped flowerbed - design to weather the wet season and daily heavy downpours.

Thanks for visiting :D

Moth's first flight

Are you able to see it? (One) Highest on our West end of Periwinkle shrub and most vague.

Another hiding along the main stem Southward (Two), while the other two resting Northward (Three and Four).

(Five) Cliffhanger towards East end. While the last, the pic below, busy muching on a stem (Six). They were spotted mid-Oct.

False eyes appeared two days later.

This first caterpillar turning yellow, a colour change process. They're voracious muncher when green then they'll go dormant in brown and black colours before turning into a pupa in next 2 or 3 days then morphed into a moth in 2 weeks time.

This 'cutie' has somehow managed to crawl 26 feet away from the Periwinkle shrub to look for a hiding place amongst the river-washed-pebbles. During this period, brown caterpillar does "electric-shock" movements when it sense danger or something touches it. A defense mechanism.

Worried over the chances being crushed or stepped on, we placed it in a clear glass bowl with a layer of old newspaper. 'Cutie' crawled and nestled underneath the paper.

The rest? Well, they seem to have disappeared from the Periwinkle without a sight.

'Cutie' successfully morphed at night. Moth emerged from its pupa.

My DH ever concerned over it final survival, he soaked cotton pad with honey for 'cutie' to sip and energise. We'll never know if it enjoys the sweetness because its' movement is soooo slow.

The next morning, 'cutie' left us. DH made sure if surrounding was tampered by predators or pests, but none. So we assume it has successfully taken its first flight to freedom :)

Happy November 'Cutie'.

In the cold November rain

Rainy season has started.

Humongous and swelling buds after a 4-hour heavy downpour on Thursday, noon till night. Blooms a plenty after raining in the wee hours in the morning on Friday (1am till 6am) and drizzling until 9am.

Buds finally bloomed since last bloomed during Merdeka Day (Aug-31) and Hari Raya Adilfitri (Sep-20). New pair of leaves emerged, lower pair of leaves spotted early Oct. Since then new buds often singed and never seem to swell and bloom, while green leaves turned yellow and failling rapidly compared to new growth. It left us thinking perhaps it is dying. The sight of heavy downpours until you can't see shallow drains by the sides of the road (about 2-inch floods) was scary! But in fact it was a good sign for this thirsty Kesidang. Ah ha!

Kesidang's sweet scent filled the patio and surrounding garden, spreads into our dining and living. The wonderful fresh fragrance reminds my mum-inlaw her childhood dwelling days and fond memories :)

For me, it's a reminder that God create mother nature in its unexplained mysteries and always full of surprises. Life's like a box of chocolate.

Quirky

Strange plant, is it a weed? Grows slower than ordinary grass weeds. Quite cute, seems evergreen to me because no buds at sight.

Stranger still, Gerbera daisy in half ?

Torenia fournieri (Bluewings) bent into 2, circled in white. It has been 2 days and still green, fresh looking. It has a bud, I wonder if it will bloom?

Whaddaya know? 4 days later, the crippled Torenia stood up!

Blooms purplish blue in real life but the photos shows them in striking blue despite Periwinkles still looked pink on photos. Amazing.

Countless buds :)

Blooms 4 days later :)

Self seeds sown early June.

Seedlings emerged late July (shown in pic) and when they've grown, I've replanted into planter box mid-Sep for bigger space. Spotted buds in late Sep only then did I realised they were Dot's Torenias, given to us last June.

Of course we were delighted :)