Reaching to great heights

Alisma plantago-aquatica, a common water-plantain, blooms everyday this week. White paper thin flowers with yellow center; blooms once then closes during sunset. When all buds finished blooming, sprouts new leaves. You can cut it to replant or re-pot when new leaves 3" tall.

We've bought Alisma in Aug'08, divided into 2 pots, hadn't flowered since Oct'08. Late May'09, we bought fertilizer seeds, half an inch round, specially made for water-plants from One-stop DIY. Use 1.5 seeds and bury deep into each pot - for a plant size like mine. But I started out with a single fertilizer seed and 2 weeks later, each potted Alisma in the courtyard - grew a long trailing stem with flower buds. The biggest pot had the longest stem with buds reaching 5.5' tall - remarkable!

http://jaimeboey.blogspot.com/2009/05/surviving-in-malaysian-heat.html
http://jaimeboey.blogspot.com/2009/05/o-blessed-rain.html

Our Vinca Periwinkle, as predicted, reached 5' tall and out grown the foldable plant support. I grit my teeth for buying 4' high support instead of 5' high - but I hadn't expected it to grow so tall and so fast! Even my in-laws (who gave us the seedlings) were amazed.


Vinca Periwinkle seedlings filling up the grass patch too. Pinch off seed pods from the plant from time to time, reduce germination. Quite a havoc but it gives pleasurable view as it never fails to bloom everyday. It's a plant that'll reminds me to strive on reaching to great heights.