Busy Bee

Snapshots on a bee on Lantanas this morning.


As a child, was told to run away to avoid getting bee sting. On a instinct the moment I heard a buzzing-swish, I was about to flee. I stopped to think, this bee is after the nectar, not me. Standing still, trying my very best to catch a perfect shot (*sigh* need to upgrade this camera-la).


Little bee is spoilt for choice, so busy buzzing from one stem to the other. Couldn't care less about my presence. It seem to want to own the whole garden brimming with Lantanas' striking colours.

Other striking blooms; Gomphrena Globosa and Gerbera Daisy. Gerbera looks tired, sun-bleached, despite its stem and leaves healthy sheen of green.

Blue? Yes? Yes?

Yellow Alder (Turnera), self-sown in July outside of our perimeter wall. I brought it in, saved from grass-cutters. Matures 2 months later, now blooming beside Heliconia.

Pothos (mixed of variegated, deep green), you can say this "rojak" synonymous for mixed-up and messy. If uncontrolled will lead to what we'll call 'jungle-look'. For Chinese, we love healthy greens that symbolise money. Most leafy evergreen with sheen of green is favored for good fengshui. Pothos on southwest window sill while Episcia, northwest. Episcia grown from cuttings and replanted into the window-box late July, is catching up with Pothos that was planted in March. When it does, it'll be full of chilli red blooms!

Did some tidying up over the weekend. Garden needs some primping; anxious over the coming family renunion. This gathering coincides with a annual major festival celebrated by our muslim friends. It is a special occasion where muslim families reunite after fasting from dawn to dusk for 29 or 30 days (also known as 'Ramadan' month) is called 'Hari Raya Adilfitri' (Celebration Day of Fasting). Public holidays for 2 days. Therefore many, other races included, will take the opportunity to travel for a long vacation or out-station visitation.

Small planter boxes half-filled with blooms and greens. I combined into a bigger planted box, spread them in rows with spaces in between for better growth.

A good advice, to gently dig circling round the base of stem and avoid its roots, 2-inches deep then lift. Slowly disentangle twined roots with both hands. To reuse soil, stir to breakdown compacted soil and mix. Fill the new box with a thin layer of coco peat, with 2 inches deep of soil. Pressed to compact the soil then make an-inch deep hole to place the seedling. Top up with more soil in between after you are satisfied with the placement of all the seedlings. Pressed lightly to compact soil, this minimises air pockets where fungal disease thrive easily. Lastly, water.