Stay@home2day

Pretties! Hubby and Mum-in-law asked if I fed these with fertilizers?! Looks as if so because for such a short plant (2 feet tall), already so bushy - spilling out of its 6-inch pot and so many blooms!



Both Vinca Periwinkle and Yellow Alder (Turnera Ulmifolia) self-sown on ground saved last April, potted for pampered care (chuckle). Grew rather slowly to a foot tall on early July. Yellow Alder blooms once in the mornings and grow up to 3 feet tall in a pot.

Avid bloomer Vinca periwinkle, the tallest of the blooming-variety. Now above 5 feet high.

Lantanas in bloom after resting for 2 months, close-up shots of Lantana Camara 'Depressa' and 'Spreading Sunset'.


These Lantanas are a surprise, with difference colored blooms at different times. So it's guessing game to which colour theme of blooms.

While this Lantana didn't do well. Showed yellow leaves for quite some time. Tried watering frequently in the beginning then scarely lately, isn't helping.

Next to it (right) a self-sown Yellow Turnera outside of our compound. Grass-cutter were busy doing their job that day, quickly I saved it and replanted between Lantana and Heliconia. Somehow it's growing twice slower than before. Perhaps the soil combination? Seems to prefer hard soils.


This spot is a 'growing challenge'.













Episcia: Cute tiny red blooms from top till bottom.

Not a good day to be in KL. Rioting against I.S.A. I'm thankful to be resting at home and enjoy the view.

Zinnias: Yellow Flame and Pink.

Herbs! A cook's best friend

Gift from Suat.

Pot, on the left, contained 4-5 variety of seedlings from Suat's garden and mini-nursery. She grew them in pots, thriving well in afternoon sun and heat. Pot, right, doing well after; 2 days since transplant and suffered in an envelope (was at the car wash) for half an hour.

These herbs used during cooking. Right now, I'm pretty confused with their names - will get its description from Suat one day. One of them is the aromatic bay leaf.

“The herb that can't be got is the one that heals” Irish Sayings quotes

“I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?” by Willie Nelson (American country western singer)

Episcia has grown bushier as compared to a month ago http://jaimeboey.blogspot.com/2009/03/pretty-blooms.html

Pic below, the same pot of Episcia taken on Apr 2.

Baby Episcia bloomed! It's a good sign - this Episcia will blossom like it's "mum".

Checkout Baby Espicia, 3 months ago at http://jaimeboey.blogspot.com/2009/02/cny-7th-day.html

Green Leaf restaurant's (in Subang Jaya) attractive pot of Desert Rose, as many as 5 blooms and 8 buds, a welcome statement - I couldn't take my eyes of it. So hard to let go and leave the place, plus they provide delicious food servings.

Their desert rose planted in dark organic soil. So I decided to fill my pot with dark organic soil at the bottom and top up the surface with brown burnt soil mix sand.

This soil mix is heavier (than organic soil) and doesn't lift easily during watering.

Foldable Plant Support

A wonderful contraption, your garden accessory. It's called 120cm Foldable Plant Support, priced RM22.50 from One-Stop Home Centre (Kota Kemuning). Much better looking than my innovative sheet suppport.

This new plant support c/w flexible horizontal wires; you can shift the wires according to the height of plant or as you wish. Comes in green that camourflage with the surrounding. I highly recommend this to Periwinkle-lovers.

Wrightia blooming profusely.

Pretty Episcia, grown bushier as compared to a month ago;


Madagascar periwinkle, grown 2-3 inch above soil level after 2 weeks.

It is now 4-inch tall above soil level, to see 2 weeks ago at http://jaimeboey.blogspot.com/2009/04/gardening-humbling-experience.html

Gardening a humbling experience

Tis' how Lantana Camara buds looked before blooming (Pic 1 & 3). Pic 2, a close-up of Lantana's berries, 3 of them, spotted today. In pic 3, when Lantana finished blooming leaving the stems as seen far left-bottom.

"Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower".- Shigenori Kameoka

Die-hard coleus in the midst of Heliconia. "Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."- Alfred Austin

Die-hard!!

Pic above: Seedlings of Madasgascar Periwinkle, barely an inch above soil level - seeds in millions, 50% are germinated and next 25% survives the growing stage. Conclusion: it is not that easy!

[Update May-1,'09] A month later, seedling grown 4" tall. I'm guessing seedling will reach to a foot tall mid-June and matures. Perhaps its first bloom in July.

"A good gardener always plants 3 seeds - one for the bugs, one for the weather and one for himself."- Leo Aikman

The 4th batch of Episcia, 3 x 5" black pot - recent cuttings transplanted; currently in a mini-nursery for 2 weeks with limited waterings, minimal sun exposure. Crispy and sturdy leaves, new growths from its main stem and new buds signifies survival (usually a month after repotting). Later, these matured Episcia will be transplanted into a planter-box to decorate the window-sill. [Updated May-2, 2009]

Pic of the mama-plant, Episcia. Blooming non-stop with eye-catching red, backed by its dark varied-coloured leaves.

Recounting the previous transplanted batches;

• 1st-watched closely as landscaper transplanted it but my over-watering killed it in a week.
• 2nd-made poor choice on cuttings in Nov however one cutting survived, 2 months later it bloomed.
• 3rd-gave away 3 pots in Feb, leaving one which didn't seem to do well at first, progressing slowly. [Update May-1,'09] It finally bloomed!
• And lastly the 4th-a plan to fill up the window-sill spot.

"Gardening is a humbling experience."- Martha Stewart

Pretty blooms in March for a flower garden

Pretty blooms. Our transplanted episcia a success (pic left). Easy to grow (even for a beginner). Its glossy leaves growing lush and larger; and it bloomed 3 at once! Quite an eye-catcher at our entrance.




Seedlings from Caratharanthus Rosea (Madagascar Periwinkle), 3 weeks old after germination. Some was transplanted from the ground. It seeds plenty but some will germinate. However the seedlings' growth takes a longer time as compared to the adult's blooms. In the end only few seedlings survived the harsh sunlight heat and torrential rains.

Vinca periwinkle, now 3' tall (pic left). 6 months after transplant. This green net is required to hold the flimsy plant upright during rain. Pic right taken 2 months ago; it could possibly reach 5' tall in another 3 months (coming June).

CNY 7th day

Chinese New Year (CNY) - was celebrated on Jan-26. On eve of CNY, families gathered excitedly over a renunion dinner, this time was held in our new home. Started with "Low-Sang" (tossing for good fortune) and ended with a group-photo. Families leave for last minute home-cleaning, washing up and minor preparations before the stroke of midnight. Sounds of firecrackers nearby, welcome the dawn of the CNY day.

As we usher in the new year of the Ox, filling the house with aromas of foods, teases and laughters, a time to catching up with young ones and listening to advice from the old. It was a especially fun filled week despite raining in the evenings. On the bright side, the rain cools the heat from the noon sun and offers cool breeze. Need not fuss about watering the garden!

Another look-forward activity during CNY would be the distribution "angbao" from the married to the unmarried and trying our gambling luck amongst family members.

Tomorrow, before the stroke of midnight, we will be offering special thanks to 'Jade Emperor God' (Pai-Thee-Kong).

Episcia blooms non-stop lately. Its bloom last for 3 days before wilting. When wilted for a day or two, I'll softly tug it off because it doesn't fall off itself unlike the periwinkle.

I took cuttings and planted into 3 small pots as shown. Hoping that all will grow like its mother. It has been a week now and doing ok. Light watering on alternate days (rainy CNY) and no fertilizers.

Spotted Anthurium bud !!

Flower bud takes 2 to 3 weeks to fully form.

[Update May-1,'09] Anthurium's performance is quite discouraging - its dormancy stretches for months. I do not recommend Anthurium-growing for home garden and even in courtyard garden. Perhaps it is best to leave the growing to the experts and buy cut-Anthuriums for indoors as your temporary home decor.

2 Weeks to CNY

Usher in the year of the Ox with colours of red.
2009 is the year of the Earth Ox: a time of stability, harmony and balance.

Blooming during Christmas

Madagascar periwinkles reaching for the stars .. hehe

We love having 'Apricot Delight' (white pinkish with red dot in the middle) but it grows slower than the other two ('Grape Cooler', 'Pacifica Red').

It's thriving in this single pot. Must avoid from heavy downpour contact - ruins its blooms & foliage and further damage, root rot. Avoiding rain would mean daily watering or else you'll find its foliage all shriveled up. Careful not to over-water.

Zinnia, our latest addition. We had red Zinnia, red like the color of ang-pou or the Ferrari red. But the pink Zinnia did better, slow blooming. On a lookout for any sprouting of new stems. It is placed receiving full sun for 3-4 hours; that's wonderful for our garden (west). Try hard not to over-water ;-P


Minor Vinca periwinkle, we fondly called it 'ChengEng periwinkle', gift from brother-in-law. After a month of transplanting onto ground soil, it showed our first double-blooms!

Liquid fertilizer fortnightly to induce blooming is recommended.

Lovely crimson-red flowers striking against its dark foliage. Dark foliage with shiny sheen of red blush.

Liquid fertilizer fortnightly to induce blooming is recommended.