Colours In My Garden

 

Wednesday Birds and Flowers

Happy New Year  to all

My Friend's Garden

Hi everyone,

In the past, she liked sitting at the verandah and from there could view the garden which needed more digging. As was usual there would be someone out there forever tending to the plants. The quiet ambiance, except for the sound of the garden tool occasionally knocking against a stone or something, would break the silence.

Though he was not in good health that did not stop him from doing things he loved. Once in a while, she would call out to remind him not to exert himself too much, his frail heart kept her worrying. He would usually turn and waved off and just smiled or cracked some jokes about his unfinished garden.

He was a plant lover, a keen home gardener, and quite a serious hobbyist as can be seen from the garden in his former house. When they moved into the new and smaller house making the garden was a struggle for him despite the area is so much smaller and so the garden was taking form much slower. However, she appreciates his ongoing efforts in trying to beautify the surroundings. 

Now if she sits at the same spot that comfortable feeling and quiet joy are no more there. The garden and the gardener had parted, sadly forever.

My friend is not really passionate about plants and gardening but still, if she could she would continue his work and try to improve and to keep the garden left to her thriving. She wished she could give as much interest and attention as he did. It's a pity she can't. Apart from her physical limitations due to a chronic illness it is also emotionally hard on her to bear the memories that the garden evokes.

Now occasionally hired hands would work in the garden. Though the plants keep growing and flowers may bloom the way she feels about the house and garden would not be the same anymore.

I hope her garden will flourish and help brings cheer to her life.

Till next entry, bye . . .

Life Goes On

Hi everyone

I think it is not too late for me to wish Selamat Hari Raya. Hope everybody enjoys the celebration and the holidays.

Since the puasa is already over so it is back to the normal routine. Eat. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, not to mention the snacks. There's still a lot of celebration sweets and treats so tempting. Quite difficult to restraint.

Hmm. Need to burn the excess.

I have started going out for brisk walking in the morning the past three days. And today went on the treadmill since the sky was dark. I doubt whether I can maintain the momentum for sitting and lazing around and nibbling and taking bites on the leftover cakes and cookies is so comforting though am not feeling at ease at the life of a standstill.

Body and spirit need to be given a push. I must respond to that call for tennis. My sports bag with the racket inside is still at the same place where I chucked more than a month ago!

My garden plants too were being neglected, I always missed watering them in the evening because of me supposed to be too busy in the kitchen in Ramadhan. But thinking back it was really not the case. Maybe it was just me lacking a positive mood because even now I keep forgetting about watering the plants.

Some plants do not bother. They keep growing and showing good health better than ever before, water or no water. Perhaps they have long enough roots to reach for the water in the ground. And lucky too the rain has started to come.

The purple allamanda which I got tired of hoping for it to flower surprised me. It has started to bloom and there are few more buds yet to open. I am so pleased. After all, life is not that disappointing.

These flowers make my day. I think I am getting back into the mood to continue doing what I like to do to fill my retirement life.

Stay cheerful.

Garden Of My Dream

Hi friends,

I came home after more than two weeks of absence. I am happy to see most of my plants are ok. There must be some rain otherwise . . . 

Some plants are flowering. The amaryllis flowers have withered but there are many more new buds. 

The plumbagos are happily flowering though not so lush.

The white orchid with the orange tinge is really long lasting, a few more blooms that are still there are fresh.

The kesidang climber blooms on the top of the mulberry tree and the kemangi is also blooming and spreading its sweet scents.

The anthuriums are ever faithfully blooming and so does the dancing ladies.

The hibiscus? :-( . . but it's ok.

The overall look makes me happy but of course, the garden is nothing like what my dream garden is. And I know I can never achieve what I want as my garden area is small and my budget is humble. And worst is I am not knowledgeable and hence not so good a gardener :) But it is no harm to be engrossed in dreaming, right?

Pictures below are not of my garden. 

These pictures are from my phone, sent from this place. (Thanks M for the pictures.)

Dear readers hope you enjoy this entry.

Bye for now.

They Will Survive

Hi friends

I am away from home and would only be back in a week's time.  

It is very hot here. There are no trees except for small plants and shrubs and the decorative palm trees. Their landscaping is quite ok on the fourth floor where the swimming pool is but here below there is nothing much. And the unit I am in is on the ground floor. 

I hope it is not as hot back at home. I worry for my plants, they might get dried up especially those small plants and plants that I have just replanted or repotted. They would not get watered for as long as I am in absence. 

Of course, I hope nature can help. I pray for rain to come. But seeing the weather condition now I cannot depend on hope alone.

I am quite lucky I have big trees growing in the compound. So I moved those mobile ones from their usual sunny spot into the shade.  Even those permanently under the tree their flowers might not last long in this hot and dry days. 

Those that cannot be moved I scatter around them lots of dried leaves so that the ground would stay wet after I last water them. Most of my potted plants are placed directly on the ground. 

I have thought about some kind of self-watering system but until now I am not able to devise one although I don't know how many times I have seen how people do it on videos. 

Some plants I know they can survive with little water and some plants have rooted deep into the ground and can find water by itself like the bunga kesidang which has grown all over the mulberry tree. This plant surely can survive without being watered for days. I don't have worry for these.

I hope these just recently repotted cattleyas won't dry up

And these small chili plants in the plastic pots I hope they won't die.

In the months to come, I may have to leave home again for more than a few days at a time. I must find the watering solutions for my garden plants.

Sometimes it makes me wonder why some plants like those weeds whose growth are unwanted can forever survive in extreme conditions without much ado.


Stay cool.


Till next entry, bye.

Two In One

Hi everyone

Got this hibiscus plant in the garden for a long time. I have been waiting and waiting. At last, it comes.

As you can see there are like two blooms joined by a structure I do not know what to call it :) What part of the flower is that?

The second one hanging on to the first. Must be heavy for the stalk to hold I think that makes the whole bloom to face downwards.

Peach double bloom hibiscus

The picture below is the bud of the bloom earlier on. The bud was pointing upwards,  well only straight.

The aphids are attacking the plant even before the bud opened up. Looks like I have to cut away the stem and may have to sacrifice future blooms and for the sake of its health. Or should I wait for all the buds to open?

At the time of writing, alas the stem was already cut off. the condition was too bad.


Happy gardening.

Meet again at next entry.

My Faithful Anthurium

Hi

If for some reasons you are locked out of your house do not panic. Take a screwdriver or a wire,  jiggle it in the keyhole and you might get to enter the house. If not successful don't get annoyed. Console yourself by browsing your garden plants while you wait for someone to come to the rescue.

I was in that situation the other day. I occupied the time and comfort myself by tending to my anthurium plants.

Yes . . . these plants have been with me for many years already. They are just ordinary old fashion anthurium plants with pink flowers. Though the picture above looks more red than pink in reality it is actually pink. As it ages it faded and striated. I know there are other types which have more exotic flowers. I have none of those.

I grow the anthuriums in medium and small clay or terracotta flower pots. Some of the plants have overgrown the pots. Their roots have found ways to the outside soil because all the pots are placed directly on the ground. Looks like my plants have too many leaves ya. Green and waxy.

A group of anthurium here

Another group of anthurium here and  more plants in the background 

Mine grow quite well even without me fussing over it. On some days I forgot to water it, sometimes I have other priorities when coming back late from tennis, after sunset sometimes. So sorry,  my plants. No time.

You see the plants are quite neglected. But they continue to grow and faithfully bloom throughout the years. They never fail to give me a few cut flowers whenever I need it for my vase. And they have long lasting vase life. Though the flowers do not bloom to the max in terms of size its okay for me.

The flower has aged, the spike has become green

The flowers are actually not that many but they are always there and remain in bloom for weeks on the plants. Spots of open heart-shaped bright pink here and there give a little color to my humble garden. The natural position of the flower on the plant is like a welcoming pose. It is as if greeting you on your arrival.

And rightly so the anthurium flower is regarded as the symbol of hospitality

The anthurium is a simple flower nevertheless it brings joy and happiness to the grower. Grow some in your garden.

Cheers.

The Flowers Never Wilt

Hi everyone

The flowers never wilt. Forever they are in bloom. Where? In the photographs.

Everybody knows that. That's why that day most people were busy taking photographs either with their camera or handphones. I included.

It was the annual flower show, The Royal Floria 2018 at Putrajaya. This one event which I have been waiting for has come and gone. The flowers must have wilted by now, even on the day I visited some flowers already wilted and shriveled. It is better that their images be captured in order to appreciate them more and all not just be forgotten.

Most visitors would only be able to appreciate the color and beauty of those flowers at the moments when they made brief stops in their saunter along the path. There were many flowers and garden settings so much so they made one to lose focus. You want to go everywhere, you want to see everything. In the end, you only got jostled in the crowd.

Anyway, I manage to point and shoot and so let's share some of the shots.

Hope you like the photos.


Cheers.