Fortune and Lucky Fruit

I'm so proud...it's 2 months and this is the size now, approx. 15cm (fruit only, minus the crown), of my fortune and lucky fruit!

Hehe...I juz can't remember its species but I knew it was pretty sweet then. That's why I decided to grow my very own pineapple, an organic one. I'll bet my MIL (Mother-in-law) will be very happy... she was smiling as I told her I was going to try planting one.

I'm going to keep 'em doors open wide...to welcome fortune and luck...

Next project will be ...

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White Hibiscus

Yes…another hibiscus. I told you I have a passion for them. J

What a lovely surprise…another lovely flower. It’s white with the very softest pink blush in the eye, it’s just so lovely and so sweet. I hope you like them too.

Even the gloomy skies couldn’t cast any shadows on these beauties…or my ‘happy’ mood. It’s definitely worth waiting months to see the bud and then the flower at last.J

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Orange red hibiscus

Yay, I’m so happy… you can see me grinning from ear to ear on Saturday morning…

Finally, my hibiscus bloomed after months and months of waiting. It’s a large orange-red double of approximately 12cm in diameter and this morning I saw another bloom at 14.5cm in diameter. The petals with generous frills reminds me of a passionate Spanish Flamenco dancer with the beautiful ruffles on her dress as she moved to the rhythms of the acoustic guitar.

The colour is an attractive bright orange-red shade. I could have sat there, enjoyed my breakfast coffee and stare at it the whole morning… it’s just so beautiful!

I accidentally shove the first bloom which was probably too fragile after a night of rain. The stem just snapped  and it dropped to the ground...and I was almost heart-broken but I did try to preserve it....:-(

I cannot begin to explain this unexplained passion for hibiscus…. ?? J ??

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More flowers in my green patch...the Desert Rose

I am still waiting and waiting for other pots of hibiscus to bloom. Sigh! Sadly, they are still very young and I know I need to be patient but they are growing very slowly...no buds in sight yet.

Meantime, there's the desert rose, Adenium Obesum, a flowering plant in the Apocynaneae family, with soft velvety petals, tuba-like flowers in pink, red and white shades. 

Cultivated from seedling or stem-cut, tho' growing from seed will yield a swollen caudex. 

Many Chinese homes have these beautiful flowers as the Chinese name "fu-kwai" is very auspicious, brings luck, wealth and glory to the family. These are popular bonsai plants. They require sun, and water only every 3-5 days.


I have found some time to do a little gardening, unwind, de-stress, relax (do I sound very stressed?...not really, just needed to get close to nature :-D) and admire the greens over the weekend.

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Fluttering wings...on Lanatana Camara

I caught a beautiful butterfly as it landed on my Lantana Camara this morning. These flowers are so attractive and cheerful looking, with their strong smell beckons seductively to the insects.

One elderly lady neighbour stopped and had a short chat as I was taking a good shot of the butterfly, ..."Good morning, gorgeous flowers!" and what a beautiful morning it was.

I was never interested in flowers or gardening, except for bunches of roses during...er... courtship, birthdays, engagements and weddings. Alright, I admit that I used to spot boyish hair when I was a teenager, active in school sports and being more comfortable in a pair of tattered jeans and shorts rather than a pretty princess dress. Somehow, having my own home, my own garden...green patch actually, changed me. I started with a few pots of green and later added some flowers.

Working in the city is hectic, not to mention the horrendous traffic. We had to leave home just before sun up and only get home by 10pm daily, after dinner. We have kept the home decor to simplicity and cluttered free for ease of maintenance. And having a well-kept garden with plenty of greens and flowers made a warmer home, which means more gardening activities during the weekend.

Many may agree that gardening is very therapeutic and a very relaxing activity, as close to nature as one can get living in a suburb. Dealing with greens is good for the lungs, relaxing for the eyes and soothing for the soul.

I promised myself to give a few minutes each weekend to my garden and I will be rewarded with smiles from my garden.

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Beautiful Big Red Hibiscus

I bought a small pot of red hibiscus last month and saw the shy bud last week.

Wow...look at this beautiful big red hibiscus. It bloomed yesterday and it's still there just now, but showing signs of wilting later tonight. This species can last 2 days. It's larger than my palm.

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Cheerful Lantana Camara

I’ve had it for a few years in my garden without knowing its name… till I found it last night! J

I found them growing in a shrub of 2-3 feet high and can get quite unruly. I first planted them many years ago in my front yard because I love the attractive yellow color. They have aromatic flower cluster that comes in orange, pink, red, white, purple or mixture but I chose only pure yellow.

I have neighbors and passers-by stopping their car to admire the attractive bright yellow florets. It brings load of cheerfulness, just too bad it didn’t bring out the poet in them!

Lantana Camara, generally is very hardy. Their stem can be prickly and the wood is tough and durable. I understand from Wikipedia that in India, they used the tough wood in handicraft for wickerwork.

Trimming the shrub every 3 months, getting rid of dried leaves and twigs, will make way for new re-growth. I noticed that there’s always some butterflies, beetles or some birds hovering over the florets. In this tropical hot & humid climate, moderate watering daily, you will be continuously rewarded with more blooms and more smiles!

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Hibsicus' pistil & stamen

I caught  these amazing close-up of the hibiscus' pistil and stamen. These are all found in my garden.

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Beautiful hibiscus in my garden

Another new species of hibiscus just bloomed this morning. It's fiery red with shorter pistil, not the dangly red hibiscus rosa-sinensis. 

What a beautiful morning to be greeted by such beautiful flowers and cheerful colours...especially on a Monday, the beginning of another hectic and busy week before school close for the Hari Raya this weekend.

I've collected 4 different colors & types of hibiscus so far and will be adding more soon. I'll be out looking for some great looking yellow (egg-yolk yellow) this weekend or if I'm lucky, just might find some white ones as well.

Not many nurseries carry a wide variety of hibiscus...will try my luck in Sg Buloh.

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Elegant hibiscus

Another very beautiful apricot-coloured hibiscus with deep-red eye. The bush can grow quite tall, probably to 7 feet but the bush in my garden has been trimmed regularly to maintain its height of just 4 feet. It's pale but the colour contrast is clear with slight frilly petal edges and a long pistil and stamen. 

The flower is dangly, attractive and elegant. I think it's called El Capitola Sport. 

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Hibiscus in my garden

My 2^nd pot of hibiscus is this romantic bloom, a pretty and delicate double soft-pink.  In doubles, the pistil and stamen is not long, it’s almost hidden in the many folds of the petals.

Because of the delicate color, many have asked if it’s really a hibiscus or a new hybrid.


Photo taken with Canon Powershot A700 - I'm just an amateur happily snapping away in my green patch.

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Romancing Hibiscus

I fell in love with hibiscus recently.

The flowers are large, usually about 8-18cm in width (in my garden, that is), with soft velvety petals of 5 or more, trumpet-shaped and distinctive long pistil & stamen. 

They come in many colors, red, pink, yellow, white and orange. With many hybrids and crossbreeds, the result is thousands of combination of amazing colors, sizes and shapes.

They are mainly grown for their showy blooms and some are believed to have medicinal properties. 

At times, some of the species bloom almost every day. Alas, these blooms don’t last long, unlike orchids, hibiscus smiles at you in the morning and by night fall, the flowers close up and drop off the next day. Some species, probably may last up to 2 days.

I first began to notice them a few months ago as we were headed south on the highways, the beautiful hibiscus took away the boredom of monotonous driving on the long grey ribbon of tarmac. 

On our return, Marc got me my very first pot of hibiscus, the national flower of Malaysia, the hibiscus rosa-sinensis (red), commonly found in many house gardens, along highways, parks & gardens.

That’s when my search for these beautiful blooms began…

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