Strolling Through The Old Streets of Melaka

My friends from afar came to Melaka this weekend for our a close friend's wedding. I had a splendid time taking them through the old streets of Melaka town for food and shopping. While strolling through the old shops, I came across several shops that used plants to decorate the shops. The plants add a touch of nature to these shops that are located no where near any natural surroundings. Amazing, how these plants add a touch of green and freshness to bring charms to these outlets.

Walk beside me and let's stroll through these beautiful gardens in the old streets of Melaka town.

A pot of lotus and some bamboo plants placed outside a Chinese paper-cutting handicraft shop add an Oriental feel to the exterior of this shop.

A row of Mother-In-Law Tongue plants were placed to cover a drain. What a good idea! I don't usually find these long tapered fronds with pointed blades attractive.
But in this instance, the green succulent with yellow edges in a mass display really beautify this shop.

I am also drawn to these Balinese-influenced home decor shop called Puri Padi. I have always thought this is a spa theraphy centre. The calming surrounding with the lush, green garden has drawn many into its compound.

A water feature comprising of a waterfall and a koi pond.

A grass-thatched roof gazebo greeted customer at the entrance. Next to it was a big bush of tall heliconia with bright red blooms.

Lush greens were so welcoming!

Plumeria is a must-have plant in any Balinese garden. In Puri Padi, there's a big Plumeria with white blooms.

Railway sleepers path leading customers to the entrance of the shop.

Looking at the garden of Puri Padi, one would never know that it's located amidst blocks of boring, concrete buildings!!! The plants truly gave the place a peaceful and calming effect, right? Just like any spa centre set in the hilly town of Ubud in Bali.

The last shop that I feature today used Bird's Nest plants placed beside 2 water feature, with some wooden blinds to give it a rustic charm.

Hope you enjoy this stroll of gardens in the old streets of Melaka town.

March 2011 - What're Growing in My Garden?

I have been on hiatus from blogging lately. It has been a loooong break. Why? I gave the excuse that I am too tired after work to take pictures of my plants, upload them online, follows with blogging about them. Deep inside, I know that I am just being plain lazy. Hee...hee...I am indeed embarrassed about it. Fortunately, I am saying this online and not face-to-face. Or else, you would be witnessing my rosy blush!


Enough about me, let's move on to what I have to share about my garden. Like my blog, I have not been caring about my garden much. But I have added some plants that I bought from nurseries in Sg. Buluh after Chinese New Year. It's hard to resist the temptations to buy plants whenever I drive all the way to Sg. Buluh. My purpose was to get some flower pots. Alas, I came home with more than that! My neighbour commented when he saw me unloading goodies from my car boot, "You already have so many plants in your garden!" My plain reply was, "It's never enough!" Sorry that I have to trouble him with watering more plants when we are away from home. I truly appreciate my next door neighbour and family who gladly offer to water our plants whenever we are away. Thank you my dear neighbour!

HYDRANGEA
============

Back to my garden, my Hydrangea has started to show some buds. With the help of liquid fertilizer, it has grown healthily.

This was how my Hydrangea looked when it first started to grow shoots 8 months ago. I wonder if 8 months a bit too long or is it normal duration for Hydrangea to grow into an adult plant? Would any of you who are familiar with growing Hydrangea able to tell me?




Soon, I will have huge Hydrangea blooms gracing my garden! I am overly eager to see this manifest!

ADENIUM
============

Adeniums are displaying their big, bright pink blooms flamboyantly. They even have 2 seed pods to show.



Looking at this big cluster of bright Adenium blooms before I leave for work, makes me start my day on a cheerful mode.




GARDENIA
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I used to blog that my Gardenia buds were falling off the plant before they bloom. Somehow, my plant condition has improved. Lately I have been getting sporadic blooms.




SUNFLOWER
==========================

Sunflowers are still blooming in my garden.




NEWLY PURCHASED PLANTS
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PERIWINKLES
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Periwinkles in pink and white. Their bright blooms are heart-warming!
I only pay RM2.50 for each plant. Instead of spending money on clothes or food, how about spending them on plants! Think about that! For such meagre amount of money, it can buy us happiness!! More so, when the plants can last for months!
Aren't the purchase worthwhile? What do you say to that?



COLEUS & CANNA
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The colourful Coleus were sold for RM4.00 per plant too. They were hard to resist.
I love Canna. So I bought them in yellow and bright pink. The blooms didn't last as it has been raining daily.


Jasmine & Vallaris Glabra
======================

I miss having the fragrant of Jasmine & Vallaris Glabra (in local Malay, Bunga Kerak Nasi) in my garden. I used to grow them in our garden in the old house. But their pots were too big for me to bring them over when we moved. So I left them in our old place.




Celosia / Cock's Comb
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I have been eyeing to get Celosia or Cock's Comb plant after seeing them being used widely for landscaping in my hometown, Melaka. I choose a plant with vibrant red bloom.




These are the latest from my garden.
How is your garden doing?

Happy Year of Rabbit

It's less than 2 hours away before we say goodbye to the Year of Tiger and usher in the Year of Rabbit. I would like to take this opportunity to wish our fellow blogger friends around the world a great year ahead. May all of us receive abundance of blessings in all aspect of our lives!


Let's have another great year of gardening & blogging, my fellow gardening friends! May your garden be blessed with sunshine and rain. Blooms and greens are everywhere. Butterflies and ladybirds dance daily among your plants. May you have smiles as you toil away! Happy Gardening, my dear friends!

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Bright Sunny Sunflowers

Before leaving for my hometown for the Chinese New Year holiday, I was lucky enough to see my sunflowers blooming. I was hoping that I would not skip the opportunity and probably my sunflower plants heard my wish and made it happened a day before I left!!

Here are photos of the single bloom. Still waiting for 3 other plants to bloom. In fact I sowed the sunflower seeds about 4 months ago to have the flowers blooming
during the Chinese New Year Festival.

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!

May you enjoy abundance in the New Year of Rabbit!

Blooming Plumeria, Smiling JC

I posted last May about buying 3 pots of young Plumeria plants. Only 1 pot had blooms when I purchased them. The other 2 pots didn't show any sign of blooming. But early this month, I received a sweet surprise when I saw blooms appearing on my Plumeria that is now over 2 feet tall. What a delight!!! The blooms are dark red in colour, similar to the pot that bloomed earlier. The cluster of flowers is HUGE!!

Posted May 2009 the young plant that I brought home. The nursery doesn't know what colour is the bloom of this plant. I was kept waiting for over a year before I discovered what I colour the blooms it would be producing.

My tall Plumeria that is almost reaching the roof of our neighbour's driveway.

Taken from my bedroom's window, what a huge cluster of blooms!! I am so proud of it!
They look gorgeous! The blooms have been around for over 3 weeks and they are still fresh.

The photo below shows the pot of Plumeria that was blooming when I bought it last May. The blooms are quite similar in colour except that this one has a tinge of yellow on its petals.

For your info, the growth on my Plumeria has been rather slow. The trunk of the plant kept shooting taller and taller. There are only 3 branches on this plant with very minimal leaves at the end of each branch. I was in despair of what to do. Feeding it with goat fertilizer didn't seem to show any improvement. So, while spraying my Lantana and Adenium with liquid flowering fertilizer (the fertilizer comes in sandy, crystal form and need to be diluted in water before being sprayed onto plants), I also sprayed some onto the Plumeria leaves. Lo and behold....after a month, blooms were showing!!! For those who have not been able to get your Plumeria plants to bloom, do try this. You can get this kind of fertilizer in any nursery or hardware shop. My fertilizer is red in colour. Hope it works for you!