Putrajaya Floria 2011 Part 7 - Hydrangea Highlights

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I have the blue hydrangea at home. These pink and red hydrangeas at Floria 2011 are really lovely.

“Putrajaya Floria 2011 Part 7 - Hydrangea Highlights”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on July 2011.

Feb 2011 GBBD

Catharanthus roseus, torenia, yesterday-today-tomorrow, blue daze

Here's my flower parade for February 2011 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

My pale lavender coloured Catharanthus roseus (vinca/periwinkle) looks like a mixed breed. The plant had sprouted from seeds scartered naturally on the ground. My YTT plant was subjected to some harsh prunning last month and it is responding well to treatment, flowering in clusters now.

A torenia plant has anchored itself on my potted hibiscus plant. It is blooming profusely now.
Can you see a garden visitor on the blue torenia?

Azaleas, adenium, bougainvillea

The azaleas are still blooming after 2 weeks. My desert rose has just started with a single flower.


Cape honeysuckle, lantana, citrus lime, spider

I grow this orange cape honeysuckle plant to attract mealy bugs so that the bugs will leave my roses and hibiscus alone. The citrus flower is from my 3-year old plant. The spider looks like those we love to catch and play 'spider fighting' games of long ago.

“Feb 2011 GBBD”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on February 18th, 2011.

Kalanchoe, pineapple

When I purchased the kalanchoe, the nursery assistant advised me to select one that has lots of unopened buds in it. Now, it is blooming profusely. Kalanchoes do have lots and lots of tiny little flowers.

The baby pineapple is about 2 weeks old now.

Pussy willows blossoms

I can't find any petals. Can you tell which are the pussy willow flowers?

Dendrobium crumenatum orchid

My dendrobium / dove orchid does not bear flowers in clusters, but only one flower to a stalk.

Costus woodsonii

Costus woodsonii is a popular plant during this Lunar New Year of the Rabbit. When two yellow-orange flowers appear at the tip of the bright red flower spike, it looks like rabbit ears. In Chinese (Cantonese) this plant has a nickname, "hoong one tong tow" meaning good fortune has arrived.

When the flowers appear, the bright red cone also oozes a sweet syrupy liquid that attracts the ants. I wonder if we can suck on it?

Psyche (Leptosia nina malayana)

This green butterfly seems to be missing something. It may look quite weird with only the head and thorax visible, without the abdomen. But if you look more closely, you'll notice a sexy head and graceful pose. This reminds me of the legendary Marilyn Monroe and her skirt blown by the wind.

Anyone know the name of this butterfly?

Post update: I have found the name of this butterfly from the internet. It's scientific name is Leptosia nina malayana from the Pieridae family (sulphurs, yellows and whites). Common name is Psyche butterfly, also known as Wandering Snowflake, Flip Flop and Wood White. For more information, visit
a) Learn about butterflies
b) Wikipedia

Hydrangea

My hydrangea is getting too top heavy. The head almost got blown off by a gust of strong wind.

Etlingera elatior, bunga kantan

The Etlingera elatior ginger flower buds were not eaten but allowed to bloom.

Etlingera elatior, Bunga kantan

When tiny red flowers appear among the glossing pink bracts, sweet juice oozes out and a couple of ants came over for a Valentine picnic. Looks like they are kissing anyway.

A vegetable plant has sprouted perhaps from the seeds that has fallen on the ground. I wonder what is this - cucumber or bitter gourd?

Christmas poinsettia

My Christmas poinsettia has not lost all its red colour yet. Some new shoots have sprouted. I have place this plant under the shade of my palm tree.


Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Garden, her link is here.
This is also my entry for Fertilizer Friday hosted by Tootsie at Tootsie Time, the link is here.

GBBD Dec 2010 and Foliage Follow Up Day

Firstly, I would like to thank you very much for all the warm wishes and nice comments that you have left in my previous post. During my blog break, I had gone on an inland auto trip up North to Penang Island with my family. We went to revisit and dine at some of the favourite places that we used to frequent a long time ago. And yes, it did bring back a lot of special memories and cherished moments. Some places were those that I had been to as a kid, now I am bringing my kids there. Soon, my kids will have kids of their own and will bring their kids to the same places and tell them about their childhood with grandma/grandpa and Que Sera Sera, What will be, will be .....

It is funny to look back at my old pictures and compare how much or little each of us have changed, agewise and also physically. Those were pictures taken at the same spot, same location but at different times of our lives. I hope that you too would have many memorable moments with your loved ones during this holiday and festive season. For rememberance, my 'adventures' which centre around food and herritage buildings will be detailed in my Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo blog. Do visit when you have time. My trip to the Butterfly Farm will be posted here soon.

For this month's Blogger's Bloom Day, I have my second generation gomphrena which is grown from home saved seeds. They are grown up now and the first button flowers are begining to appear.

Wendy of Greenish Thumb blog has given me many many seeds. I have sown the marigolds but they seem to be growing very very slowly. This is how it looks after more than one month. Maybe the marigolds having time/jet lag due to their biological clock showing it is winter (in the USA). I think most likely the fault is with the gardener that is ME!, for their lack of growth. Actually, I have put them under the full sun and given them fertilizers too.

Oh dear, Wendy, I'm so sorry with this outcome. What else can I do ?

Another surprise from the marigold container is I got this attractive miniature yellow flowers. They are only about 6 inches tall, very slender and delicate. I think the flowers are really lovely and sweet.

I have taken some cuttings from my Angelonia plants and they are growing well.

They are starting to bloom now.

“GBBD Dec 2010 and Foliage Follow Up Day”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on December 14th, 2010.

This Costus woodsonii is my favourite plant at the moment. I love its lipstick blooms that seem to last for ages and its delicate yellow flowers that appear one by one from the spike. While prunning away the dead stalks, I accidently grabbed a good one and chopped if off! My heart nearly stopped when I found myself holding a cut-off juicy green stalk with the most beautiful jade green leaves. I have just decapitated a stalk that is going to bloom soon. Oh dear oh dear, luckily I'm not a surgeon, otherwise I could have cut off the patient's wrong leg!

Before I went for holiday, the hydrangea flower head was as large as a soccer ball. After I came back half the head has dried up. Why? This is because I placed it in the wrong location. There were some changes in the direction of the sunshine this month and my east area which used to have dappled light actualy has become quite sunny now.

These two partners are behaving well. My pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius) is having a baby (plantlett) now. It's top was getting too heavy for its own good, so I moved my potted Murraya paniculata plant near it to provide support. My Murraya plant has grown a lot of foliage. Sometime ago, it was quite bald and completely overshadowed by the invading torenia which has since finished blooming and passed on.

These guys seem to be treating my garden like their holiday resort. They are lining up all in a row and I bet they are up to no good!

Caution: the next picture may be visually offensive, hence parental guidance is needed (PG13).

This fly couple also think that My Nice Garden is a Bug Hotel. The bugs do love my Ti-plant, don't they?


My grateful thanks to May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Her link is here.
My grateful thanks to Pam of Digging blog for hosting Foliage Follow-up Day. Her link is here.

Genting Highlands Flowers (Part 2) - Wordless Wednesday

1. Impatiens 'New Guinea' (Impatiens hawkeri)

2. Marigold - African Lemon Supreme (Tagetes erecta)

3. Bromeliad - ??? species

4. Hydrangea

5. Phoenix Tail (Celosia argentea)

I would like to dedicate this post to Rainfield61, from the beautiful state of Penang, Malaysia of My Journey blog, the first commenter of my previous "Chin Swee Temple, Genting Highlands - Part 1 " post. He is a nature lover and his blog chronicles his exciting adventures off the beaten track at Cerok Tekun, Penang.

Post publication update: the names are typed in red.

Wordless Wednesday - Hydrangea

This post is dedicated to Ms Helen (islandgal246) of My Rustic Bajan Garden for being the 1st commenter of my previous post Roses are Red.

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Photographs taken by Autumn Belle at The Secret Garden of 1-Utama
Grateful thanks to Dr. Francis Ng of The Secret Garden of 1-Utama
To view other WW posts or to participate, please click here.