John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on December 2nd, 2012 in Plants database

Passiflora edulis (Passion Fruit, Passionfruit, Purple granadilla)

Isn’t she a beauty? But unfortunately, we had unknowningly excluded it from our Plant Gallery and Plant Database. Hmmm… time to rectify that omission now!

An attractive vine and if given the right growing conditions, Passiflora edulis will be adorned with eye-catching flowers which is the national flower of Paraguay.

An added bonus is when the spectacular flowers will eventually develop into edible fruits that have many uses, such as refreshing fruit juices, drinks, added to desserts, cakes, etc. That’s why, the Passionfruit vine is commercially grown and will be as desirable to have in your garden. Similar to the two-in-one gift offer… isn’t that marvelous?
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Posted by Jacqueline on November 9th, 2012 in Our Garden

Wonderful sight indeed when I spent my days in October to observe the unfurling of tiny tots on our flowering and foliage plants. What marvels the Lord had created and designed for our amazement, delight and joy!

Sharing some images of their fascinating features that I had opportunity to capture on camera. I’ve created a photomosaic of each plant so that you can enjoy their unfolding beauty! They are self-explanatory, so I’ll just display them all below, hoping to put a smile on your face as you view them! :-)

Spathiphyllum spp. ‘Mauna Loa Supreme’
Common names: Peace Lily, Spathe Flower, White Anthurium, White Sails.

Wrightia antidysenterica
Common names: Snowflake, Milky Way, Arctic Snow, Winter Cherry Tree, Sweet Indrajao.

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Posted by Jacqueline on October 28th, 2012 in A-Z: Tropical Palms Photo Gallery, Plants database

Wodyetia bifurcada (Foxtail Palm, Wodyetia Palm)

Too bad our small-spaced home garden is unable to accommodate this enchanting and gorgeous Foxtail Palm, aptly named as its leaves or fronds are bushy and likened to the tail of a fox.

Fortunately, these spectacular palm trees with foxtail-like fronds have become an absolute craze among landscapers in our tropical country, Malaysia and we can still get to enjoy them even not planted in our garden.

They’re grown almost at every nook and corner, especially along byways and highways, road dividers, roundabouts, and landscaping around shopping malls, hotels, parking areas and elsewhere.

They are also popularly planted elsewhere around the world wherever there’s conducive and suitable conditions, even in the sub-tropics. Surprisingly that even though there are countless Wodyetia bifurcada growing worldwide, the Queensland Government still has it listed as an endangered species.

Go for it if you have a bungalow or residential property that is surrounded with sufficient garden space. These appealing palm trees will be a grand and awesome display, especially when the duck-egg-sized, orange-red fruits adorn its trunk! You can either form an informal hedge for privacy, mark your property’s boundary and grown collectively as a group or single specimen.
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Posted by Jacqueline on October 11th, 2012 in Our Garden

Gardening is so very rewarding!! We’re blessed with plants and flowers that make us cheerful and happy everyday, like our beloved and faithful Miniature Pinscher, Maxi who uplifts our spirits endlessly with his charming ways.

Mophead Hydrangea in blue is the starring beauty for September 2012 in our tropical garden.
For the first time our gorgeous perennial plants flushed happily with many cluster of blooms, probably after being fed with organic fertilizer. We’re amazed that the plants are flowering almost at the same time to present a remarkable display!

Flowers are long-lasting and turn pink or purplish-pink as they age… isn’t that great, no need to buy the pink variety?
Really put smiles on our faces when we see our plants looking luscious and happy! Just love the blues in our garden! :-)

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Posted by Jacqueline on September 30th, 2012 in Our Garden

The pink dwarf anthurium in a 5.5-inch (13.97cm) wide pot which was added to our tropical garden in September 2011 had outgrown its space and definitely need some attention from us.

Hence I took the opportunity to do the needful, that is, dividing the whole clump into two sections and pot them separately as a means to propagate them. Also, a chance for me to share a how-to article about the propagation which is easily done.

How to propagate an Anthurium plant by division:

1. Carefully remove the plant from its pot when the soil had become congested with roots. Then use a knife or something similar to divide the clump and gently shake away the excess soil from its roots. I’ve divided it into two sections as illustrated in the image above.
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Posted by Jacqueline on September 1st, 2012 in Our Garden

A few unexpected surprises that thrilled us so last month and brought joy to our hearts!

Hippeastrum
with vibrant scarlet-coloured or reddish-orange flowers bloomed for the second time, about 2¼ years after the first flowering in April 2010. Seriously, we had wanted to thrash it but before removing it, I decided to cut off their foliage early July to see what would happen. When some new leaves emerged, a flowering stalk soon followed. How wonderful!!

The large flowers are 13 cm in width on a flowering spike of 47 cm tall. Even though it had only two flowers, it was amazing to watch it unfurled, from a bud to its glorious beauty!

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Posted by Jacqueline on August 23rd, 2012 in Plants database

Syngonium podophyllum (Goosefoot Plant, Arrowhead Vine/Plant, Nephthytis, Five-fingers, African/American Evergreen)

We just love variegated foliage plants.

These are one of those plants where the leaves are attractively patterned in various lovely colourful shades that make them as desirable to have in any garden, outdoors.

And you can even grow them indoor as houseplants.

A pot of Syngonium podophyllum ‘Pixie’, a compact and bushy cultivar with smaller leaves that are variably shaded in green with creamy white markings, and costing RM13.00, was added to our garden in September 2011.

We had propagated further into 3 pots now. Just fantastic as they’re easily multiplied and you’re guaranteed of their existence for life in your garden. Yay!

Nowadays, you get to see various cultivars or varieties with gorgeous subtle shades of pink and sometimes delicately flushed on the green leaf blades at garden centers. Click this link to Glasshouse Works to enjoy lovely photos of the cultivars available.
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Posted by Jacqueline on August 13th, 2012 in Our Garden

Our tropical garden is forever filled with delightful flowers to bring joy to our daily lives. The plants are always busy at work to reward us with colourful blooms to gladden our hearts.

The red, orange and white flowers were the prominent ones for the months of June and July.

The fiery reds in our garden :

Calliandra emarginata ‘Red’ or Red Dwarf Powder Puff, a tropical perennial shrub is one handsome plant that seems to be forever flowering. Though flowers are short-lived, lasting a day or two but their abundance and radiant red colour is sure to delight you.

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