John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on December 23rd, 2011

Chrysanthemum hybrids (Mums, Chrysanths) In the blink of an eye, it’ll be Christmastime and will be followed closely by the Chinese Lunar Year in January 2012! Hence, Florist’s Chrysanthemum and the brilliant red Poinsetta (Euphorbia pulcherrima), besides other popular holiday plants, are being displayed on a grand scale at garden centers and stores. Festive seasons [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on October 25th, 2011

Calathea lutea (Cigar Calathea, Cuban/Havana Cigar, Pampano) Weren’t you surprised that these majestically tall plants, up to 3 meters in height, with green and unpatterned foliage bears the name, Calathea lutea? We definitely were as most calatheas not only have beautifully patterned and variegated leaves but are rather dwarfish (about 60 cm) in stature, unlike [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on October 5th, 2011

We’ve been growing Spider Plants (Chlorophytum comosum) for umpteen years, so long that we won’t give them a second look when we visit garden centers – or so we thought. Recently though, we were spellbound by their presence at a nearby garden center that we dropped by early last month. With outstretched limbs and crying [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on September 22nd, 2011

Pritchardia pacifica (Fiji Fan Palm, Pacific Fan Palm) Big, bold and beautiful, Pritchardia pacifica will surely make an imposing and striking specimen in any garden or landscape. A handsome solitary palm tree that features enormous fronds in almost perfect fan formation in shades of bright green to lime green. It is well sought after by [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on August 30th, 2011

Hemigraphis alternata (Red Flame Ivy, Red Ivy, Cemetary Plant, Metal-leaf) An attractive and colourful low-creeping herb that’s sure to draw one’s attention, especially mine! I do admit to being a sucker for just about any plant with variegated leaves! We were somewhat mesmerized when we first sighted those lovely ground-cover plants, less than two years [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on July 17th, 2011

Licuala grandis (Vanuatu Fan Palm, Ruffled Fan Palm, Palas Payung) If you’re looking for a slender and exotic tropical fan palm to grace your garden or landscape, Licuala grandis will be well worth considering! An excellent small-sized palm tree that is perfect, both for container planting or grown on the ground, and ideal too for [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on July 1st, 2011

Pseuderanthemum reticulatum (Golden Pseuderanthemum, Yellow-vein Eranthemum, Golden Net-bush) These stunning sun-loving flowering shrubs, growing at the The Little Sisters of the Poor St. Francis Xavier Home for the Elderly in Cheras K.L., certainly caught our eyes. Golden Pseuderanthemum simply adores the sun. From afar, we saw smiling and sunny faces, reverberating in the sunlight that [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on June 28th, 2011

Alternanthera ficoidea (Joseph’s Coat, Parrot Leaf, Calico Plant, Sanguinarea) Simply gorgeous! A non-stop riot of fall colours greeting us each day ever since we planted these dazzling Alternanthera ficoidea plants as ground covers in our garden beds last March! Being in tropical Malaysia, we do not have the joy of watching the autumnal turning of [...]