John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on January 16th, 2012

Euphorbia bracteata (Little Bird Flower, Slipper Plant, Candelilla) An attractively beautiful shrub, Euphorbia bracteata is home to numerous quaint-looking birds when it blooms. Figuratively speaking, of course! They’re not our feathered friends, the chirpy and lively birds in the real sense but flowers that appear so similar to birds that make them as desirable to [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on October 30th, 2011

Costus woodsonii (Red Button Ginger, Scarlet Spiral Flag, Red Cane, Panamanian Candle Ginger, Dwarf French Kiss) This stunning and colourful plant that displays exotic and vibrant red torpedo-shaped inflorescences, rising above a sea of lush green foliage as if ready to be launched into space, is definitely an attention grabber and demands notice. No wonder [...]

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 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 [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on April 18th, 2011

Hibiscus mutabilis (Confederate Rose, Cotton Rose) Floral colours change almost like colour-changing handkerchiefs in a magic show! However, unlike that magic trick, the stunningly large flowers do it very gracefully over a period of a day. They open the purest of white in the morning, then very gradually change to light pink in the afternoon [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on April 3rd, 2011

Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Burgundy’ For months, this 7-year-old potted plant had screamed for a decent trim! It had straggly branches that looked so unkempt but as usual I had procrastinated with my garden chores. Finally, I relented and gave it a haircut, so severe that I almost bald it in late February. However, it [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on December 31st, 2010

Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia, Christmas Flower/Star, Lobster Plant, Mexican Flameleaf) The ever-popular flowering plant for the holiday season of Christmas worldwide! About 30-40 potted plants of the vibrant red Christmas-flowering Poinsettia were being used to decorate the base of our Church’s altar and rostrum for this Christmas season. How lovely! When grouped together, they appear so [...]

Posted by Jacqueline on December 3rd, 2010

How wonderful, the White Mussaenda or Tropical Dogwood is back to its glorious days again! Several large and striking clusters of white ‘flowers’ (bracts actually) to brighten our front yard. Definitely our garden star for November 2010!