March to April 2013 in our tropical garden

Unpredictable weather can be so annoying at times! Blasting sunshine with extreme heat and interspersed with sudden erratic thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rainfall have been the norm for the months of March and April! Hardy plants just love them while the less hardy ones especially newly planted or repotted plants simply dread such extreme sudden [...]

Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ – an elegant ornamental succulent

Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ (Dwarf Variegated Agave, Variegated Smooth Agave, Variegated Smooth Century Plant) This variegated form of Agave desmettiana is obviously more charming than the typical non-variegated species. An elegant medium-sized succulent shrub, Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ showcases bright green to blueish-green leaves with creamy to golden-yellow variegation along the margins. Simply enchanting! We were excited [...]

Brugmansia suaveolens and hybrids, with dramatic floral display

Brugmansia suaveolens (Angel’s Trumpet, Angel-star, Angel’s Tears) The exotic Brugmansia suaveolens is a small tree or large evergreen shrub that is cultivated exclusively for its dramatic floral display. A prolific bloomer that may grandly display as many as 100-200 stunningly beautiful flowers at one time under good growing conditions. Simply spectacular… as if presenting rows [...]

Pseuderanthemum reticulatum (Yellow-vein Eranthemum) simply adores the sun!

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 [...]

Alternanthera ficoidea (Parrot Leaf) in a non-stop riot of fall colours

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 [...]

Agave desmettiana with flowers to signal its approaching death!

Agave desmettiana (Smooth Agave, Dwarf Century Plant, Smooth Century Plant) Wouldn’t you be captivated with this 3-meter tall flowering beauty if you chance upon it? We were very impressed, indeed! And, captured a lot of pictures too as we monitored its blooming progressively for several months. A pity though that Agave desmettiana is monocarpic and [...]

April 2011: Easter Joy in our tropical garden!

What marvels The Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad. (Psalm 126:3) Simply unbelievable! Not only was our potted Proiphys amboinensis (Cardwell Lily) blooming for the second time around in two years but once again resurrected during the Easter season!

Euphorbia pulcherrima, the Christmas-flowering Poinsettia

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 [...]