Sapphire Showers Duranta

So gorgeous....!  When we first moved there, we used to take walks in the neighborhood just to check out the surrounding.  My son was the one who first pointed out this beauty to me. Coincidentally  on the first trip to  the nursery to buy some plants for the garden,  I spied this beauty  sitting in a corner  of the nursery - a splendid bush, almost canopy like - compared to a  just a few stalks of  stems and flowers we saw in the neighborhood.  The owner of the nursery was selling the small plant for RM6 which I thought was  an excellent bargain  for such a beautiful plant ! In comparison I saw this plant  sitting in a Melbourne nursery a price tag of AUD$ 35 ........

Anyway, once I took this plant home, I was pleasantly surprised to see it growing so well and fast. I wanted a big plant to provide as much shade as possible. I really got more than I expected when I found out this plant is so easy to propagate.  Whenever I trimmed the plant, I stick the cuttings into the soil along the drain as well as containers. Some dry out, but most survived.  I have stopped doing that now, otherwise my whole area would be nothing but just this plant....hmmm!  The plants bloom easily as well. It doesn't even seem to mind if there is no fertilizer, it appears  stunted that is all.

This is how the plant I bought look like now - a year and half down the road! I let it lean against the fence to have a bit of support.  The lush green leaves and  purple-blue flowers  with white edging are really too heavy for the plant to stand upright. without some sort of support.  When the flowers are gone, tiny yellow fruits appears ( that is why the plant is also called "Golden Dewdrop") but I prefer to trim the flowering stalks off as the fruits are considered toxic.

Below is the view of the plant  from outside the compound.

I potted one of the cuttings as I like the way the stalks leaned gracefully over. It stayed healthy for a  few months  but it soon outgrow this small  pot.....!  This plant blooms perpetually and the huge clusters of flowers is really attractive.

It also attracts butterflies to my garden ! These are some of the butterflies I managed to 'shoot' as they flirted with the flowers. 'Shooting' butterflies need patience and a fast hand....not easy at all, but I get lucky!    Sorry I am not able to provide the names of these lovely butterflies right now since I do not know their names! 

This butterfly must be a survivor (see its left wing).

Update on 27/2/2011 : The Egg Fly Butterfly? Hope I got its name right...!

Well if I gush more about this plant....you will be bored. But believe me, if there is one plant you want to have in your beautiful garden -  it is this plant....A note :  the whole flower stalk will stay for a month, daily the old ones dropped, but new ones opened.