Growing Fruit Trees ( Part 2 )

I have always loved avocados ever since I first tasted them.  So when I noticed my mother's neighbor has a tree, and the tree was laden with fruits, I  was full of hope that  I  can  plant one as well.  I asked  the auntie  for a couple of  fruits, and in no time I had a baby plant from  one of the seeds . One can imagine how excited  I was!  The auntie was very nice and  even offered me the baby plants that were sprouting up around the mother plant. I dig up one plant, and planted  it  behind my mother's house. However, the maid  neglected to water it and it did not survive.  Therefore I was a bit worried that my precious baby plant will not survive either, and watched over it like a hawk!   When the plant was young, it needed moisture and the leaves protection from the hot sun.  Aphids and mealy bugs attacked the young plant, but with some malathion I took care of them.   I surfed the net to get  information on cultivating avocado plants in Malaysia.  I would like to recommend my readers to  Dr Francis Ng  (refer http://tropicalhorticulture.blogspot.com ) who  has a good article written on avocados in Malaysia ( May 27, 2007). 

This is my avocado plant and it is beautiful, isn't it?  It is now about 5 feet tall. The leaves are so big and green.  I already have it for almost two years now.  The avocado fruits apparently are suitable for old peoples' digestive system. I tell my children I want to enjoy the fruits from this plant during my old age.  Ahh.... it is a long patient wait to taste the first fruits from the Avocado, but I can wait. Apparently some trees are said to be able to bear fruits in 5 years, some 10 and others never even bear fruits until 20 years. I guess it all depends on the species, and the environment.

 Initially, aside from the papayas and avocado, I was pondering what other fruit tress to grow outside the house compound when  there came an e-mail that expounded on the many benefits of the Kedondong fruits (ambarella).  Actually I was a bit hesitant  about the kedondong as it is prone to black mould attack and the fruits too sour to eat, especially as the sourness can be a bit harsh on the teeth.  Juicing the fruits is okay.  The plus side of this plant is it grows fast and is bears fruits early, and easily.  My kedondong was already bearing fruit  just after four months of growth.  It was a small plant when I bought it from the nursery.  

Our family loves the jack fruit. It is one of the fruits that one can enjoy the whole year round. Since our place can be rather hot, being exposed to the sun, we thought the jack fruit tree will be ideal to provide shade as well as fruits in future. My husband is a bit worried that it will grow too big, and a problem to maintain. I told him we will cross the bridge when we come to it.  Right now I keep pruning of the branches on top so it will branch sideways instead of just growing upwards. When the plant was small I was scared to cut it as I read that the main trunk might rot, so I am rather careful when cutting the plant stalks, especially the thick milky sap the oozed out.  After having planted it for almost 2 years now, it is already taller than me. Once I saw something similar to a bud, but it soon dropped, so perhaps I am mistaken.  Amazingly one article I read that if the plant is from good stock, it will bear with 18 months....rather unbelievable, isn't it?

The mulberry fruits and leaves are supposed to benefit the eyes.  I am rather fascinated by the mulberry plant and rather like the sweet tartness of the ripe fruit. The mulberry plant is easy to propagate by cuttings. The cuttings take root very fast. I have about five bushes of mulberry as a result of over-enthusiasm for some plants to grow when we first moved here ..... I know I have to remove some soon.  Actually the mulberry do not take up much space, just got to keep trimming it and it will bear fruits.

A mango plant is a must I supposed, we got two types, the Harum Manis and the Raja Pelam. The Harum Manis seems rather stunted even after almost 2 years, but I refused to give up on it.   About 8 months after we took it back, it started to bloom and even bear a fruit !  All seemed well until one day a naughty monkey  caused havoc and stole the mango (with its netting as well)/........... Later  I  found the half eaten fruit and netting in the drain.   The Raja Pelam on the other hand seems to be doing well. From the photos you can guess which is which! 

 

Well wish me luck with my fruit trees.............

Roses , Roses, Roses.....

There is something very appealing about the rose. It is hard to resist the rose. I learn that some roses have nice scent, but there are some that do not. Someone told me the local roses (ros kampong) usually have scents and are easier to care for. There are those  hybrids from Cameron Highlands,  all look very enchanting and irresistible sitting at the nursery.  I bought many plants, but sadly most did not survive. It is not easy to cultivate healthy roses.  I use fertiliser, I use chemicals, I give shade,  I give sunshine,  I give partial shade, I spray water to keep them moist.....but still the leaves wilt and look unhealthy............ Finally I placed  those few that I still have at  a corner, neglect them, don't even look at them , except water and fertilize .......and  lo and behold ......... you see perfect healthy leaves and even occasional buds that will bloom beautifully!  What irony !

Now I keep only the four or five rose plants that are surviving. I have resolved never, never, never to buy rose plants unless they are the local types.  When in Cameron Highlands, admire them, take pictures....but don't bring back trouble and suffer heartache!  Also ignore those rose plants sold at the local nurseries.

This pink and white rose is my husband's favorite.  So far it blooms rather well, but I planted it with  the yellow/orange lantana . I read somewhere that one way to care for plants is grow it with another plant that will take care of it.  Since both plants are doing good together I left them alone.   Except, of course,  the lantana is growing  faster than the rose, so I keep pruning it until even my daughter remarked that the lantana looked like a bonsai plant.  Well one day I must separate them...... : -(

This blood red rose on the other hand is my favorite. It has a very lovely scent. I  want to propagate more of the plant, but the plant is growing so slowly.  Well touch wood it seems to doing rather well right now near the fence, almost covered by the crepe ginger and the variegated gardenia.  See how healthy the leaves are, perhaps it is the cooler weather these days with the occasional rain. It looked like it was drying out when I left it on the porch with the other potted plants.  Perhaps it likes the humidity exuded by the plants surrounding it. Well, if this works for it, I will just leave it there.

This cream rose is so far the longest survivor that I have. I have planted it on the ground, hoping it will grow better.  Believe it or not, this rose plant has moods. It will grow well at times, blooms and then seems to go into hibernation. Right now it is in the latter mood. No signs of growth at all!!  

This miniature orange rose was blooming  in abundance  when I bought it.  But after almost 2 years, I have yet to see it bloom like that. Now  I would consider it unusual if it bears more than two roses at a time!!   I have given up on it but it has not given up on me....lol!  Sometimes I almost forget it is still there, surviving under the orange mirabilis.


My neigbour did give me some rose cuttings from her garden.  The cuttings survived but so far has not bloomed at all.  I have them for about six months now.  I hope they are the bright yellow ones that looks and smells nice.  

27th Nov 2010  : Update

 The rose cuttings from my neighbor turn out to be candy pink. I think they are local roses (kampung rose variety), as the flowers smell really nice.  I love it when these plants seem to be doing well.  These rose plants are climbers so I have moved them to the fence for support. They tend to grow long and tall. I asked my neighbor for advise, she said to prune them heavily if I want them growing as shrubs like hers.  However, I feel very 'sayang' to prune them when they are growing so healthily ! 

Growing Fruit Trees ( Part 1 )

This cute little plant is a grafted mangoesteen, yes, none other than the "Queen of Fruits".  Strange that I should  buy this little fella, but then never try, never know. I  have always been fascinated by mangoesteens (love the fruit as well), so I  cannot resist this attempt to cultivate one  beside the house.  The nursery guy said if I am lucky  this plant will start fruiting within 3 to 5 years.  It does not matter, but just see how this one goes.  After all what is RM 13 for a lifetime experience to do what I dreamt of doing.....planting  a mangoesteen tree beside the house. Hope I get lucky. Okay, let us check  out the other  fruit trees  that I am growing.

My son loves the custard apple. The white soft flesh is sweet, but the numerous hard black seeds are an irritation.  We have to spit out  as we  eat the fruit.  The skills of taking this fruit  must be acquired and developed in order to enjoy the sweet fruit.   The plant smells nice too.  The Cananga Odorate  is somehow related to this plant.  The flowers of the custard apple are much smaller in comparison.  I planted two custard apple  trees about a year ago from seeds obtained from a  fruit  a friend gave us.   Both  trees are already bearing  their  first fruits.

A papaya tree is a common sight in villages.  When we were growing up, there was always a papaya tree in the backyard. So when we moved here, I was determined to create the  country side atmosphere, and immediately set about planting these papayas outside of the house compound.  I planted  about 5 or 6 and all looked very promising until they start to flower....and one even started to fruit (left hand side). Well errr....  not many, just about 6 precious fruits,  then 'gone case' ! One by one  the papaya trees started to yellow and drop leaves. We checked around, some people said not enough water, no I definitely watered religiously....then some said too much water --- hardly possible given the hot weather.....!  Finally with no solution to sight, I had to remove the sickly trees.  I purposely dug out  one plant to check the roots....but  there were no rooting roots, just that the roots seemed stunted.  Okay, so I am not going to be a brilliant papaya fruit cultivator.....! Growing papaya for fruits is not as easy as in the old days. Perhaps it  is something to do with the species.  Anyway  let me not  gripe and grumble .... as they say, " I will be back" ! 

Interested to hear  about how naive and over enthusiastic  I was  for a  first timer ? I was at this nursery when  I saw this strange creeper with all the green fruits so lovely looking......Wow, I asked the nursery fellow what plant is that ? It looked  like the 'lohan kuo fruit' (the fruit we bought from the medical hall  which is all dried up and brownish-black). Yes, was the reply, so I thought I will try growing one of this creeper myself. At the nursery the creeper was allowed to wind around a pole and it did not take up too much space. I naively thought no problem, I could do it.......haha, self delusional only!  Now a year and half later, what have I got ? A creeper that seems overgrown and hard to control despite me diligently removing the leaves until at one desperate time I trimmed  it all  bare except  for a couple of strangling vines. Well, two months later it looked like it did previously. Before I trimmed it all I was successful with three. fruits.....correct, 3 only, Two dropped half way and one managed to mature for me to taste it.! Was it worth it...hellaluya! Yes, the fruit - as I discovered is the Passion fruit, sweetish, juicy....not bad, if only I can get more out of the creeper! So i give it more time, if still no results,  I wowed to remove it totally, Actually the flowers are beautiful as well, but unlike my purple passion flower these  is more whitish/purple  and no fragrance. Unfortunately I have no photos to show here.  Unlike my passion flower, this creeper despite being a fast grower does not seem to bloom much. 

Last on today's blog, there is the malay gooseberry plant ( Phyllanthus distichus or in chinese - Yu -Kam).  Growing this plant is my younger sister's wish list  item actually.  Admittedly it is a nice plant. and is known to be grown as an ornamental plant in some parts of the world. My  younger sister  bought the plant during one of her home visits a year ago  and we  planted it.   When we were young, my mother had one of this tree behind the old house. We used to be very fascinated by the yellow little fruit that tasted so sour and tart.  Normally my mother will pickle the fruits. Recently a strange thing happened. My younger sister  works in Singapore and she was home again on leave. When she  inspected the  plant, she remarked, " maybe this is not the Yu-Kam, but the Too Bor Seung (Averrhoa bilimbi)" . Both trees looked similar.

Three days after she went back to Singapore, this tiny fruit appeared !  It seemed like this plant is determined to stake its identity. Normally the fruits grew along the branches, not at the tip like this one. Now everyday I checked for flowers, but there were none.  The plant seems happy though, branching out and sprouting leaves.....I imagine it must be happy now that we cannot doubt its identity! 

More on my fruit trees planting endeavors next blog.....!

Carissa ( Natal Plum)

I was attracted to this plant given the unusual compactness of the ovate glossy green leaves. To my disgust it  has sharp thorns!  The plus side of this plant is the fragrant white flowers it bears. The name 'Natal Plum' is given because of the red fruit it bears. I like what I read about this plant and decided to add it to my collection of plants. I bought two plants, one with  leaves that are deep green in colour, the other with a lighter green. I am not sure whether the leaves of the  second plant will eventually turn a darker shade.  I am hoping the flowers will be different and they are different  hybrids. I got the plants from different suppliers.  I  plant ed both plants in containers as I feel they will be easier to handle. 

This plant is supposed to be pest free and grows well under direct sunlight.  It can tolerate drought conditions. Generally plants with thorns are easy to care for, just that when handling them have to be extra careful about these thorns. I noticed the carissa when damaged exude a milky sap. This sap is supposed to be toxic. In fact according to what I read, all parts of the plant is toxic, except the ripe fruit. The fruit apparently is edible and very popular for making jellies, jams, etc. 

Well having bought these two plants recently, I am waiting patiently to see the white star shaped flowers  and taste the fruit.  However,  I do not expect  these  plants to be a fast grower at the rate they are growing! 

7th October 2010 : Update on progress.......

Below are pictures of the carissa flower  that bloomed recently. So far there is only single blooms on the plant, so I guess it is still a long wait to see the fruit. !

The blooms are so white in contrast to the dark glossy green leaves. The fragrance from the flower is teasing as it is very mild....but lovely anyway!  The other pot has yet to bloom.

Lantana Camara

A weed or an ornamental plant ?  This plant is becoming very popular with the landscaping people.  In many public gardens I was fascinated to see the  vast variety of colors planted - red, purple, white/pink, yellow/orange (like this one that I have), etc... The lantana is a prolific bloomer given sufficient water and trimmings.  At least mine blooms all the same.  Like the bougainvillea , this plant is grafted to bear many different colours on  a single plant  and sells for a good price at the nurseries.

The lantana plant produces a distinctive odor  that is not too pleasant.  This plant is relatively pest free, but look out for aphids. I noticed that butterflies seem to like the flowers . Apparently these plants are cultivated by the butterfly farms for the purpose of attracting these creatures.  This is one of the reason I am considering introducing other colors to my garden as well.  I like this plant  since it grows easily by cuttings.  Once the cutting take roots,  buds begin to appear.  This plants seems to bloom easily.  I think it blooms better under direct sunlight.  The flowers are rather fascinating as they will change to a deeper tone or a different color (yellow to orange) when it matures.  If you look carefully there are at least 3 to 4 shades of colors on one inflorescence.

I keep trimming the branches when the blooms are finished. I noticed that  this plant can be easily shaped into a mini shrub. Sometimes the branches tend to become rather long and dangling so trimming helps to  keep the plant in shape.  I have this lantana planted on the ground as well as in containers.  It is a hardy plant.

Graptophyllum (Caricature plant)

If you are a sucker for variegated plants like me, this plant is a must have in the garden. The leaves are so appealing with the  pale cream and light green contrast. The flowers are nothing to shout about, except perhaps the color is an unusual magenta red.  The plant  stem is pale cream as well. It is a healthy plant that grows well as long as it has water and sunshine.  I got the cuttings of this  plant from my aunt who stays next door to my mother.  The cuttings take root easily. 

In the photo below can you see who is visiting?  Yes this friend is  happy, feeding from these flowers.  He  has become a regular visitor in the  late afternoons. Sometimes he comes with another friend, and they are never quiet.  Well, it is nice to have their company for a while and hear them gossiping away merrily in their beautiful high pitched voices. 

Roselle

The roselle plant is a member of  the Hibiscus family  ( also known as Hibiscus Sabdariffa) My friendly neighbor gave me 4 baby plants grown from seeds about a year ago. Initially one plant died, but the other three plants grew well, and since I was able to propagate new plants from their seeds.  I notice that this roselle plant is very productive but has only a short healthy  life time ( a year plus only)  Only after a couple of months, the plant starts to produce flowers and the fruits developed shortly after. With the few plants I have (about 5 right now), I am able to harvest fruits at least once a fortnight.  Recently with the heavy rain and cooler weather, there was so much fruits, I  was able to send some over to my neighbours as well.  The plant should not be allowed to grow too tall as the stems are not hardy. Normally I use some stick or bars to support the plant. However after harvesting the fruits I trimmed the plant. The side branches will grow soon enough. 

This roselle plant is a beautiful plant.  The fruits are so attractive, being deep blood red.  The fruits are used to make cool refreshing drinks. It is nice to drink  the juice chilled.  One can read  about the benefits of this plant  from the articles put up in the internet. Aside from the fruits, the leaves can be used to cook curry. At least this was what my neighbour told me.  It gives a sweetish, sourish taste to the curry apparently. I have not tried doing that yet.  I know some people make jam and jelly out of the fruit. I would also like to try doing that one day.

 These  are the roselle flowers . Like most  hibiscus flowers, they are  showy, huge and attractive, but drops after just one day. 

Hippeastrum

Most people mistakenly referred to  this beautiful and flamboyant plant as an amaryllis, but the correct  name is Hippeastrum.   Some  people simply called it "Lily'.  Hippeastrum is a genus in the family Amaryllidacaea, with many species and hybrids. 

Right now I have three types in my garden.  I used to like this bulb plant a lot, as I find the huge, showy flower very appealing, on top of the flower being able to last for 3 or 4 days.  Nowadays I find that growing this plant is not very rewarding as the plants prefers to  happily spout healthy looking leaves  but  no flowers in sight.!  (Haiz....!) After reading other blogs, comments, etc.. I find that this is indeed a common complaint.  So despite providing organic fertilizer feed to it, trimming of the leaves, not watering it., digging them out and replanting them, etc.........these efforts did not seemed to work! Recently I read  a recommendation to put the bulbs in the fridge to simulate cold weather in order to stress the plant, inducing it to bloom.   The author claims that this method works but one got to  go through the process for at least 4 months to see the bloom.  Well, I hesitate to go through such a tedious process, so just decided to let the plants dictate when they want to bloom.   Yet I have seen these plants neglected by the roadside, but they were blooming  happily under the sun!  Perhaps it is the hybrids. The one I saw were orange-coral  in colour. Perhaps they are not as fussy.  I used to have a row of them when we lived in Penang, perhaps I should go hunting for them again.

This light pink and white hybrid projects an aura of innocence and peace.  When I gaze at this graceful flower,  I feel nothing can wrong.  

 One more hybrid which is reddish-white, with more rounded petals has not bloom for some time now, so I cannot put up a picture right now.  When I get lucky I will insert a photograph!

Update : 7th April 2011

It finally blooms .....

What a beauty ! 

 

(for more pictures - see posted dated 7th April 2011)

Leucophyllum

Stunning, unusual shrub .... the common names  for it are  Texas Ranger , Silver Leaf  and  Barometer Bush - what  funny names for a plant !  Well, silver leaf is  okay, after all the leaves are kind of silvery color (grey-white).  Why barometer bush ? Apparently the plant blooms days before it rains, it starts to bud when the humidity is high, I guess. From buds to blooms I think it takes 2 to 3 days from what I observe. Texas Ranger  -  I have not come across any explaination for it yet.  

I first noticed this shrub  because of its unusual foliage.   It was bushy , about 4 feet tall .  One day  I  noticed it bloomed and  it  was really striking. Abundant pink flowers against the silvery backdrop, one can see the plant from quite a distance away.  

This is the plant  when I brought it home and  after having given  it some light some prunning. The nursery where I bought it from had  just let it stand under the sun and rain. There was a bit of black moldy growth and the branches were dangling here and there. into odd shape. My husband did not like it at all, but after I have prunned it, he said 'wow - was that the plant we took back?" Since it was recommended to leave it under direct sunlight, and to avoid too much watering, I had to locate a proper spot for the plant.

This is the plant after 3 months  with us.  Well, it did not bloom just before it rains, but it blooms periodically. It did not shower us with excessive blooms either, but enough to make one admire it whenever it does.  The plant has adapted rather well,  keep my fingers crossed. Anyway it is supposed to be a robust plant. The plant is supposed to grow on sandy soils, a semi - dessert shrub, so it does not need much fertilizing as well. 

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.