Loropetalum Chinense

The Loropetalum Chinense or commonly called Chinese Fringe Flower is a  truly beautiful shrub with its unusual colored leaves ranging from bronze-red when new to olive-green or burgundy when mature. The flowers are bright hot pink.  I noticed that this plant is very popular these days and is commonly seen  almost everywhere.  This plant is actually one of the first few plants that I planted when we first moved here. It was growing very well, but something went wrong and it died. I am only thinking of a couple of  possibilities -  too much fertilizer  or poor soil drainage.  It is hard to lose a plant especially one that seemed to be growing so well. This plant is supposed to be a rather hardy plant, so it is a real puzzle why all of a sudden the leaves start to dry up.  I had planted it in a sunny spot.

It was lucky that I had a cutting that was successful (see picture below). This time I will be having it in a pot and not be too enthusiastic about fertilizing it.

 

8th September 2011 : Update on my 'baby' Chinese Fringe Flower plant

After almost a year - the plant is not much bigger, isn't it ? Sigh ..... well as they say, things of beauty take time to develop and this is so true for my Fringe Flower !

Bromeliads

Seeing this unique plant, it is hard to believe they belong to the same family of  tropical plants as the pineapples!  (check out this link  -  http://houseplants.about.com/od/bromeliads/a/Bromeliads.htm).   If the experts say so, we just have to accept it  :-) . Anyway I am a hundred percent sure I won't be  seeing or eating any fruits off this plant..... ! My good friend , Tracy, has a good collection of these plants, they seemed to thrive in her place . The ones I have are taken from her about eight months ago. 

If you look closely at  the two photos below, you will realize that they are actually of the same plant, taken about a month  apart. Somehow the color of the 'flower' just changed from bright orange to washed out yellow.   I am not sure if this is a natural occurrence.  I will have to see if the same  happens to the other plant  (picture above) as well.

 

My friend actually gave me 3 types, but the ones above is the one type that had adapted well. Two others did not seem to adapt that well. One looks like it has gone dormant. It has actually broader curved leaves. I did not take any pictures. They are the Guzmania Bromeliads. 

This Aechmea Bromeliad (left hand side) has mottled green leaves not unlike the Dwarf Sanseviera (Post dated : 29th October).  However the leaf blade is elongated and the edges have fine spikes, much like the pineapple leaf.  The sanseviera has  very smooth edges.  This bromeliad seemed to take a long time to adapt, it did not flower but it has sprung an offspring or pup as they call it !  Just hope  the offspring will fare better than the parent plant.  Or perhaps I should  think about relocating it or plant it in a pot.   I have planted it  on the ground the way I saw my friend did, but perhaps the soil is too damp and a  bit too shaded for its liking.  

Now, perhaps we can take a look at my pineapples plants just for comparison. These pineapples are planted from the crowns of those pineapples that we bought from the market.  According to Chinese customs, when making offerings to ancestors, a whole pineapple is a must.  After prayers, the crown is cut off and planted. I am not sure if I will get any fruits from these pineapples  that I planted from the crowns, but  I do quite like the attractiveness of the pineapple plant.

I think they are doing okay, aren't they?  Anyway it will  be a long patient wait  to see the fruits. Easier to buy from the market. Pineapples actually take at least a year or more to fruit and ripen, so it is not surprising that they are expensive these days. Pineapples have a lot of healthy benefits as well. Do check out these link :- http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/Benefits-of-Pineapple.htm and http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-283.html. to find out more.

Rose Cactus ( Pereskia grandiflora)

 
Rose or Cactus?

I was captivated by the flower buds....looked like  rose buds, and the pink was just the type of pastel pink I like very much. However I do not like the thorns !

 

This plant is a actually a cactus, but it must have adapted to its environment by now because it hardly fits into what we normally think of as a cactus - it has luscious green leaves !  The leaves are fleshy, thick and feels smooth like plastic.  Like most cactus, the thorns are a killer, they  are really long, thin and sharp as well., more painful  and threatening than those needles on the syringe!  I like this plant, but the thorns make me reluctant to even go near it. I placed it in a strategic location where  one won't accidentally bang into it. Safer that way....!  

To make this plant grow shrubby, it needs pruning. Otherwise it has a tendency to grow long and thin. The herbaceous stem is not too strong, needs some external support. To propagate this plant, just cut a stem and insert into some soil.   This cactus does not grow fast, so one has got to be patient with it. It is not a prolific bloomer either.  It is a tough plant, just avoid over watering it.  It loves to be in the sunlight,  but  it does not fuss being in partial shade. Unlike normal cactus, do not allow the medium to dry out. If this plant is short of water, you can see its leaves turning yellow and the stem a bit shriveled. This plant is a survivor, very tough plant.

There is some medicinal usage for this plant, mainly said to have anti-cancer properties.

Sanseviera Trifasciata

The leaves of this plant are  really  thick and tough. The patterns rather unusual. The tips are pointed but not sharp.  My neighbor passed me one plant quite some time back, the others were picked up from the roadside more recently.  They have been dug out and thrown there. My sister and I picked them up and took them back here. We planted them beneath the variegated gardenia plants, These plants are survivors.  Despite being left for dead, once planted and watered, they are doing well.  The roots of these plants are rather shallow.  

Commonly named as "Mother-in-law'sTongue", " Devils' Tongue", "Jinn's Tongue", "Snake Plant",  this is an interesting plant for its many usage. Before I proceed further, this plant I have is the dwarf type, meaning it grows as a rosette and will never grow tall.  There is the other type that looks more a tongue. The stiff, erect, lance-shaped leaves grow long and straight up, about 2 feet or more.  These plants do flowers, but the flowers are nothing grand.

The leaves are used for fiber production such as string, rope, nets, mats, hats, backs for matting, hammocks and coarse fabrics, including for paper production.  The sap from the leaves are  known for is antiseptic qualities. This plant have air purifying qualities to remove toxins from the air. The Chinese community likes this plant because it is said  the Eight Gods bestowed their eight virtues on people who grew them.   These virtues include long life, prosperity, intelligence, beauty, art, poetry, health and strength.  Normally people plant these plants  near  home entrances for good Feng Sui.

This plant is an easy plant to care for , it can survive drought conditions under bright sunlight.  It grows just as well under humid and shady conditions. However, this plant cannot take too much water as the roots will rot under too wet conditions.  The plant can be propagated through leaf cuttings, or  just removing the baby plants as they sprout up by its side.

Tree of A Thousand Stars ( Serissa Foetida or Snow Rose )

I was attracted to this miniature plant when  I saw it. The vendor told me its name is  "Tree of  a Thousand Stars"  - fascinating name indeed.   It won't ever  grow to be a tree ... it is really  too small. A shrub ? Even that  sounds hardly possible looking at its  size ! Probably will take ages...... :- ).  Needless to say I bought one plant since I really like it.

Notice the white edgings on its small pointed leaves and  how the leaves are formed like a  tiny star ?  Cute.  I do not see any buds nor flowers on the plant.  The vendor said this plant will bloom very well, that is why it is called ' tree of  a thousand stars' !  I guess this plant must be a rather young plant as the stems are rather thin and tender.  Later, checking around in the internet, I found  out that this plant is actually popular as a Bonsai plant and there are  many  of its species around.  The pictures on the some of the sites are really great,  and the flowers  when in  bloom may be  tiny but looks attractive, very delicate looking,  And indeed this plant is a prolific bloomer. I kind of like the pink  flowers variety, but the vendor had informed me that the one I bought has white flowers.  

I bought this plant almost 2 months ago  and it is doing very well.  It is an easy plant to care for, although it does shed some yellow leaves now and then in the beginning.  The weather had turned very hot recently, with spells of heat wave,  so I moved it out of the sun. I think it did not like that, so I had to move it back.  This plant is indeed  very responsive and  shows its displeasure immediately by shedding yellow leaves!  That is good -   this  plant can certainly communicate...... lol  !  This plant although small  sized,  grows fast.  I pruned those branches sticking way out  and stick them into some  soil.  I was surprised  to see the cuttings take root easily !  Amazing! It is a  bonus  since  I like this plant a lot  because of its small size, I was thinking it will be perfect for me to grow them as border plants around the bigger plants, so I will have plenty of them in no time....
 
Look at how much my plant has grown, despite being pruned at least once.

   Below are  a couple of the cuttings I successfully  propagated. 
 

Before I say 'ciao',  there is one point to take note. " Foetida "  stands for 'foul-smelling' in latin.  Parts of the plants is supposed to emit a rotting smell if damaged, but so far  I have  not smell  it yet.........! For those interested to grow bonsai, check this link out :- http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html

Pithecelobium dulce

It is natural that this plant soon became one of my favorites.  This plant with such unusual but lovely foliage ranging from mottled or plain green, pink and white, just captures my heart with its charm. One problem, it has tiny spikes at the base of the leaf.  The leaves are kidney shapes and comes as a pair. The plant sometimes tend to shed a lot of its leaves when stressed.  Once  I went off on a trip for almost a week and when I returned, most of the leaves had dropped.  It had not been watered. However, after a bit of pruning, it was  soon back on track, although for a few more days, the leaves continued to drop.  Needless to say I was so relieved as I thought I had lost the plant for sure !

I planted this plant in a container as I have seen those planted on the ground grow very big. It is a slow grower in the container, not fussy as long as it is kept watered. It seems to love the sun, put it in the shade, the leaves are more white. However to get those pink leaves , placed the plant under direct sunlight. The pink leaves come up  soon enough and the plant definitely looks more enchanting, blushing in the sun......hmm.

The stems tend to grow outwards, so I keep tugging the ends in as they grow. I use the soft gardening wire to tie the ends. I am trying to make it grow in a cylindrical form.  This was one of my early shots  of the plant where I had just tied the ends to form some sort of shape.  The plant is easy to propagate with cuttings.  However the cuttings grow very slowly.  So far I have not seen this plant flowering. Nor have I seen any pests on the plant.  It is easy to understand why I like this plant a lot.  Its name is quite a mouthful, but one can call it by its common names like  Variegated Madras Thorn, Manila Tamarind, Sweet Inga, Monkey Pod etc. Personally I like the name  'Snow on the Bush ",  but that  refers to  another plant which has the similarities in the foliage color of mottled green, white and pink.  I like the look when the plant is all white on top ; see  the second photo above.

Epipremnum Aureum

This plant is what I classify  under those tough  plants  recommended to anyone who never has experience with plants before and want to start.  It is a plant nothing can go wrong except  allowing  it to dry completely.  It is real easy to care for and very rewarding to have.  It is so responsive to the care  one lavish on it... :-) ! Generally not much care is required except to ensure it has adequate water and  a place to climb.  Even fertilizer is not required as long as it is exposed to bright light.   The leaves gets scorched from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.   In partial shade , it will do as well.  What I like to do is insert a stick in the center of the pot and allow the  vine  to climb around the stick. As new stems grow, just continue to maintain the shape by curling them against the older stems.  Soon we have a conical shape if the tip is maintained. However, one can developed a cylindrical or other shapes that  one likes with this plant.  It is so easy to shape and very, very cooperative....! 

Many people grow  this plant  in hanging ptos or  allowed it to climb against a  long pole covered with  coconut fiber in a big pot.   I see this  often in hotels or other public places. It adds so much green to the place, really brightens the place with its lush  variegated green leaves.  To keep it healthy , the plant can be misted for a good 'bath' now and then.....otherwise just ensure that the pot medium is kept moist.  Oh yes, this plant can also be grown in a container filled with water.  However the water needs changing now and then in order to keep the roots healthy. I don't like doing this as I am afraid of mosquitoes breeding.

I have two varieties, although it seemed like three types, isn't it ? I guess it is the effect of exposure to light that makes the one above this paragraph different from the one on the left hand side (LHS) . Actually they are  of  the same plant.  The one above has more exposure to the sun, where else the LHS has always sat away from the sunlight. They are called the "Marble Queen".  The one right above on this page has variegation in  green and yellow.  It is called the 'Devil's Ivy'. These plants are so easy to propagate.  The stems have what they called aerial roots. Just cut a section of the stem, maybe about 6 inches or more, then stick it in some soil or water for the roots to develop properly. 

 In the wild these plants can become rather invasive and huge.   Once  I allowed this plant to climb against the wall in one of the houses we stayed.  Perhaps it is something  in the paint, the plant became really huge, vines were thick like ropes and the leaves  huge, even bigger than the dinner plates....! Astonishing ! These plants are also known to 'purify' air from  pollutants  like formaldehye, xylene and benzene.  So it is a good houseplant to have. 

Polianthes Tuberosa

The flowers are just so  pretty  .... and the fragrance is  very strong for just a couple of blooms!  Well, the Polianthes Tuberosa is one plant that is well known  in the Chinese community partly because of the popular mandarin song, "Ye Lai Xiang". I was reluctant to buy the plant at first, but the nursery lady assured me that this plant will be easy to care for.  So far I have no regrets as the plant is doing well.

I was very careful with  this plant  as it looks so fragile, not hardy.  As usual where a new plant is concerned,   initially  I try to gather as much information as I can about the care of this plant . When I bought the plant, the plant was not blooming but there was  this tall  thin stalk of buds. So after  re-potting and watching over it carefully, I was pleased to see it bloomed some days later. As expected  (forewarned from internet source) after the blooming  the mother plant died, but  soon there are many baby plants that sprouted up.  I thought better not to disturb the new plants and allow them to continue where they are.   So far the new plants seems to be doing alright and I  am waiting  to see if they will bloom.  I am worried they will be reluctant to bloom just like the Hippeastrum (post dated : 29th August).  However if they do, this time I should separate the baby plants as what was recommended.

 This plant prefers shade rather than direct sunlight. It must not be over-watered, and needs good drainage.  Okay what else....? Place it somewhere near door entrance or window to allow the fragrance to come though into the house.  The downside is the flowers only bloom in the evening  but the scent is very sweet and strong.  In the morning, the fragrance gradually lightens up.

Draceana Surculosa (Local Name : Japanese bamboo)

This must be the most  common plant found in  Malaysian gardens, offices, hotels, public gardens, etc...  I am not sure why people like this plant so much, perhaps it looks good and is so easy to maintain , being fuss  free and pest free ?  I  wanted  this  plant because I am  hoping the  birds  will  come  and make nests in  my garden.  Apparently many  people I know who have  this plant  (my mother included)  commented  about the  small birds that come boldly  to make their nests on this plant ! This plant prefers shade as the leaves get sun burnt under the direct sun. Therefore most people have this plant in a shady corner somewhere. However there should be bright light to keep the plant healthy.

This plant (right hand side) is the Punctulata Draceana, and it has strange looking spots on its leaves.  It grows very well  in the corner where I have placed it, unfortunately ...no bird nests yet!  It is still a rather young plant, hardly a year old.  I grew it from cuttings. Initially it grew very slowly, perhaps my place was too hot for its liking.   However  now that  it is established, there are many new shoots coming up. I have given it some pruning to encourage some branching, otherwise they just shot up thin and tall.  I have to tie the stalks together  to a  long stick that I  push into centre of  the pot, otherwise  they tend to bend over whenever there are strong winds.   One day I should shape it a bit when it is more mature and bushy.    

This plant on the left hand side is what they called  the " Spotted Draceana" because of the mottled patterns on the leaves. .  Unfortunately it grows very, very , very slowly.  I have this plant for almost eight months now, but look how small it is !  I  like this plant so much I bought another plant when I saw it  on reduced price at Tesco a week later.  Both are really slow growers....lol ! Well,  a gardener learns to be patient.  These plants just  cannot be hurried....I guess. Believe me, giving fertilizers  has no effect  when they want to  take their own sweet time adjusting to their new environment.   I noticed that this plant cannot take to much sunlight.  When exposed to  sunlight,  the leaves became de-colorized and then brown, so now  I placed these plants away from direct or even partial sunlight.  I hope once they have established themselves like the Punctulata Draceana, they will grow faster.

Dracaena sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo)

Lucky Bamboo .... I guess I was  not so lucky as this plant did  not seem to want to grow for me until recently.   I  actually have this plant  for two years now but  it never showed much growth. during its  first year .  Maybe I was a bit  too impatient.

This is the original plant that I grew from a cutting. Since it was growing so slow initially, I thought perhaps the medium is no good, and changed the soil .  I also moved it to a more sunnier spot,  under partial sunlight,  beside my waterlily pot for more humidity.  It fared better.  Earlier, it looked really miserable, perhaps the soil was too hard and I probably watered too much, so the roots get soggy and unhealthy. With the fresh soil mixed with some sand,  I guess the drainage is better and I did not water too much. I guess it likes its new location and there are  baby plants coming up as well by its sides.

I decided to  re locate a baby plant to the  ground under the murraya paniculata (see blog on Jasmines dd : 23rd August 2010).    I thought it would look good as a short hedge beside the murraya; add some color to the area there.   So far  it seems happy there and growing well under the shade. Just that sometimes I forget it is there....lol.

There is another variety that is plain green, but I prefer this variegated plant. This plant is also called the "Ribbon Plant." This plant propagates easily from cuttings.  Like other Draceana, the plant tends to grow straight upwards, so to encourage the plant to branch, it needs to be cut. Baby plants will come up from its roots as well, so when the pot gets overcrowded, re-potting is necessary to maintain a healthy plant.

When Chinese New Year comes around, this plant is sold everywhere.  They like to make this plant into decorations, tied with gold and red ribbons.   For  people who likes to hold on to traditions, this plant makes a good gift as well during  Chinese New Year.  It is listed as one of the good Feng Sui plant to have for Chinese New Year.

The Song of India

Doesn't the name itself make one  think of  those lively and joyous songs  from Bollywood?   Many houseplants look similar. How can I be positive this beauty  I have  is the "Song of India".? The Internet  being my main source of information, I have checked out this link ;-  http://www.ehow.com/how_5514844_identify-song-india-tree-plant.html.  Yeap, no doubts that my beauty is the "Song of India".  But why  name this plant the "Song of India'?  Anyone who knows the answer ?  BTW,  there is its cousin, the "Song of Jamaica", also as beautiful but more cream in color.  Nope , I do not have the cousin. 

I fell in love with this plant the moment  I saw it in my good friend's  garden.  She  (Tracy) gave me a small potted plant. I watched over it like a hawk those days, since I was so worried it will end  up like my Adenium ! Luckily it did not, but grew more enchanting  as it grows bigger.  However, when I had to move away to East Malaysia,  I passed this plant to my sister as she seems to like it too.  The ones that I have now are off-springs  that my sister passed to me two years back.  She knew I liked this plant so much.

This plant is real easy to grow and propagate. Just use a cutting and stick it into some well drained soil. This plant can be pruned for side branches to grow, otherwise it will just keep growing up on a single stalk . In a container, it grows slowly.  I have seen the Song of India grown by the council along the sides of the main road. Gosh have they grown so tall over the years, easily over 10 feet tall!  When the Song of India is young, the stem seems herbaceous, but it  turns rather hardy when matured.  The Song of India grows well under the sun or in partial shade. I have not tried growing it in the house. As a rule of thumb I  don't keep plants in the house - except in balconies or  placed near the windows.  I think plants should have the right to enjoy fresh air and sunshine, not all coped up in the house.

The Song of India apparently is a member of the Draceana family  (Dracaena reflexa) and is commonly called  Pleomele.    Now this is interesting, the plant  apparently works as an air purifier - it supposedly removes formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, xylene and trichloroethylene from the air. I suppose I better propagate more of them...lol!  

The Garlic Vine Plant

Fancy the smell of garlic ?  Most people either love it or hate it !  This plant is called the Garlic Vine because when parts of this plant is crushed,  it emits the fresh smell of garlic. Leave the plant  alone, there is really no smell.  The showy flowers are a real draw,  they started off as a deeper purple, then gets more pastel, so there is a nice combination of different shades on the blooms at  one time, very pretty indeed.  Perhaps it is the smell  the plant  emit when damaged, because so far I have not seen this plant attacked by pests.  The heavy clusters of  flowers do not emit any scent at all, so no worry that the garden will smell of garlic when this plant blooms!

The leaves are of a deep green in contrast  and the stems are hardy.  This plant is a climber and produces tendrils to help it climb. It grows moderately slow. My original intention was to grow this plant  to cover  the fence, however  now it has to share  the fence with  the Rangoon Creeper  (refer blog entry June, 24th 2010).  Other names of this plant include - Mansoa alliacea, Pachyptera hymenaea, Pseudocalymma alliacea, Cydista aequinoctialis. 

These pictures were taken when the plant first bloomed.  Actually this plant is easy to propagate. I just took some cuttings about 4 nodes and stick it into some well drained soil.  One has to patient with this plant, as mentioned it grows slowly at its own pace.  However once it has adjusted to its environment, the growth will be faster. The plant so far is doing well in my garden where I planted it. My aunt from whom I get the cuttings from grows her plant in a pot.  

This plant needs to well watered and needs the sun to bloom well. Apparently this plant has some medicinal value as well...check these links  :- http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Mansoa_alliacea.htm and http://www.itslife.in/2007/09/garlic-creeper