The Mickey Mouse Plant

Year end in Malaysia must be the best.....except for those taking their year exams, of course.:- ) ! I like year end, as the days seemed cooler with more rain and cooler temperatures.  There is also lots of breeze, at least in this part where we live. My plants of course seems to like it too.....somehow they looked healthier and  greener especially my rose plants !   Must be the high humidity from the frequent rains and drop in temperature at night.   However more rain means I have to weed more and prune more.....all part of a gardener's lot!  I don't mind weeding.  Sometimes I come across strange young  plants.  If it looks like an interesting plant from the look of  its foliage,   I let the plant grow a bit before I decide if I should pull it out. 

One interesting plant I came  across is this Mickey Mouse Plant.   I believe the birds must have dropped the seeds  in my garden.  I am not sure if the right name is  Ochna kirki, Ochna Serulata or  even Ochna integerrima) .   The flowers and leaves all looked similiar in the photographs ....  !

{Check out these sites :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochna_serrulata ,http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Ochna_integerrima , http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Ochnaceae/Ochna_thomasiana.html}

Anyway, I recognized this plant because of its slightly serrated (fine bristles) oval shaped leaves.   Many years ago, I noticed this strange looking huge hedge grown near my in law's house.  If you have checked the sites mentioned above, you too would have noticed the unusual flowers of bright yellow yet there are those red "flowers" with the black seeds looking a bit like  the Mickey Mouse cartoon.  Since both  colors  appeared on this hedge so prominently, I was curious enough to take a close look..  Later  I checked it out  in books  written about  tropical plants as well search on the internet. for more information.  I was so caught by this plant!   Then about a couple years back  I noticed that  the lady two doors away from my mother's house  actually has this plant as well. This lady  has the Mickey Mouse plant  growing as  a small  young tree (about 4 feet high)  with  the combination of pretty yellow flowers and red 'flowers' growing on the ground in front of her gate.  That was how this plant attracted my attention as well. 
 
So it seems pretty much a coincidence that I should find these young plants (yes, not just one, actually four or five) sprouting up in my garden.......The answer came one day  during one of my evening walks down the road from my house . A neighbor's house actually has this beautiful plant as well, but she grows hers in a pot , it is still a  small plant about 3 feet tall or so. The bight yellow flowers caught my eye!

Yes,  I dug out  these precious young plants.  I now have two growing very well. The others  probably did not like being disturbed.   I have one growing in a pot and another growing  on the ground.....I am keeping my fingers crossed that both will continue to do well....Take a look.

The potted one....

Notice the fine serration (bristles)  on leaves...

The one on the ground......!

These two young plants are very nice looking,  I think.  I am not sure when they will bloom maybe a couple of years?  

Now I am not sure what is the name of this plant,  but  this little  butterfly seems to like it.......This plant is from my neighbor, she said the flowers are fragrant but only open at night. This plant has not been thriving, perhaps the soil is too wet for its liking or it does not like direct sunlight......! It has been growing very slowly. When my neighbor gave it to me about a year back (gosh, is it a year already?), it was just a leaf and some roots......!

Red tip Plant (Photinia)

When we first moved here, we noticed that we are really exposed to the afternoon sun, and it can get very hot. So we decided  we should grow a  couple of  big trees that can provide ample shade.  We   bought  a flowering tree (the Michelia Champaca  see post dated  June 26), a   Jackfruit Tree , see post dated Sept 2nd (Growing Fruit Trees Part 2) ), a Mango Tree and this Red Tip Plant which is my husband's favorite.

From a small plant of barely 2 feet tall, this Red Tip plant is growing rather well . Actually this is the second plant we bought. The first plant just dried up after  about 2 months or so. Perhaps it was infected.  Those days  I was  away most times.  My husband bought this plant to replace the other plant.   When it was young it grew up in a tall thin slender shape but we had to keep pruning it to make it grow bushy.  My daughter wanted to shape it into layers. If you notice, the bottom layer is taking  shape.  Now the tree is almost ready for the second layering to be done.

 In this picture, the leaves appeared orangish rather than red.  The new leaves start as red, then gradually orange, yellow, light green and finally dark green. It is quite a nice looking shrub when it is all colorful.

This plant is easy to care for, just got to watch out for caterpillars. Once  I noticed the leaves were under attack by these pests. I did not like spraying chemicals, so I cut off all the unsightly leaves. In no time, new leaves sprout out and the tree seemed to turn all red. 

The tree is rather hardy and robust. I feed some general fertilizer and ensures that is is watered sufficiently. Aside from that, I  just give it some regular pruning to shape it.   

Blue Porter Weed ( Stachytarpheta urticifolia)

This plant is supposed to come in different colors of  red, blue and white .  However blue is the only color I have seen so far.  The porter weed  is  truly a  weed,  it grows wild, but not invasive. It is a native plant of Asia.  This plant is sold in nurseries as well.  It is a rather unusual plant and attractive in full bloom.

I noticed it sprouting  up one day in a corner of  my garden.  I supposed some birds or butterflies must have dropped the seeds.  I can recognized this plant by its distinct serrated dark green leaves. There is another plant that looks very much like  the porter weed, except that its  leaves are duller ,softer in texture  and not serrated. The blue flowers looked almost the same but the stem not as hardly as this porter weed.  Similar to the porter weed, this other plant  also grows wild. I often see this  other plant when we go on walks or hiking.  I do not know what is the name of that other plant and whether it is related to the blue porter weed.

I  dug out the porter weed from my garden and planted it on the other side of the fence.   See how well it grows ?  I have to trim it now and then, but it will grow back just as fast. It is a robust plant , it can stand drought conditions and poor soil conditions.  The stem becomes harder as the plant matures.  Why am I keeping this weed?  Well, this weed is said to have medicinal properties, check this out :-http://www.rain-tree.com/gervao.htm, so it is a shame to kill the plant. It does not take much space, moreover it is quite attractive to butterflies as well, and rather pleasing to the eye as well......!

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. 

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.

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!  

Bryophyllum

I found this useful link  -  http://www.bryophyllum.com/b/articles/id/ and now I am able to identify the two bryophyllums that I have. 

Number 1: Bryophyllum Houghton's Hybrid

My mother gave this plant to my son since he was so fascinated by it, and kept admiring it.  He was taking good care of it,  until he went off for his further studies, then the plant was left to my care.

Number 2 : Bryophyllum Crenatodaigremontianum

Believe it or not, I picked one of these plants of the pavement. There were a cluster of them growing along the pavement outside the row of shop houses.  I thought they looked kind of interesting, so decided to plant them. When they were growing on the pavement, they were miniaturized, but I suppose in a more conducive environment like my garden, they have grown so big.  

The Bryophyllums are actually easy to care for plants. Being succulent plants, they do not like excessive watering, and it is okay even if the soil dry up for a prolonged period.  They are actually very tough plants despite their rather delicate look.   They are alright either in direct  or partial sun. No fertilizing is required. All they need is some watering now and then. They also propagate fast. Notice the plant-lets (rosette type small plants growing from the edges of the leaves) ?  They will eventually  drop and  grow once on the ground. At times, assisted by the wind, they will disperse further from the mother plant and grow wherever there is a bit of soil.  So far I  have not seen them flower. Surprisingly they have rather shallow roots so they are really easy to pull out. I don't mind these plants growing anywhere they like in my garden .. lol !

Garden Croton (Codiaeum Variegatum)

These garden crotons are fascinating as their leathery leaves are so colorful.   Garden crotons come in different shapes and a rainbow of bold colors -  splashes of reds, magentas, yellows, rust, orange, and of course the green.  Shapes can be long and thin (like the ones I have), star shaped, oblong, short and broad, long and broad, curly and twisted, etc..  I have  only these two colors  - one with  the different splashes of red, orange, yellow (left hand side picture) and the other mostly just yellow (see below).

These garden crotons are so easy to propagate. Just cut stalks of  4 -8 inches long, insert them  into the ground and within two weeks or more, they will be sprouting new shoots.  I initially planted them in pots as I like the graceful drop of these colorful foliage,  but since then I decided to plant them  along the drain as hedges  

Garden crotons are really fuss free plants and pest free.  They like the hot sun.  They will drop their leaves if they do not have sufficient water, but they grow back again fast enough when watered sufficiently.  They like being pruned, new shoots grow fast after a pruning. These plants are really so easy to care for, being robust plants.   

Lotus Re-plant

My lotus plant did not seemed too healthy these days. I think it is high time I re-plant.  First, spread a plastic sheeting on the porch, as I figure it will be a messy job with all the mud. 

Look what  my daughter and I pulled out of the lotus pot! 

Then we trimmed of all the leaves.  Wearing rubber gloves and with a pair of pruning scissors, we get to work..... dig in, snip, snip.......

Then we chose the tuber that looks healthy.... now this looks like a good one...what do you think.?

Now having planted the tuber with some fresh heavy soil, we need to add water ......

Okay --- be back in a week or two with updates on the lotus progress.....!

Nepenthes - Pitcher Plants

Amazing plants ... pitcher plants or monkey cups ! The picture on the left was captured when we went hiking recently. It must still be a small plant. as the pitchers are actually shorter than my last finger.  Sorry - as part of the conservative efforts, my lips are sealed as to their location.!  Before we proceed further, do read an article at this link first -  http://www.petpitcher.com/resources/carnivorous-plants-in-malaysia : -) . Now if you have done that, do go back for a look at the picture gallery of these unusual plants. Beautiful aren't they?  At Cameron Highlands, and  even the local nurseries  are selling the hybrid pitcher plants adapted for  home cultivation.  Thinking of it, it is wonderful people are able to do that, otherwise those growing in the wild would go extinct if their habitats are destroyed from human activities.  These plants are so unique looking when seen in the wild, hanging from their vines amongst the forest trees.

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)

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.

My neighbours' good will

Some neighbors are nice.   Below are some of the plants my neighbours (an indian lady and a chinese lady) ; they live across the road, passed to me. Some came in cuttings, some came as baby plants.

 One day,  the neigbour gave me this baby plant consisting of a tiny bulb and one stalk of leaf.  She said she was re-potting her plant and found this baby plant growing beside the mother plant, and  would I like  to have it.  I was  very taken by the deep green glossy leaf which is heart shaped.   Well the plant grows slowly and right now I have 4 stalks of leaves and this is after 4 months of tender loving care!   After some checking around in the internet, I found out that this plant is called "Proiphys amboinensis" (Caldwell Lily or Christmas Lily). Apparently like most bulbous plants this plant is not a  good bloomer. My neighbour  said she has never seen the plant  bloom despite having it for years,. Some gardeners in their blog state they have never seen their cardwell lily bloomed before, while others were  lucky to see the bloom in six to eight years period! Well, bloom or no bloom the glossy huge green leaves are attractive enough to charm any  beholder . Apparently  the flowers come in white clusters, very attractive looking from the pictures I see in the internet.  It will be interesting to see if this plant will ever bloom for me. According to the internet source, the flowers will bloom around  Nov/Dec period, perhaps that is why the other common name for it is 'Christmas Lily'.

The miniature red  crown of thorns.  The small deep red flowers are cute. It has been been blooming ever since I planted it.  This crown of thorns is easily propagated by a short cutting ( about 4 inches or so). Please read my other blog  on this plant.

Ti plants or cordylines are grown for their foliage. The plant looks rather serene and graceful with the dropping long leaves. My neighbor gave this plant to me as exchange for a jasmine plant that I gave her.  I planted it on the ground under some shade as it was growing too big for the pot. It kinda of add a tropical look to the garden. No care is required for this plant. It is growing happily in the spot I put it.  Recently me neighbor gave me a miniature plant of the same species. Well they look the same  to me anyway.  This miniature plant seems rather happy in its small pot and did not seemed to show much growth unlike the first plant that was given to me which grew by leaps and bounds within a short period.The leaves are shorter and more pointed.

When my neighbor trimmed her plants, she gave me the cuttings of this plant. This herbaceous plant grew easily from the cuttings. In two weeks or so, it was spouting new leaves. The plant is so colorful and easy to care. This plant is called Coleus Blumei or the Rainbow Plant  (pokok pelangi) . So far I have not noticed any pest disturbing the plant.  In a container, it looks good.

Snowball Alternanthera is the common name of this plant. The botanical name is Alternanthera ficoidea 'Snowball'.   The 'Snowball’ is  very eye-catching  When I saw my neigbour trimming the plant, I asked for the discards. I used some root hormone and pretty soon I have so many of these plants.  The light green leaves have highly varied markings in pale cream' /whitish, ranging from streaks and broad blotches . I noted some pink tint on the new leaves, and some of the leaves can be entirely pale cream. I am a sucker for plants with variegated leaves.  This plant bears small white flowers, nothing to shout about. I thought of using these plants as edgings.  So far they are happy where I plant them, in partial shade below the gardenia bush. When I have more of these plants, I will plant them as a  circle around the gardenia bush. 

I was growing a kampong roselle plant that grew very big but never flowered, so no fruits., even after half a year or more. It was bushy and robust.  My neighbour took pity on me, and gave me four baby  Roselle plant. More of this interesting  plant in the next blog. 

I am not sure what is the name of this plant. Note the baby plant shooting out from the main stem (?those thin rods,  can see two of them in this picture)  The green colour of the leaves are very pleasing to the eye.  This plant grows fast.

The leaves of these plants are not unlike butterflies....the stems are abit sticky to the touch. I like this plant alot, and I think it helps to scare away pests especially those that attack my jasmine sambac. So these days I like to twine this creeper to the jasmine sambac plant. So far so good.

Gosh this is a rather long blog....I need a rest. More next time.....!