Ruellia simplex 'Chi Chi' - Hardy pink petunia

The plant is also known as 'Chi Chi' Petunia and I like the way that sounds. Known as wild petunias, the Ruellia is a fairly established family of free flowering plants. The flowers are trumpet shaped.

The photo is dark and doesn't capture the delicate pink of the 'Chi Chi' well. There are other colours and names for the Ruellia simplex, for example, the purple type is known as Ruellia simplex 'Katie'.

The personal-take
Though it looks easy to maintain, I have yet to notice many of these plants being featured in landscape design. I suspect that it might be a messy grower. One that grows in twists and offshoots that betray the planned silhouette, but it's still just a suspicion.

I do like the leaves, though, I think it's rather refined.

Celosia argentea var plumosa - Pheonix's tail

The Plant is known as the "pheonix tail chicken crown flower" in Mandarin. Quite a crude name, actually. A potted plant grown for its inflorescence that is popular for its vibrant colours during the Lunar New Year festivities. Also, known as 'Plume Celosia'.

The Photo features the plants from a weird perspective? Well, it was taken from an overhead bridge. The plants were lined up outside a nursery or flora/landscaping shop. I wonder why they weren't afraid of people just taking them away. Maybe because Singapore's a safe country, or that they have too much stock.

The Personal-take
I appreciate the plants for their vibrancy and beauty. I can't help, however, feeling that they are somewhat overrated. Perhaps, I've gotten too used to them, and haven't grown to appreciate their form and beauty.

I do remember, from my childhood, that I liked to feel the flowers, stroke them. They have a waxy feathery texture. My grandma would tell me to stop plucking at them.

I think I should miss the Plume Celosia if one day, we all decide that it's time to get new Chinese New Year plants.

Jatropha integerrima - Shanghai Beauty

The plant & photos
The Jatropha seems to be better known as the Spicy Jatropha but I prefer the name "Shanghai Beauty" because the flowers give me an "oriental feel", in that they look very chinese and won't be out of place in a Chinese painting. I was happy to find the reference as I thought it was pretty apt, even though the plant originated from the West Indies.

From my observation, it's pretty fast growing and does well in full sun - which also brings out the vivid colour of the red flowers, which is great as it's pretty free-flowering. The photo on the left was taken on a sunny day, and shows how lively the blooms can be. The buds remind me of holly berries.

As a shrub, I suppose it should be pruned regularly to keep it growing densely.

The Personal-take
As mentioned, I think the flowers give off a very oriental vibe. They are very attractive and I like the way they grows in bunches. Although I like how it's very generous in its flowering... that it doesn't play hard to get... it might be more exquisite if it were less free flowering, and if its leaves were smaller, and if it grew a little slower.

How contradicting! Everything has its personality and it's almost as if, I am wishing for it to be something else. I must apologize~ and correct my attitude to appreciate it for what it is.

Archontophoenix alexandra - Alexander Palm

The Plant
The Archontophoenix alexandra or Alexander Palm is quite common in landscapes. It used to be one of plants featured in "primary school textbook" - I feel it's like the yellow flame tree of palms because it's just as common. I think its popularity is perhaps partially due to how they are easy to maintain. It seems that landscapers like this palm so much that they even introduced similar ones - the Betel nut palm, the fox tail palm, and especially the carpentaria palm, from which it is difficult to distinguish the Alexander palm from. After comparing the photos, I think the one-distinguishing feature is the string-like flowers/inflorescence and vivid red fruits. The leaves are pinnate, arranged in a v-shaped formation.

The Pictures
I found it challenging to capturing the images of the tall palm trees - it was difficult to get the distinguishing features, and yet balance the composition of the frame - so that it was neither too sparse nor contained other clutter.

For the first time, I edited the pictures a bit (i'm usually too lazy) to adjust the colour, as it was taken with a strange white balance, thus the 2 pictures (taken at the same occasion) have different-coloured-sky. I hope my efforts helped to bring out the vivid red of the berries.

The Personal-take
Along the way from my home to the nearest bus-stop, I would have to walk pass a row of Alexander palm - the strings of jewel-like red beads of fruits are really cheerful.

I like the name, 'Alexander palm', after Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It reminds me, however, of the people named 'Alex' that I used to hang out, but have since drifted apart from then... A tinge of nostalgia, perhaps.

Calathea Veitchiana

The plant
Calathea Veitchiana (growing behind the granite rock) is a species of plant in the Marantaceae family.

The picture was again taken at the national library. I think the granite rock feature intended to break up the monotony of the arrangement. Although it was more effective than it looks in the picture, perhaps a sculpture would have made it look more visually interesting.

After all, the planter was filled with so much short foliages, that even the dull brownish-purple patterns of the calathea is a welcomed treat for the eyes.

The personal take
I think the calatheas are a plant that requires... acquired taste. If it had a taste, i think it'd taste like brinjal or yam. It has a peculiar look that makes the plant look exotic and difficult to place but is rather pleasing after some observation.

Philodendron bipinnatifidum - Giant tree lover

The plant
I shall henceforth refer to this as the giant philodendron. I think that's how common plant names come about. Random arbitrary easier to remember names that catches on. In greek, "philo" refers to love, and dendron refers to tree. Featured here is the big Philodendron bipinnatifidum. Try saying it three times over. This philodendron plant is big, grows up to above an above average human height.

The picture was also taken at the national library at Bugis. It was interesting to find it in the same landscape, being contrasted with the petite philodendron xanadu. It was a windy day, and I like how the leaves in the picture are a bit blur from the swaying.

The personal-take
I thought i was lucky to also find a philodendron leaf unfurling for the 2nd time on the same day at the same place (see picture on right). It reminds me of a lettuce. It gives me a strange feeling to compare the giant unfurling leaf with the xanadu's unfurling leaf. I suppose everything grows at its own pace, though some are just destined to become a lot bigger than others.

Philodendron Xanadu

The Plant
Philodendron Xanadu's name reminds me of a happy place or Citizen Kane.

The Photo was taken outside of the National Library at Bugis. Nice arrangement of varied plants there. Will show more of the photos next week. The photo right shows the close-up a young leaflet unfurling.

I think the leaves and the way they hold themselves up from the stem have a really nice neat shape. I mean, despite being jagged and all.

The Personal-take
Handling the cut leaves would leave a smell on your hands. My mother thinks it smells pleasant. From my experience, I think it's foul. So I would refer to them, to the Malays at the farm, as "Daun Bau" (pronounced Dah-wun Bah-Wu) meaning something like "leaf with a funky smell".

Heliconia Rostrata or Lobster Claw - Inflorescences, bracts, and flowers

The Plant
Heliconias are so oftenly mistaken as the bird of paradise plant (which is originally the Strelitzia) that they've come to be known as the false bird of paradise. Heliconias are also close to the banana family (Musaceae). It's easy to make the connection from the way the plant grows, or the shape of the leaves.

The Lobster Claw has an easy-to-remember name, having inflorescence (which is the "part of a plant that consists of the flower-bearing stalks") looking like cooked lobster's, well, claw.

Plant parts

Inflorescence: part of a plant that consists of the flower-bearing stalks (i.e. the string of lobster claws)

Bract: leaflike or scalelike plant part, usually small, sometimes showy or brightly colored, and located just below a flower, a flower stalk (i.e. 1 lobster claw = 1 bract)

Flower: The reproductive structure of some seed-bearing plants (i.e. The little banana look-alike things in the lobster claw, we can think of it as lobster food or something.)

The Photo

The photo was taken at a glass fence. The plant is often used for landscaping. Actually it was pretty popular about 2-3 years ago, one could find heliconias growing in almost every garden landscaped during that period. I suspect it was due to its bright coloured easy blooms.

As time goes by, though, it proved rather difficult to tame the plant. As they reproduce at the root (as in rhizomes like the ginger), if left to over-grow, heliconias would just get more and more crowded, and the shoots would grow taller and taller trying to reach for the sun. The leaves can become big and bulky, so trimming is difficult as one has to literally crawl underneath and chop it near the ground.

Nevertheless, while it lasts, it's quite pretty and exotic looking. Besides, they could be grown in containers that contain their growth (bearing in mind the containers should be wide and heavy).

The Personal-take

Apparently, heliconias and orchids are the definitive exotic tropical plants. The heliconias stand in a special place in my heart as my parents export these things. One of the things I helped out with was to wrap up the inflorescences in bubble wrap.

If left alone, the lobster claws would continue to grow longer and longer. By the time, it reaches the 10th lobster claw, however, the top-most claw tends to be bruised and imperfect. This is not welcomed for flower used for arrangements or display, which would then not be long-lasting. So, the lobster claws skewers at the florists are usually rather short. It also reduces the time it takes for each harvest and increases the yield.

Dracaena Marginata

The Photo
In the photo, two varieties of the Dracaena, the red and green, are featured in the centre-piece of the landscape display. They complement each other's silhouette, while providing contrast in colour.

For the purpose of introducing colour, I find red-leafed plants a convenient substitute for flowering plants. While flowers do more than add colour to a garden design (for example, they also break up the monotony of foliage), red-leafed/variegated foliages may be more reliable for purposes of colour.

The Personal-take

I've always found the red-version's leaves fascinating and pretty, with its red, yellow, and green. It reminds me of a Hawaiian pizza... with some green capsicum.

The Plant

Dracaena marginata is a common landscape plant. It is also good for container gardens. I have seldom noticed them indoors, even though, like the other Dracaena varieties, they are supposedly good for cleaning the air. It is from Madagascar.

Bird's-Nest Fern

The Plant
The "Bird's-Nest Fern" is actually a common name to refer to several species of the plant group, Asplenium genus, such as the "crow's-nest fern" and the "wild-bird's-nest fern".

The Photos
Usually growing high in the trees (above), the bird's nest makes an interesting silhouette. The particular fern below, though, was at a nice (low) height for a top down photo.

The Personal-take

If you don't remember anything from our primary-school science text-book (i'm referring to those who were born in the 1970s-80s)... you must at least remember the bird's nest fern right... When I was young, I really thought birds made nests out of these things. Something like a pelican would need such big nests. Come to think about it, I don't know why birds don't make nests out of these convenient looking homes.

These days, I observed that bird's nest ferns can grow to quite big... While this makes them look more majestic and grand by themselves, I do wonder if they kind of steal the limelight away from the trees, instead of playing a more "complementary" role.

Although, really, who said that they were supposed to be complementary anyway.

Oncidium Golden Wish - An introduction to this blog...

The Personal-take: An introduction to this blog...

Since I was little, my parents have been farming orchids. I naturally feel an affinity with orchids having practically grew up with them - befitting that I begin the blog with a post on this plant.

Being so close to nature since young, I never thought much about plants. As a kid, I dreaded the hours spent waiting for my father to finish his meetings at the botanical gardens. There were mosquitos and soggy grassfields... I'd rather spend the afternoons in the air-conditioned shopping-centres of Orchard Road. My home usually have a vase or two of flowers - those that were left-over from the sales - and they were no big deal to me.

Since I've entered the workforce a couple of years ago, farming white hair under the flourescent office light, learning the value of money and hard work, etc, etc, I understand now that I had been taking all that nature for granted.

To "pace" the monotony of office life, I bought a jade plant recently, and it lends me great joy to watch the little buds shoot... Really pretty high ROI (return of investments). I sometimes wish for some flowers in the office to look at when I'm tired of staring at the computer screens or lifeless exchange of administrative emails.

Plants and flowers do lend cheer... not just on valentine's or mother's day, but if we could just be aware of them, and appreciate how they just grow - they take in the water, the sunlight, and the nutrients in the soil - and just try their best to grow.

With these admirations in mind, I'm starting this blog. Hopefully, it will remind me to be more appreciative of the little things in life, and to try my best to grow. Also, I hope that it will remind you too.


The Plant

The Oncidium Golden Wish is a pretty typical oncidium orchid - golden yellow flowers with their delicate upper petals and a dominant lower lip - which catches the slightest breeze, causing the flowers to sway... the image of the dancing flower gives the oncidium its other name - the "dancing lady orchid" - imagine ladies with a large skirt sashaying her hips. Ladies of that size? (Each flower is about the size of a finger joint.) They must be fairies.


The Picture

The picture were taken at my parents' orchid nursery. (The picture above shows a young plant.) The golden wish is commercially grown for sale as a fresh-cut flower. It is also similar to the one-time commercially successful, Oncidium Golden Shower, but the Wish tends to be larger. The flower sprays also tends to be more three dimensional (branches in different directions), compared to the more neatly arranged golden shower that is more flat (like...a palm leave).