tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39118821569708014632024-03-12T22:40:52.156-04:00The Occasional GardenerTheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comBlogger441125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-61145323567501841432017-08-31T00:48:00.001-04:002017-09-01T06:09:26.742-04:00Yellow Highlights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This will be the second time I have had to apologize for a long silence. Just like t<a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2012/12/the-orchard.html">he first time</a>, when I took almost a year off working on planting my then recently acquired home garden, this current pause is also due to major gardening activites, this time a huge landscape project I had the opportunity to work on which I will describe later.<br />
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But first let me get back in the saddle talking about my own garden which when left too long undocumented goes through so many changes that its hard to know where to start. Here on the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2012/12/dark-verandah.html">Dark Verandah</a>, a significant event was the collapsing of the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2013/05/fence-me-in.html">bamboo fence</a>. After a huge storm, I woke up to the entire fence blown over. Closer inspection revealed much of the base had been compromised by a combination of rot and termite damage.<br />
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There was no fixing this, but I also realized that the border the fence wrapped around had become quite mature and substantially tall enough to screen the verandah area from street view. There were gaps which triggered some moving around of some <i>Rhapis</i> palms and the addition of some bamboo and things went back to an equilibrium of screening function and lush aesthetics.<br />
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What has remained sticks to the original idea of this being largely a non floral foliage border - here's the inspirational seed sown years ago when I visited the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2009/05/green-border.html">Green Border at Wave Hill</a>. Then a visit to a <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2009/05/green-border.html">garden show in Singapore</a> suggested a tropical version of my favorite combination of green and <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2014/05/tropical-chocolate.html">chocolate</a>. And thats where we are still today - a mainly foliage border which runs the gamut from chocolate to greens.<br />
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Somewhere in that mix is an increasing note of yellow highlights. The primary reason for that is random purchases of variegated yellow foliage plants have matured, increased their visual presence and I've liked the effect enough to keep adding more. The fondness for them derives I think by its imitation of 'dappled' light.<br />
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A few different varieties of yellow variegated crotons or more correctly named <i>Codiaeum variegatum</i> occasionally show up at the farmers market making available quite different forms from large shrubs to small plants with lacy foliage.<br />
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The variegated <i>Fragrea Ceilanica </i>in the foreground of the RHS image<i> </i>has been hovering in a small pot until I properly identified it. Unusually, I had its name from the nursery but I was concerned it might be a large tree so hesitated about planting it into the border. Now that I've seen it used in landscaping mainly appearing as a large shrub, it is now in a large pot, its curving branches and bright variegated colouring in a featured postion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-22823998570960733382016-10-17T12:21:00.001-04:002016-10-17T23:17:12.510-04:00Hoya in Bloom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just as I am about to do some serious fixing up on the dark verandah, I have this glorious starburst of Hoya flowers. I had just returned home with some shade fabric for this project, put it down and glanced up to see these backlit wax flowers almost as if they are sugar coated.<br />
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A huge windstorm blew down the bamboo arbour which shaded this area. The bamboo was already on its last legs, some decayed and cracked which meant the whole thing needed to be replaced. This of course stalled forever mainly because the hardware store I get the bamboo from is not so convenient to get to and procrastination because it requires substantial effort.<br />
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On a recent trip to a nursery, I saw that they had bamboo which they used themselves for supporting plants and were willing to sell me some. It's a more suitable type than the ones I've been using which I buy wrapped in plastic intended for use as drying poles for laundry. This type is from China, treated for use specifically in agricultural situations and requires a prohibitively large minimum purchase. I was with a friend of the nursery owner which secured the deal. I have gone a step further and varnished the poles - lets see how much longer they last this time.<br />
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After the storm, I had to move all the hanging plants I had over to one side where there was still a little shade, and even there, there is substantially more light than they were exposed to previously. I lost a couple of the ferns and perhaps an orchid or two. I'm not sure if it is the increased light or the bunching of plants that has triggered this Hoya to flower, but I will now of course have to see what I can do to maintain these favourable conditions.<br />
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The arrival of flowers has also enabled a hunt of discovery for species kdentification, like most plants I buy this was unmarked or named. The leaves are sizeable with some flecksm so its quite likely that is it is <i>Hoya sp. Ban Ngong Ngoy </i>a species from Thailand that has <i>carnosa</i> like leaves and <i>pubicalyx</i> like blooms. I have had this plant for about 4 years now which has remained mysterious, hardly changing in size. I've just been happy that it has continued to be alive</div>
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The foliage to the the left and right are <i>Lycopodiums </i>which deserve a post of their own at a later date.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-24975189664210552522016-08-21T09:29:00.000-04:002016-08-23T02:04:21.497-04:00Cracking Tropical Garden Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The recent <a href="https://www.singaporegardenfestival.com/">Singapore Garden Festival </a>was really terrific. Every year its goals of engaging community and showcasing creativity around the subject of plants and gardening are resoundingly achieved in an ever increasing space- it was double the size of an earlier manifestation. This year might have been a vintage one with many ideas to take home and mull over, and some local pride in having the best in show category taken by fellow Malaysian <a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/07/24/inch-lims-secret-garden-wins-gold-at-singapore-festival/"><i>Inch Lim. </i></a><br />
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But this post is about the most inspirational one for me - the landscape garden titled <i>Silence</i> that took the silver medal and designed by last year's best in show winners <a href="http://www.wmstudio.co.uk/"><i>Andrew Wilson</i> and <i>Gavin McWilliam</i></a>.<br />
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It was an ambitious design, a concrete spiral that you climbed up into a walled circular space with a serene urban vibe, sophisticated in its use of colour: concrete, black marble, black and green foliage with some shots of orange .<br />
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I also like that it was clearly tropical but had a modern spare feel - not the dense lushness you usually associate with tropical gardens. There was also a sense of urban space but casual and relaxed.<br />
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The high concrete walls also echoed the realities of living in a tropical city - concrete is a familiar sight and an increasing need to secure privacy in an increasingly crowded space. The design solution offered a a tasteful modern approach with its palette and materials but the real genius was its inclusion of some cracks in the concrete that were then artfully planted.<br />
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I thought this genius because it introduced an idea of wildness in a light and subtle way. Here in the tropics, urban wildness is usually overwhelming as things get overgrown in an instant. The nature you see in the cracks of building and pavements explodes rapidly into sinewy ariel roots and weeds a few foot tall.<br />
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Here instead low ground hugging plants like <i>Elephantopus Scaber</i>, a woodlant plant I'm more likely to find on a forest floor on a hike create interesting textures with creeping sedums and tufted grasses. Often on my walks I notice patches of these many low growing plants that I will now make a more concerted study of because this has now inspired me to do something about the <a href="http://goo.gl/cu1RgJ">real cracks </a>that I have in the concrete patio of the Gravel Garden.<br />
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Thats what these shows are about beautiful intriguing designs that also suggest ways to deal with a problem. I've been staring at these cracks for the best of the last five years wondering if I want to go to the expense of repairing them or does the regular weeding/cutting maintenance suffice. I've also been strategically moving pots over the worst parts. Now something different is about to happen here- I will keep you posted.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-24090673661782981902016-05-12T03:21:00.000-04:002016-05-12T09:53:34.220-04:00Dots of Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Gravel Garden is where I nurtured this idea, based on observation of some plants that do extremely well here - Sanseverias, Rhoeo discolor, which looked to me like broad <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2010/07/towards-abstraction.html">abstract</a> brush strokes. By the time it found realization in my own garden, it took on more of a dusty white palette. That started when I found the, dusty grey green sanseveria, the white edged agave and white euophorbia Lactea <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2013/02/sharp-white.html">pictured here</a> and things seemed to be telling a story in that direction. <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2015/01/the-color-orange.html">Orange</a> was the only color that seemed to really want to belong here as well as these dots of red color.<br />
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Since form was important here, its seemed only right that even color should have a more precise one. The potted Acerola or Barbados Cherry<i> Malpighia Emarginata </i> tree was what suggested that. It was orginally in the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/search/label/TropicalPotager">Tropical Potager</a>, since its more a food type plant, but the red cherries seem to want to belong here. So it got dragged here where it has remained and thrived. It has done astonishingly well as a small potted tree and has had only one upgrade in the last four years to a larger pot. It deals with watering neglect like a champ and bounces right back after a hard prune.<br />
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I was originally attracted to it at the nursery by its whitish branches and pink flowers. I couldn't help thinking its dainty leaves and flowers were the opposite of lush large tropical ones we more commonly see here, giving it a personality set apart. Then it set fruit, which it does quite regularly, sour with a large stone - not quite a match with its lush red looks. It does however pack a gigantic serving of vitamin C - a whole day's worth in one single fruit. So some get squeezed into glasses of cold water or I use it in salad dressing or even in cooking if I want a sour element.<br />
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I kept the logic of small leaves and little red fruits going with Limeberry <i>Triphasia Trifolia - </i>see top margin of RHS photo<i>. </i>Also in a pot but not quite the same happy camper as the Acerola - it often yellows and drops leaves when not watered adequately or requires manuring. It does have a lovely arching habit though. The real star of that photo however is the small red flowered <i>Euphorbia Geroldii </i>related to <i>Euphorbia Millii</i> which I also have.<br />
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Although both the Limeberry and Acerola quite regularly provide these little red dots of color, the Euphorbia Geroldii, a new addition to the garden - is almost always in flower. Underplanted with a lime green sedum, it really has become an eye catcher. On top of that its thornless. Pretty as the <i>Euphorbia Millii </i>is, you can't help but notice its huge thorns and I have to admit I haven't quite got the hang of its watering/potting needs as I've lost a few already. This guy however has been going strong and I've started some cuttings of it too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-61746845169724257732016-04-16T08:20:00.002-04:002016-04-16T08:22:22.888-04:00Dark Cordylines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over in the Tropical Potager I have started to use cordylines as <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2015/10/flowerless-color.html">flowerless colour accents</a> and here in the Dark Verandah, they are similarly an important resource for dark chocolate tones that come in a variety of shapes and textures.<br />
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Pictured right is <i>Cordyline Fruticosa 'Earthquake'</i> purchased unlabeled at a nursery but relatively easy to identify because of its unusual twisted foliage. It has never looked this good in its previous two locations where it sulked and had most of its leaves eaten. Here in a much sunnier position its starting to come into its own, its dark sculptural shape standing out against its neighbours.<br />
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On the left, most probably <i>Cordyline Fruticosa 'Compacta'</i>, identifiable by its much smaller compact leaves is a freebie from a nearby abandoned house where a huge shrub is spilling over onto the sidewalk. <i>Cordylines</i> have a wonderful ability to be easily propagated by simply cutting a branch and sticking it into the ground. Without the slightest complaint, it takes it from there and before very long is rooted and part of the colony. It can flop when it get taller, so Ive been cutting and re starting them to get a clump thats full but shorter. Quite often they end up in a vase in the house as they are almost like chocolate flowers with the lower leaves trimmed off.<br />
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Not so easy to propagate is my<i> Cordyline Fruticosa Black Magic -</i>see how dark <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2014/05/tropical-chocolate.html">it is here</a> when I first got it. Now it is quite magnificent, almost like a small palm in <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2012/12/dark-verandah.html">the center of this picture</a>. It hasn't sent up any other branches to propagate though, so it's charms remain solo. Thankfully it doesn't seem to need much, and remains healthy in a relatively small pot.<br />
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Despite the extraordinary choice of shape and color available with this plant genus that I've drooled over on the <a href="http://www.cordyline.org/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=35&catid=13">International Cordyline Society's</a> website, the recurring problem here is availability. Nurseries generally stock popular varieties - typically the green and pink ones. Flower shows in Singapore tend to be a good source for more unusual choices, I need to be on the lookout at the next one for more of this superb choice for the tropical garden.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-41918306168224204602016-03-25T13:31:00.000-04:002016-03-26T00:52:12.161-04:00Wild Indigo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Me and Indigo go way back. Check out the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/search/label/indigo">trail of posts</a> that started with one about<i> False Indigo</i>. Today another chapter opens with <i>Wild Indigo, Baptisia Tinctoria</i> which I encountered for the first time, quite appropriately, growing wild.<br />
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We don't really see a lot of wildflowers here mainly because of the enormous rate of growth that happens. A patch of disturbed land might first have some grasses and wild flowers but then quite quickly yield shrubs and trees rapidly wiping out whatever preceded it. So wildflowers have oddly become the preserve of built up urban wasteland, in particular abandoned properties especially if they have been torn down and there is rubble. Rubble ensures the poor thin soils that allow them to grow but not anything else more deep rooted.<br />
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Here in these urban sandy, stony pockets I have come across the usual suspects: <i>Ironweed, Cyanthillium Cinereum, Celosia Argentea</i> and this yellow flowered <i>Wild Indigo</i> - image on the left. The fact that it looked somewhat like my old friend, except with yellow flowers, made it easy to identify and I would occasionally stop to grab some seedpods to plant at home. I never got round to planting them but one day on a walk in the neighbourhood, I saw a few of them on a patch of abandoned land. I pulled a couple up by the roots and planted them straight into the garden when I got home. The image on the right is those plants, substantially taller than most of the specimens I've seen growing wild.<br />
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It apparently yields an indigo dye although inferior to other plants which makes me wonder what this North American native is doing here if not planted before for that purpose, most likely a garden escapee. I did see it once in a friends garden and asked some time later if she had seeds for it but she said the plant had disappeared. Perhaps thats what's in store for these guys in terms of longevity, but at least I know that there is abundant supply of it around the city.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-71962142609710017402016-02-19T00:25:00.000-05:002016-02-19T03:23:19.733-05:00Native Greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's an unusually cool morning here, dipping below 80 degrees F. After a light drizzle, I head out into the garden with my camera to see whats going on. The <i><a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/search/label/DarkVerandah">Dark Verandah</a></i> is always a good spot after rain which seems to enhance its lush cool vibe, perhaps because of the much higher percentage of foliage. Thats where I found these recent additions as the subject for today's post about two green foliage plants.<br />
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On the left <i>Hemigraphis Repanda</i> is what it says on the invoice. Let me say first of all that to even have that information is notable. I bought the plant at a nursey in <i>Yong Peng</i> about an hours drive away but so worth it for that very reason - they name their plants on the invoice and they also have a couple of people there that are really knowledgeable. <br />
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I actually bought a similarly named <i>Hemigraphis Repanda</i> from them a while ago which compares exactly to the images you would find if you <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hemigraphis+repanda&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiBgbjxi4PLAhUnGKYKHSrMAkAQ_AUIBygB&biw=2054&bih=1274&dpr=0.9">google the name</a> to find a distinguishing trait of purple coloring to the underside of the leaves. The leaves of this plant are minus that, completely green and smaller and much finer. It must be some variation of it.<br />
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The plant I purchased earlier has since died, quite probably because this area was much less shaded than it is now. This plant on the other hand is thriving. Its doing well enough for me to have divided it into 2 other pots and even give a small pot of it away as a gift. Its dense bushy, grassy features looks superb tumbling over the edge of a pot.<br />
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On the right is <i>Osmoxylon Lineare. </i>Unlike the <i>Hemigraphis </i>above which is rare to find, this plant from the <i>Aralia</i> family is a very common planting especially in public spaces. It's new to this verandah area but not new to the garden as I had it over in the Tropical Potager when I first got it quite a few months ago. Its in a pot and seems to get quite easily stressed when dry, so the spot I had it in which is sunny and more likely to be subject to neglect from lack of watering wasn't a good fit. Here, it enjoys the cooler shade and being right near my front door, I can immediately spot it's drooping leaves if we've had a dry spell.<br />
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Both plants are native to Malaysia which is one of the themes here on the verandah and the challenge of maintaining that theme is pretty much described above: hard to identify plants to establish that they are native or they are so commonplace that I wonder if I really want to have them here. The latter issue arises because of the huge of amounts of public planting, particularly on newly minted property development that just slaps down the same old plants everywhere. The <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/700555239447883776">lady palm, </a><i><a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/700555239447883776">Rhapis excelsa,</a> </i>is another plant with this problem which I also have here but in context, they both add to a story of variety in shape and shades of foliage that I'm trying to achieve.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-47251497521511882322015-12-24T23:36:00.002-05:002015-12-25T00:19:28.656-05:00Balancing Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shortly after seeing my <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/679893628194549760/photo/1">evergreen wreath</a> in the sidebar on the right hand side of this blog, I had an urge to 'balance' it with something red and immediately started looking for some relevant images. Why I wonder? Years of cultural conditioning during the christmas season of balancing out evergreen pines with red holly berries or red bows? Why red with green in the first place?<br />
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In the <a href="https://www.mysciencework.com/omniscience/medieval-roots-for-our-christmas-colors-the-meaning-of-red-green">medieval roots</a> of winter solstice celebrations red and green were commonly associated with dichotomies - from old to new, the pairs of fire and water, male and female. So there is a history of this combination. Situated at opposite sides of the color wheel, the combination is often considered jarring as a design choice but at Christmas perhaps when the bleakness of a monochromatic landscape craves something more vibrant, this combination has endured and remained popular.<br />
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I've never previously been a great fan of red in the garden except when the reds are <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2008/06/red-infatuation.html">dark or unusual </a>or combined with something else in a <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2008/09/blood-red.html">striking </a>way, but not here in the tropics. Here I've been craving more reds. Is it because of the huge amount of green foliage that dominates, so no matter how many red flowered plants you have, they are but tiny splashes on this green canvas? Is it because of the blinding sun that washes colors out making more subtle color combinations that I used to prefer downright dull? Probably both.</div>
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In the photos, the red <i>Passiflora Coccinea</i> is a delight regularly producing red stars of color overhead on the arbour. In the mornings, I often see sunbirds swinging on their trailing vines, while sippping on nectar from the flowers. The <i>Costus Woodsonii</i> sends out 3 foot spikes with red cigar shaped flowers smouldering at the end. Its a terrifically common plant here though used exhaustively in public planting schemes probably because of its dependability and low maintenance requirements.</div>
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There are a few more red items I'll update on, including some <i>Ixoras</i> that aren't sizeable enough to make much impact but the search continues for more red, my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/theoccgardener/wish-list-tropical-potager/">pinterest wish list </a>is piling up with red flower desires and I scan the markets and nurseries for not just red floweres but foliage too. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-40308955268858535062015-11-23T10:17:00.000-05:002015-11-23T10:33:11.416-05:00Garden Disasters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've had a few but these two were spectacular. A neighbour's tree fell over the fence and crashed into <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2015/04/room-to-grow.html">my arbour</a> in the Potager. That was the first one. It required three of us to deal with and dispose of the tree, Then we had to ensure the passionflower sprawled over the arbor was intact enough to raise up again. My friend who had a truck and who was my source for transporting bamboo supplies from the hardware store no longer had a working truck, so my wheels spun while I tracked down a store that would deliver. A busy schedule delayed this even longer and then it became avoidance - I didn't want to to even look back there let alone start the huge effort of fixing it.<br />
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Eventually, months later, it got fixed although a section of one of the borders died off from being smothered. Now that the arbor is back up, I'm back out there again on a regular basis which has spurred yet more activity as I notice things and start moving things around. So in a way the destruction has triggered a new phase of regeneration.<br />
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Not quite the same outcome on the other side of the house where I had the bright idea to move my <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2015/10/scent-of-orchids.html">large water pot</a> a few inches. And it moved much more easily than I thought it would, so I decided to move it a little more, which is when the hairline crack, the one that made it such a bargain in the first place, cracked until I was left holding a piece in my hand while the content of the pot flooded onto my sneakers. Oh wow there's a small family of frogs living in there.<br />
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Not much you can do with a broken pot, so I have it in the border with its broken part turned to face the fence. Now to find a solution on how to fill a broken container with no drainage but is missing half its back and can't really contain water.<br />
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And then there was the attempted break in this past weekend where the perpetrators used all kinds of things from the garden, like fence panels and mosquito screens to ward of my dogs and somehow barricade them on one side of the house while they tried unsuccessfully to enter on the other side. Not technically a disaster in the garden, but I now have to rethink everything about whats safe to leave outside while I'm not there. Garden tools, spades etc now have to be locked away.<br />
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To ease the pain, the weather has very kindly been raining almost every day so the garden looks healthy and after all the turbulence of carpentry and painting and moving and shifting we are back to cruising speed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-61163019329800403722015-10-30T14:47:00.002-04:002015-10-31T08:20:55.772-04:00Flowerless Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In this front section of a border in the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2013/04/a-tropical-potager.html">tropical potager</a>, I've tried getting color accents with a few different kinds of flowering plants: <i>Portulacas, Marigolds</i> and<i> Zinnias</i> but with little success. My lassez faire gardening style just isn't up to their watering or feeding needs apparently and I continue to lose them time and time again. So, in its current permutation I'm trying a flower free color palette.<br />
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What has been a constant is the base combination of a lacy, mainly yellow (with green and pink) <i>Coleus</i> mixed with a pink and bronze <i>Alternanthera ficoidea</i>. They have woven together into a warm colored carpet of sorts and have indicated that they are content to be here.<br />
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I bought both the <i>Aglaonema</i> and the <a href="https://instagram.com/p/9aAmPDlShl/">pink edge <i>Cordyline</i> </a>from the plant section in the supermarket, not usually the most inspiring of places but both had this interesting color combination of pinks and greens. They both ended up filling in some spaces in other parts of the garden until I had this idea that they should instead play more leading roles here. The effect is more subtle than flowers but there's an interesting enough play on the colors being from a similar palette and a contrast of foliage forms.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.cordyline.org/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=35&catid=13">Cordyline</a> in particular is a plant I need to look a little deeper into. Its reliability as a native of this region is a prime asset but the range of colors and leaf forms are yet another. The drawback is that there is not a lot of choice at the nurseries and supermarkets so I'll have to look a little further afield.<br />
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The <i>Aglaonema</i>, I'll confess says office plant to me - you see them everywhere in corporate lobbies and I presume for similar reasons, easy maintenance and they offer some color variations. Lets see if they do well enough here to get me a little more excited about them.<br />
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Right at the middle bottom of the picture is <i>Rivina humilis,</i> which has only just started to provide the true reason its chosen to be there - its <a href="https://instagram.com/p/9aAImPFShB/">red berries</a>. Currently its delicate foliage and floppy habit with small white flowers provides some delicate contrast but I wait for it to get a little more established and for it berries to provide some sharp color here.<br />
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On the right <i>Persicaria capitata</i> has been somewhat of a thug, in fact it owned pretty much all of this space at one time before I started hacking away at it to make room for other plants. It does however have some redeeming features: interesting marking on the leaves, the stem color has a reddish tone but best of all, when it gets a little stressed or aged it takes on burnt autumnal hues -which is when I like to cut it back, using the foliage indoors in a vase.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuYkR3iXhUeb0IySUhilUQa-KzHBYJIXczIMIBJYaOPxG_LyaibPMI1_LCpOY8SMffRK53V6NQjOaQKLm-f73yTw5Da0Dp68vaDVBZWD72n0EH_czDN3SxEi7ih49X1Qnjx7AOKgtE2c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-31+at+2.40.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuYkR3iXhUeb0IySUhilUQa-KzHBYJIXczIMIBJYaOPxG_LyaibPMI1_LCpOY8SMffRK53V6NQjOaQKLm-f73yTw5Da0Dp68vaDVBZWD72n0EH_czDN3SxEi7ih49X1Qnjx7AOKgtE2c/s200/Screen+Shot+2015-10-31+at+2.40.26+AM.png" width="200" /></a>It does however need regular controlling as it imposes itself well beyond the space its been alloted. It has some medicinal qualities and is edible so I do occasionally add a few leaves into a salad - it has a sharp sour taste and is a little fibrous so needs slicing up.<br />
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One last color element - green moss. For some reason the brick here is thick with moss which adds yet another color value between the yellows and greens that really works. And when it all really 'works' is in the morning when the sun is behind, backlighting this section.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-42033350855636223232015-10-16T10:05:00.000-04:002015-10-16T12:13:12.041-04:00Thriving in Adversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Its the dry season here and on cue the drained peatlands of Indonesia have become tinderboxes culminating in the annual event of Haze that chokes this region. The <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2013/07/where-theres-smoke.html">first time I experienced this</a> was shocking, to actually 'suffer' an oppressive climatic issue that you have no control over. This time, while it is still ongoing, it has not been quite as severe although much time has been spent indoors with windows and doors shut. One reason might be that we have continued to have some rain on and off to soften the blow.<br />
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Despite this, plants in the <i><a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2013/01/gravel-garden.html">Gravel Garden</a></i> continue to thrive. Just today I took this image of the <i>Sanseveria Cylindrica'</i>s impressive flower stalk. The<i> Natal Plum, Carissa Macrocarp</i>a to the far right, continues to get bushier, spilling over the wall with <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/655037341665366016">flowers at the end of its trail</a>. Further along the border, the variegated <i>Agave Americana</i> has sent up a <a href="https://instagram.com/p/85glx8lSlL/?taken-by=theogardener">huge flower spike </a>through the variegated <i>Pandanus Tectorius</i> which is perhaps not so good news as it does indicate the approach of its own demise. On the other hand, not a bad thing perhaps as the Pandanus has begun to oppress it by putting it in substantial shadow. Top right, the white edged <i>Agave Angustifolia Marginata </i>keeps on keeping on, I've harvested two suckers from it, so now it is three. In the middle of the picture, in case you're wondering, there is a bleached driftwood next to the gray thorny trunk of a lime tree.<br />
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None of theses plants are native to this region, apart from the Pandanus, but are doing extraordinarily well here in this garden with little to no fuss. I don't have to worry unless it doesn't rain for more than a week. Its unusual if it doesn't rain after four or five days here - but there have been instances where its been dry for over a week and last year there was an unusual drought that lasted almost 2 months. This is actually very, very different from the climate I experienced as a child living here where, the normal occurrence would be for the equatorial convectional heat to reliably produce a short shower almost every day with the occasional day without rain.<br />
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I attended an interesting <a href="https://www.nparks.gov.sg/biodiversity/urban-biodiversity/biophilia-symposium">symposium in Singapore about <i>Biophilia</i></a> the other day where there was a conversation about natives and it was remarked how much better non natives performed in the much drier climate that we are experiencing. Not forgetting also that urban environments in the tropics are also quite different in the amount of raw exposure we have to overhead sun as well as heat energy bouncing off acres of concrete. Its a reality to take into account when climate change, adverse climate events and the built environment create radically different circumstances for you when you are tending a garden. In contrast- the <i><a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2012/12/dark-verandah.html">Dark Verandah</a></i> on the other side of the house with its largely native plants continues to require a lot of fussing, and daily watering.<br />
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Many of these dry loving plants though have had a long history here, usually inhabiting pots on the porch most probably because of their tolerance for neglect. Some like the Carissa have been adopted by the Chinese community as symbolic 'money plants' their evergreen resilient waxy leaves manifesting 'ong' which loosely translates to 'luck'. Agaves are often found in gardens decorated with eggshells on the end of its points. Its probably just a decorative thing although from a Feng Shui perspectives these eggshells serve to blunt the pointy 'poison arrow' effects. My Gravel Garden however looks different to local friends and visitors, even though many of the plants are known to them, because I've curated them in this stony dry landscape more reminiscent of California gardens than the lush tropical aesthetics they are used to.<br />
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Thriving in adversity may well become the future expectancy of our garden plants with the onset of more climatic and urban change. The 'foreign ness' of non natives may be less significant than their ability to adapt into local cultures and environments. This was an interesting point that the academics at the symposium were riffing on - as we inevitably create new urban landscapes, that have merit for being more densely efficient, we need to develop new strategies to not only cope but to innovate and create new regenerative landscapes that thrive.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-33524445842010976002015-10-10T05:44:00.001-04:002015-10-10T05:57:28.675-04:00Scent of Orchids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I occasionally sit out here in the mornings with a cup of coffee. This chair is just round the corner from my front door. Early in the morning with the sounds of birds and sometimes even a light mist, its quite magical. A little later and the sun will have already have taken on a force only known here in the equatorial tropics, but this spot remains an oasis throughout the day.<br />
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The nearest durian tree has already sent a branch overhead, then a bamboo fence and lush border wraps the entire area. Overhead I've fashioned a bamboo arbour from which I hang branches covered in epiphytic ferns and orchids. I've also started lifting the pots onto a base of cinderblocks - I want whatever's at the bottom growing upwards to start weaving into whatever's on top growing downwards. The sum effect is that of a thick but loosely woven botanic shawl that creates shade and even seems to chill the air a degree or two on this dark verandah- something you can feel the minute you step into it.<br />
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A few mornings ago, besides the cool dappled shade there was something else, a fragrance, powerful like something in a bottle. A quick search yielded a broken raceme of the <i>Aerides Odorata</i> pictured left. Broken, perhaps because I had picked it up off the floor recently - it happens, the wood rots and when I move things round, tragedies happen - and moved it to another spot. Perhaps, a spot it likes a lot more hence persuading it to flower.<br />
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A flowering orchid is no mean feat here as I continue to fine tune this area to create more of a microclimate that can withstand my often neglectful care of these delicate creatures, not to mention a <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.my/2015/02/green-flowers.html">knowledge gap</a> of orchid needs. I have just about turned a corner on keeping them mainly alive, some are starting to look quite healthy and now this, the holy grail, flowering. Often I buy them in flower and once done, never see it again. This particular orchid was a gift, which was not flowering at the time of receipt so this is a particularly momentous event.<br />
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Its name, <i>Aerides Odorata</i> is one of precise botanical accuracy describing both its 'airy' epihytic nature and its odorous personality. Its found widely through south east asia, the flowers are waxy and almost translucent looking. Often with wild orchids, you have to go up close to catch the delicate fragrance but the scent of this orchid is really quite something. Scent of course is already somewhat unusual as most orchids in gardens here are varieties appreciated more their colorful appearance and devoid of scent.<br />
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Oddly enough when I first moved in here, there were a lot of things in boxes in the store room since the sixties or seventies and one of those boxes was full of a soap that was popular here with an 'orchid' scent and a picture of an orchid on its wrapper. Too perfumey for me so I gave them away - but that heavy floral scent, is what this orchid does smell like.<br />
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With all the tragedies I've had with orchids, I've had somewhat of a moratorium on their purchase since they are somewhat more expensive but I might have to lift that going forward with this little breakthrough. I'm drawn to wild orchids because of all the fascinating variations of their leaf and root forms and sometimes the added possibility of the flowers being in that palette I love- greens and dark colors but this scent thing has added yet another intriguing dimension.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-85592484545876635252015-08-14T11:47:00.001-04:002015-08-14T12:00:11.760-04:00Guernsey Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been remiss in not writing about the first garden that I helped design for someone other than myself and that's my aunt's garden in Guernsey. She had an offer from a neighbour to take a little off the side of her garden in return for more space at the back. In the photo the side is the wall straight ahead, and to the left the arch of roses leads to the additional rear space.<br />
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I had been to her quaint stone cottage, a step back in time on an ancient village lane, a couple of times before but the job of redesigning the space was done remotely while I was home in London. It was actually a tricky thing as the back area was sloped and the entire space was asymmetrical. Measurements were exchanged over the phone and my pencil sketch faxed over.<br />
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The solution I came up with was to put the main part into a circular quadrant which you entered from the side of the house and the back part was stepped into a higher level with a somewhat secret seating area. Tucked round the hedge on the right side is the kitchen door, where you get the full effect of the view - circular raised bed and a glimpse of what is beyond the rose arch.<br />
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Apart from a few suggestions that were more architectural like planting Ceanothus on the side wall the planting scheme was decided on by my aunt and another gardener friend with a general guideline that it should be 'cottagey'. Sadly I've never seen the finished result in person having moved to the US shortly after, but a couple of years ago she sent me some photos of the now fully mature garden and I have to say it looks pretty good. I did envision something a little taller in the raised bed at the entrance so it would be more of a surprise when you stepped into the space, but I can also see how a clearer view might also be more inviting.<br />
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Coincidentally the other garden I've been commissioned to design, the one in <a href="http://occasionalgardenerabout.blogspot.com/2008/05/mamaroneck.html">Mamaroneck </a>is similarly a raised bed cottage type <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2008/04/irish-walls.html">stone wall design</a>. Although these cottage gardens feel like a hazy memory here in the sunny tropics, thanks to facebook, every time my cousin visits Guernsey and posts photos I'm right back there - like this one on the left of tulips in spring. </div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-12211034756419790592015-08-08T11:38:00.002-04:002015-08-12T05:09:46.322-04:00Shady Meadow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The only kind of gardening that goes on in <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2012/12/an-orchard-of-ones-own.html">the orchard</a> is a mowing about once a month, sometimes stretching to six weeks if the weather is dry and slows the growth down. I've experimented with leaving parts of it wild but I get concerned that my dogs who do like to go down there on occasion, might end up with ticks which they are miraculously free from now without any chemical help. Touchwood. So it is allowed to get a little bit wild but not too much and thats what it was like today when I went down there to take some photos.<br />
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I was surprised to see last week when I went down there, quite a lot <i>Chinese Violet, Asystasia gangetica.</i> Not a huge surprise as its a pretty invasive weed here - just that it looked more meadow like with its <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Eqd69jwsT8rumjy56">pretty flowers</a> mixed in with the lanky <i>Alternatha Sessilis</i> pictured here. Both are actually edible so I picked a nice bunch of the <i>Asystasia</i> which ended up in a frittata. There's an interesting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfTQHa6deak">video recipe</a> for a dish combining alternatha sessilis leaves with lentils that I must try out.<br />
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There are a few different grasses down here,<a href="https://goo.gl/photos/Bao9zQfuvoc37Vwo9"> <i>Kyllinga nemoralis</i></a>, which is a big problem wherever I have lawn because it grows so quickly. Here it's polka dot white flowers look quite pretty and its an interesting plant in its own right with some interesting medicinal qualities, its leaves having antimicrobial properties.<br />
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There's also <i>Nut Grass</i> or <i>Java Grass</i> or <i><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/t9pvwNYCpqJGvxfP6">Cyperus rotundus</a>, </i>whose roots are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/science/now-a-weed-once-a-prehistoric-cavity-fighter.html?smid=tw-share">supposed to</a> have protected cavemen's teeth from decay. Otherwise not a particularly interesting looking plant. There are a couple of patches of fountain grass which I will not see unless my gardener has machine issues and delays his visit for a couple more weeks, taking it up to a couple of months between mowing. Bamboo grass <i><a href="https://goo.gl/photos/gogUBExUJpoLLbaX7">Pogonatherum crinitum </a></i>keeps a low profile here whereas I see it becoming quite tall in places that have been left to grow wild.<br />
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This shady meadow has changed somewhat since I first got here. There were quite few garden escapees down here- Caladiums, Cococasias and quite a bit of <i>Syngonium Podophyllum</i>. I've moved them all into other parts of the garden. There was a medium sized weed tree, <i>Clausena excavata,</i> that got blown over in a storm that has since been removed as have quite a few rocks and pieces of concrete. This has changed sun exposure and competition and for the better - there's definitely a softer, meadow like feel and what seems like slightly different patches of diversity.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-25047665866382200292015-06-08T11:38:00.000-04:002015-06-14T11:06:16.205-04:00Blooming Stress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"<i>Your cactus is flowering, it must be under stress</i>" a friend said. I looked up at the tall blue green column and holy moly there were <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/610100441444126720">about 20 buds</a> on it. There were a couple of buds on the other column last week but I was dissapointed not to have seen it become a flower. Maybe it blooms at night, it suddenly registered, and there it was a huge white bloom when I rushed outside to check.<br />
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Do cacti flower under stress? Its certainly a stressful situation, hot dry sunny slope and the plant has become huge and quite crowded, I recently cut out a few of the less attractive parts. The other plant pictured, not a cactus, but <i>Euphorbia Antiquorum</i> quite certainly blooms under stress. It is so prolific that I've sliced huge 4 foot chunks and potted them in tiny pots - just because that's all I had at the time and a few weeks later its covered in bloom.<br />
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As a creative, the idea of stress having a positive outcome is of course statistically proven, countless projects and endeavours have 'bloomed' after a harsh gestation. The phrase 'the harshest soils often yield the best wines' not sure where I read that has always struck home. So I went searching the internet and <i>Plants, compared to animals, insects, and humans, have to be a lot more sophisticated with their response to stress since they are stuck wherever they grow and cannot run from whatever stress they encounter</i>," from<a href="http://www.popsci.com/do-plants-get-stressed"> here</a> was a sobering perspective. Indeed stress is a trigger for all kinds of complex responses and certainly a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3115168/">cue for flowering</a>.<br />
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Although there may be some nutrient depletion going on here, its hard to equate the word stress with these two plants as they have largely been doing the opposite which is thriving. The cactus started out as a gift from one of the part time hands that first helped with the digging and preparation of the garden. Once he saw the few plants I had selected to put into that location - aloes, agaves, euphorbias, he arrived the next time with a 2 foot length of this blue cactus. Four years later it has multiplied ten fold with a couple of the columns reaching about 5 foot tall, which on higher ground towers above as you walk by. Which was why I didn't even notice the buds until friend pointed them out.<br />
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The euphorbia was about 3 foot tall in a pot and here on the property when I took it over. It is now four ungainly monsters over 6 foot tall that require regular propping and trimming or they would fall over. There's smaller ones in pots and I've just planted an army of them along a wall in the orchard to help keep out trespassers during durian season. Once identified, it was interesting to discover its a regional species also know as <i>Malayan Spurge</i> hence its ubiquity in most gardens in this city.<br />
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The cactus, I've yet to properly identify although the white, night flowering clue has helped narrow it down to perhaps <i>Cereus Validus </i>or <i>Cereus peruvianus. </i>In either case<i> </i>I can expect a fruit to follow, hence their other name <i>apple cactus</i>. Curiously the subject of fruit is when I first heard of stress and plants. On a visit to an organic fruit farm, I was told that plants are scarred or pruned, to trigger a fruiting response.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-86552814706477897172015-04-27T11:02:00.000-04:002015-04-27T11:02:30.282-04:00Room to Grow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The arbor in the tropical potager is now fully covered with the <i>Passiflora Coccinea</i>. What a great job its doing of that. Very nice even cover over the bamboo trellis trailing over the edge with a string of <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/507432243036311552">red flowers</a>. I was recently offered a rattan coffee table that made me rethink things and bring the table over from the verandah, which I don't know why I didn't do earlier, its slatted and matches the slatted bench I already have here. Then I found a bamboo gate that concertinas, allowing me to gate off entry into this area, see left pic, from my dogs who love to dig in the beds here. Add a couple of solar laterns from Ikea and I have a garden room with a roof, a gate, lighting and a table to entertain or have a cup of coffee at in the mornings.<br />
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So I've entered a new phase in this part of the garden, spending more time here, enjoying the sunbirds swinging on the <i>Passiflora</i> and surprised by the amount of butterflies, lizards and squirrels it attracts. With this time spent, I've also started to notice all the problems and empty spots which means when I'm at the farmers market, I'm more likely to think about buying plants to fill those spots.<br />
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I've wanted this garden to be more flowery and a more colorful but have had a terrible time making that happen. One issue is just getting to terms with what happens here in the tropics- things happen very quickly. Things get huge then sickly fast. Within days what were perfectly good and flowering have burnt to a crisp. Things in pots send roots out of that little hole in the bottom and before you know it there a monster of a plant in a tiny pot. There's a different pace here and I find myself discovering, too late, that something doesn't fit.<br />
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Another standout issue- perhaps because I want more flowers is how quickly nutrients leach out of the soil. I 'm only just beginning to grasp how much more compost and manure ( I use sheep manure from a guy at the market and chicken manure from the supermarket) to add. When the miniature roses and the thai basil start to look a little lacklustre - I know its time to feed them again.<br />
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I'm also beginning to move away from just flowers and cheat with more colored foliage like lime green<i> Osmoxylon lineare </i> or red leaved <i>Coleus</i> and <i>Cordyline</i> that are much easier to please. Both the <i>Coleus</i> and the <i>Portulacea</i> also need regular pinching and replanting or they get lanky and start to fade.<br />
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There are banana trees here that cut out the very strong sun but I've been wrong in thinking that the shady spots at certain times of day, stay that way throughout the day. My worst mistakes have been to underestimate how dry it can get here. Its easy to forget that the long spells of rainy weather sometimes turn into long dry ones and I've paid the heavy price of checking in a week later to find carnage.<br />
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April is a rainy month here and things are going well. New plantings are adjusting, there is fruit on four of the banana trees and I'm loving the warm acid tones of lime, yellow and orange reds in one of the beds- you can see a bit of it in the right hand side pic.<br />
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TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-37762468324913786422015-02-28T12:37:00.000-05:002015-02-28T13:00:29.041-05:00Green Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't often see green flowered orchids at the farmers market but I did today and two spectacular ones at that. <i>Dendrobium Callophyllum</i> on the right is a native of Java, Lesser Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. Hallelujah it likes sun and I have just the spot for it. I will be moving it out of its pot (growing on charcoal) to attach to a branch to hang on the <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/552012552691916800/photo/1">Dark Verandah</a>. Most of the epiphytes I have, similarly set up are clustered around the shady bits so its great to have this filling one of the sunnier gaps. And fill nicely it will as it has 5 or 6 fairly lanky arched leaf stems.<br />
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<i>Dendrobium Ionopus</i> on the left requires medium light so will join the crowd huddled under the shadier spot, perhaps further up front. It will stand out though with its unusual pendulum blooms and spidery foliage. The flowers hang off rigid stem like lanterns on a stick. Where the Callophylum is a fairly bright green, this one is pale , tending to yellow. This orchid is endemic to Phillippines.<br />
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I have other green orchids, one is a <i>Coelogyne </i>(a gift) and the other is an unidentified one that I bought. Both were blooming when I acquired them but haven't done so since which is an admission of a huge problem that I have with orchids - I haven't really got the hang of them yet. In a sense they are somewhat high maintenance with their watering needs and their fairly specific sunlight requirements. These sunlight requirements include a nuanced understanding about the difference between bright light and light sun and early morning or late evening sun. Lets just say I'm still learning. It helps when the vendor can give me some directions or at least a name for me to look up its needs. and this is just to keep them alive, I've yet to master whatever feeding or other requirements they need to reflower.<br />
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For this reason, these two were priced just right. I see many gorgeous orchids at the market and they are not inexpensive. I've murdered enough of them to resist the temptation to splurge. These were affordable to buy both but also costly enough for me to pay attention to them as I have lost many an orchid, in that early stage when its situation hasn't really been fully understood yet. Additionally, there are a few other factors like storms and squirrels that lead to discovery of a dead, dried out, or rotted that has fallen in between the pots underneath it.<br />
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Ultimately, it will be about finding a balance between getting the conditions and situation right and enough care without it being a burden. Its certainly worth pursuing though as even this narrower range that interests me - wild orchids of this region, has beautiful specimens of extraordinary shapes colors and scents that send out their siren call everytime I go to the market.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-59141772789156859772015-02-24T07:39:00.002-05:002015-10-31T08:32:55.648-04:00False Rue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I often complain, I'm in ownership of a quite a few plants that remain unidentified as that's how plants are sold here- without any kind of label. Occasionally the seller might be knowledgeable enough to identify the plant- sometimes it even helps just to know the local name. Otherwise its a google search that might take a while to track down. Let me just say though, it is astonishing what google can do with a few keywords.
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I now also have about three textbooks written by local authors and make it a morning habit to flip through them, cup of coffee in hand. This is the other method that occasionally yields a good result when I make the connection between a photo in the book and something I just bought. Its amazing what slips through though as I discover something only on the 20th reading.<br />
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And then there's the more random situation where you are looking for something else on the internet and you identify something quite different altogether. That's how I discovered <i>False Rue, Baeckea frutescens. </i>I was looking for information about 'tropical pines' and there it was - an image of its slender branches of pine like needles that droop in downward elegant curves. All the vendor could tell me when I bought it is that it is very slow growing.<br />
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Its not a Pine but in the Myrtle family, and while 70 of the 75 species are endemic to Australia, this one is native to South East Asia. Turns out, it also has a host of <a href="http://www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79068:baeckea-frutescens-l&catid=704:b">medicinal qualities</a> and I write this while enjoying a very pleasant scented herbal tea made from it. I can't help thinking of it as the kind of 'comforting beverage doubling as medicine' that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">those Septagenarians</a> on the Greek Island of Ikaria are nourishing themselves with. In fact its whole vibe is mediterranean both woody and herbal not unlike something growing wild in Greece or Spain you might run into on a hike. It enjoys similar conditions here, the poor soils of rocky hill slopes and sandy coasts.<br />
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The branches' arched lines and interesting shades of color - quite limey when the growth is new, make it a regular choice of foliage for a friend who practises Ikebana and has a larger more mature specimen growing in her garden in full sun. So thats where I put mine, in the White Corner where its hot and sunny, and its doing just fine.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-53139216276740211662015-01-30T04:03:00.000-05:002015-01-30T09:38:17.081-05:00Lightning Orchids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My dad called these Lightning Orchids, which I've discovered is not correct, the plant is <i>Dendrobium Crumanatum</i> and the common name for them is Pigeon Orchids. He said that they flowered after a lightning storm and he's not completely wrong about that. This orchid forms buds after there is a temperature drop, usually due to a thunderstorm. Nine days later long necklaces of white flowers with a yellow throat bloom gregariously with members of this species in its vicinity. The blooms are fragrant, particularly in the morning and last only a day.<br />
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This ephemeral quality perfectly suits where these orchids reside, on the branches of the durian trees in the orchard. Its an area that is not 'gardened' I cut the grass once a month but otherwise leave it mostly alone and enjoy the occasional surprise of these orchids which literally lights up the trees with these strings of white flowers. Apart from the durian flowers, these are the only other flowers here.<br />
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They are a relatively common wild orchid, you see them in a lot of trees but due to this ephemeral, weather specific behavior, unless you are actually in regular contact with them- you might miss these little shows that they put on. They also really want to stay wild - I've tried having them on wooden branches hung in the porch and they never flower and generally look ill at ease. So their ideal situation is what exists in the orchard a colony growing on the branches of a small grove of untended trees, protected but with a lot of light.<br />
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Its been an extraordinarily cool and wet monsoon this year which is unusual to even say as we really live far south of the monsoon belt and shouldn't really be experiencing such a clear seasonal pattern. But we are and there's been serious flooding throughout the country, particularly on the east coast, a consequence of climate change and deforestation. I have to admit, I've loved the cool mornings and the garden has also loved the daily soak that it gets. We're now back into hot dry weather and it must have been that one heavy shower we had over a week ago that cooled things down and triggered these orchids to put on a show.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-3251002710934605602015-01-05T00:12:00.004-05:002015-01-05T02:13:20.254-05:00The Color Orange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The decision to go for a <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2013/02/sharp-white.html">color palette</a> with warm sunset accents in the <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2013/01/gravel-garden.html">Gravel Garden</a> developed along a few lines. One was how well those colors look with the many succulents I have here. Another is how it pairs with all the concrete and gravel mulch and terracota that dominates the hardscape. It also makes sense that it is in the same spectrum as the berries of the <i>Ficus Deltoides</i> and also the ripe <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2013/03/lemons-and-limes.html">Citrus</a> when it fruits. Finally, this garden's best moment is at the end of the day when the sun is just about to set providing a lovely glow to the space which reminded me of how the <a href="http://www.invectis.co.uk/sissing/sscott3.htm">cottage garden at Sissinghurst</a> full of coppery sunset colors comes alive at that time. The challenge has been to find the tropical version of this.<br />
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I've had little success though getting this color scheme in flower form in the dry slope bed as the intense sun exposure has literally fried everything I tried there. Moss Roses, <i>Portulacea </i>when I had them there looked gorgeous and seemed to be the perfect way to get chunks of these warm colors but they were too short lived and required too much attention in a space that's hard to access and full of spiky thorny plants. So the color is to be found only in the berries and citrus fruit and the occasional flower spike from the Aloes.<br />
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My success in getting these colors into this space has been in the potted plants on the other side which gets a little respite from the hot sun. It's still somewhat dry and hot there and potted plants need to fulfil the condition of being pretty drought tolerant as I don't want to have to water them unless its particularly dry. As things have matured though some of the taller potted plants are providing oasis conditions for others and this is where <i>Chrysothemis Pulchella </i>pictured left<i> </i>fits in. This is one of those plants I purchased and put in to the dry slope bed that came to a sorry end. Recently though I pinched a cutting from a friend's garden and stuck it in a pot enjoying a shady nook in the shadow of a large planter. It sprang to life and is now two pots. The flowers are not only orange but include shades between yellow and red which look spectacular set against its dark bronze leaves.<br />
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Against the back wall of the space that has a short concrete wall and then bamboo fencing behind it is another semi protected enclave where my potted<i> Golden Gardenia</i> is thriving. This is a plant that I'm not at all certain about identifying having first made its acquaintence as<i> <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2011/03/golden-gardenias.html">Gardenia Carinata</a> </i>but then subsequently discovered there are other similar ones called <i>Gardenia Tubifera</i> and perhaps <i>Gardenia Lamingtonia or <a href="http://www.tropicsphere.com/main/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9210">Gardenia</a></i><a href="http://www.tropicsphere.com/main/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9210"> G<i>hellerupii</i></a>. I'll update this once I get a proper handle on it. In any case it produces a spectacular show of blooms on a regular basis with a knockout fragrance. The blooms start out pale yellow, which is when they are most fragrant and then darken to an orange that has a gorgeous burnt quality.<br />
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TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-62163760579521682102014-11-25T08:59:00.001-05:002014-11-25T08:59:56.913-05:00Painterly Whites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The ribs on the <i>Caladium Lindenii </i>pictured left, look like they're painted on. In the background of the picture on the right, what looks like green paint spattered on white paper is <i>Diffenbachia Star Bright</i> I think, hard to tell with <a href="http://charlie-cook.com/products/browse/index/category:Dieffenbachia">so many variations</a> that look quite similar. The papery leaves in the foreground with the broad watercolor stripes belong to variegated <i>Arrowroot, Maranta Arundinacea, </i>possibly my favorite of this trio.<br /><br />
I inherited these guys from my parents garden, which along with a collection of <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/search/label/Whitecorner">fragrant white </a>flowered plants, I started organizing into a 'white corner'. To be honest the situation was not ideal- too hot and sunny for these shade lovers, the plan was to get some larger plants and some climbers to protect them. It took a while for that to happen so in the meantime it was virtually plant abuse as I would forget and find them bone dry, scorched which would lead to yellowing and brown edges. Not Pretty.<br />
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Things are better now, there's a fair amount of dappled shade. A few repottings have also happened which with regular mulching with compost keeps them in good shape. In return the corner is looking good, these variegated whites provide an illusion of being icy cool- its a joy to catch a glimpse of them on a hot sunny day. At night there's an added etherealness to their appearance which in combination with the evening perfume of the many scented white flowers gives this spot a unique personality of its own.<br />
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Now that I have this section and my eye catches white flowered or white variegated plants when I'm plant shopping or just browsing online, its quite extraordinary how many plant there are that fit into this category. Just as I was surprised to discover a while ago the prevalence of white in the<a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2008/10/fall-into-white.html"> fall garden </a>at NYBG and Cape Cod, I'm now finding the same in tropical plants. What a huge range of perfumed white flowered and white variegated leaves there are - many of them native to this part of the world.<br />
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The problem still remains that this spot is pretty exposed and can get very hot and dry except in its deepest corner which is where these painterly whites are currently thriving. Next week I'm going to do some moving around, repotting and fence repair so who knows I might end up with a little expansion of this space.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-5349904586551637702014-11-22T10:32:00.000-05:002014-11-22T10:44:33.218-05:00Craftsman's Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my second visit to the garden at the National Craft Center in Kuala Lumpur. I had returned primarily to take another look at the garden having been really impressed with its design on my first visit. The visit reiterated my original impressions of the garden being not only well designed but uniquely suited to the purpose of the center to celebrate Malaysian handicrafts.<br />
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The garden is not large, inhabiting space between buildings at the complex with a few small artisan <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514052870678306?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514052870678306&oid=108311106386961736080">cottage studios </a>at its center where artisans work and sell their wares. That in itself is instructional in garden design - what it manages to pack in this small space is extraordinary - a small stream, a pool, lush plantings and an interesting variety of hardscapes that lead the visitor through the artisanal commune, see the <a href="http://occasionalgardenermedia.blogspot.com/2014/11/kraftangan-garden.html">album of photos.</a><br />
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Not only are the hardscapes interesting and visually compelling, the collection of assorted earthen containers, large driftwoods and boulders are completely in keeping with the spirit of the center as a craftman's haven. Its hard to tell sometimes if they belong to the garden or are <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514028456530546?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514028456530546&oid=108311106386961736080">waiting </a>to be worked on by an artisanal hand or just completed by one. The terracota pots have grooves and grids that collect moss and the logs and driftwoods add extraordinary visual texture. There's always a knowing <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514350849741618?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514350849741618&oid=108311106386961736080">mix</a> of geometric forms and patterns juxtaposed with organic ones like <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514278405364850?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514278405364850&oid=108311106386961736080">gnarly roots and paving stones</a>, or a pile of boulders and a twisted trunk set against the decorative <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514440492820290?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514440492820290&oid=108311106386961736080">grid of air bricks</a>.<br />
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The color palette is masterful. There are painted surfaces in a <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514320404385618?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514320404385618&oid=108311106386961736080">warm ochre that resonate with the terracotta</a> and ceramic pots as well as picking up shades in the boulders and pebbles. The grayer shades of the stones are in tune with the gray of bark and <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514428504331234?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514428504331234&oid=108311106386961736080">driftwoods</a> pickled and bleached by the equatorial sun. <br />
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Its surprising how well these colors look combined with a lush green tropical planting. The colors are are also cleverly knitted together in the design, bright green moss in the <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514166300487874?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514166300487874&oid=108311106386961736080">grooves</a> of the terracota and the hollows of driftwood or wrapped around<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514221231062402?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514221231062402&oid=108311106386961736080"> pebbles</a>. The ochres are picked up in the color of <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514702147224850?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514702147224850&oid=108311106386961736080">coconuts or foliage as they yellow</a> and clumps of <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514665696477154?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514665696477154&oid=108311106386961736080">yellow stemmed bamboo</a>. The green color is also purposefully limited to foliage - largely ferns, palms and bamboos, with little to no flowers to be seen.<br />
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It happened to thunderstorm quite heavily during my visit which revealed yet more layers to the design. Water thundered down gutters and splashed in the pools and small stream and bounced of large leaved plants providing an audio sensory experience unique to this part of the world - when it rains here - it really rains. There was movement - large bamboos and skinny palm swayed and the rain rendered erratic staccato movements to the leaves. There was also the added <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/108311106386961736080/albums/6084514020469408001/6084514521247257938?banner=pwa&authkey=CKuwr-XLloGJcQ&pid=6084514521247257938&oid=108311106386961736080">glossy</a> textures and darker colors that the rain also brings.<br />
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A measure of a beautifully designed garden is to want to visit it again, and I certainly do and the other is whether it inspires to find ways of incorporating its ideas into your own garden and I certainly will.<br />
<br />TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-47859468679435704722014-10-15T03:06:00.000-04:002014-10-15T03:12:15.364-04:00Autumn Leaves, Sort of<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that I am living in an endless tropical summer I realize how much an ever changing temperate environment drives you forward into new cycles of activity or states of mind. The longing for warm summer days, the thrill of fall in New York City when everyone is back from their summer sojourns, the inertia of winter and for gardeners the rush of a new growing season.<br />
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I have come to the realisation however that the botanical changes that define each season from bud to flower and fruit and then bare branches is something that happens here too - just not in synchronicity. Take the visual spectacle of autumn leaves happening now in northern temperate countries that will soon crescendo into a glorious show of color . The <a href="http://bioserv.fiu.edu/~leed/articles/Amer%20Sci%202002.pdf">science</a> of why that is happening, is happening here too except for slightly different reasons and in an unorchestrated way.<br />
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We have here, leaves going through the same end of life process, yellowing and turning brown as well as an anthocyanin fueled range of oranges and red that happen as a biological strategy to protect new emerging leaves from the hot tropical sun. So we are seeing this palette of colors thoughout the year, not in a huge burst but in a continual cycle that layers into all the other typically green leaf colors.<br />
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Pictured right is one I see all the time, young red leaves of the Wild Cinammon, <i>Cinnamomum Iners </i>that is almost weed like if given a chance. On the left, a tree that I see everyday walking the dogs and have yet to identify is almost constantly in this state of autumnal color. Another, that has become endemic in our landscape, since it is a favorite of local municipal landscapers and private homes as a easy to grow hedge, <i>Syzygium Myrtifolium</i>. Almost everywhere we see the <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/522046640182411265">burnished oranges and reds</a> of its new growth.<br />
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Yesterday, when I took these photos in my neighborhood, it was late afternoon just after a heavy shower. I enjoy a slight microclimate here being slightly elevated and in close proximity to a small forest, a heavy shower at a cooler time of day will elicit a slight mist. The mist, occasional piles of <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/522277247332274177">leaf fall</a>, short bursts of autumn leaf color as described above and and I couldn't help but be transported back to the memory of autumn walks in New York City and Westchester. Minus of course the chill and the slight dread about where this colorful <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2008/11/road-to-winter.html">autumn road </a>will eventually lead.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-24093707026000162842014-08-15T11:17:00.000-04:002014-08-15T11:55:34.786-04:00The Patient Path<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the last few weeks, the stone path I laid in the dark verandah has finally 'clicked'. It's taken the best part of a couple of years. It's a short path that takes you from the concrete verandah, through the border and an <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/2013/05/fence-me-in.html">opening in the bamboo fence</a>. I found most of the 'stones' in the orchard where I think many years ago some renovation had occured and these broken pieces ended up being disposed there. They are really chunks of cement and gravel but having been laying around for years in the cooler shade of the orchard, had become mossy.<br />
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Having transferred and laid them, which took a few tries to get right, their new site was a little sunnier than what they were used to and the mossiness started to fade. I planted <i>Hemigraphis Alternata</i> and <i>Peacock Ginger, Kaemferia Elegans</i> on one side and <i>Piper Betel</i> on the other. Every few weeks I bought a bag full of <i>Centella Asiatica</i> from the farmers market (sold as a salad green but still with roots on) and stuffed them into all the spaces in between. They were all slow to take and sulky. Both the Hemigraphis and Kaemferia elegans would disappear and return again in a slighty different spot.<br />
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Now, some of the stones are <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/494154745573945347">lush with moss</a>, the Hemigraphis like a multi hued purple wave lapping this mossy shore. The <i>Kaemferia</i>'s complex patterned leaves is regularly accented with a shot of <a href="https://twitter.com/OGardener/status/500299016375005184">purple</a><u> flower</u>. The Betel leaves are a vibrant lime color punctuated by the darker green of a <i>Pennywort</i>, <i>Hydrocotyle Ranunculoides </i>self seeded from a nearby pot. The path instead of leading your eye out, now with all these textures and colors, holds your interest and even encourages you to stop to crouch and take a closer look.<br />
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The change happened as I started to fill the verandah with more and larger plants. I also put in a bamboo grid arbour- more about that later, both of these have created a significant change in the amount of shade this path now receives. It's almost been a lesson in Zen, there I was thinking that I was patiently waiting for all these plants to get their act together and all this time it was them waiting for me to create the conditions that now makes them thrive.</div>
TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3911882156970801463.post-30634188916092907922014-06-20T11:11:00.002-04:002014-06-20T11:35:19.835-04:00Malay Apples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the last few years of living in New York City I tried consciously to eat more seasonally which was all well and good in the summer months but as the seasons progressed into the colder months the selection would inevitably thin to root vegetables and apples. I ate a lot of apples. But then I did love going down to the farmers market at Union square and filling up my backpack with them.<br />
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Here now in the tropics there are no heirloom apples to be found - just the bright red or green homogenous supermarket varieties - Granny Smiths and Red Delicious from Australia and New Zealand. Their perfectly shiny uniformity lack the attraction I found in the odd shaped Braeburns and <a href="http://theoccasionalgardener.blogspot.com/search?q=apple">Cox Pippins</a> with their more complex tangy flavors and hard crunch.<br />
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I miss them but I also I don't primarily because there is so much other fruit here and I might add, incredible fruit at that. Can't complain when there are four or five different kinds of Mangoes, Bananas and Pineapples available in its place, pretty much year round.<br />
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There is however a kind of substitute in Malay apples or Water Apples or Java apples. Not actually an apple or related to apples but in the Syzygium, Myrtle family (which includes Cloves): Syzygium malaccense and Syzygium samarangense or Syzygium javanicum. Never quite sure which is which, they come either green pink or red in either a longish shape like the one pictured above or shorter and plumper and sometimes more fluted.<br />
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There is a crunch when you first bite into them but the sensation quickly shifts into a spongier texture so it doesn't really do what the much denser apple does. There is much variation in flavor in every batch from bland watery to sweet and tart but always with a faint rose scent. Better to get them from a regular reliable source, and there's a local fruit farm grows them organically and often has them for sale at the night market in Pelangi.<br />
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Growing up, our neighbour had a tree growing in their yard and we often were climbing it to score a few fruit to take home and eat as the locals do here with a sauce of dark soy and sugar. It remains a good way to flesh out its flavor profile. In New York I did something similar mixing soy sauce, lime juice and Peanut butter as a dressing for apples in a salad.<br />
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I'm not tempted to grow the tree myself as I've seen many a sad looking tree full of fruit - too much perhaps with much of it ending up rotting on the ground. At Desaru fruit farm- how they grow it organically is to barrier protect by wrapping each individual fruit with a physical barrier, that's too much work. I'll stick with buying them at the market, which also means I get to cycle through the slightly different varieties. <br />
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They don't do well in the fridge, better eaten up quickly before they bruise and soften but on a hot day a couple of refrigerated ones are just the thing to snack on for a little cool respite. Here's where their lack of density actually works in their favor as you can do this a few times a day.<br />
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TheO Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975548122081952059noreply@blogger.com