It's B for Bougainvilla....#5

Pictures of bougainvillae taken in 2010. This red species is planted in a pot and put in front of the house. Unfortunately, while working on a tree near the pot, Pakar accidently knocked the pot down and it broke. Haven't had time to buy a near one but alhamdulillah, the plant is still ok. A hardy plant indeed.

Another view...oh, i love the red colour...

Such vibrant colour.

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Posted on: 28/08/2008

Bougainvilla or bunga kertas, as popularly known, is a hardy plant. The ones that we have at home were given to us by our ex-babysitter, Kak Mashitah (or Kak Mas) from Kayu Ara, Damansara. So these plants are more than 20 years old!!

There are the whites, fuschias/maroonish ones. All are in pots. The one that keeps on flowering is the white. One plant is the verigiated species.

Have seen too, bougainvillas planted along the sides of the LEKAS highway.

Plants, plants and more plants...

Located at Sukhumvit Highway, between Pattaya and Sattahip is the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and Resort. A very large area to cover in a day indeed. It was the morning of Boxing Day 2010 but tourists had started pouring into the Garden. Since it was already time for the cultural and elephant shows to begin, the staff directed us to park our car nearest to the show area (after we paid the entrance fee that is!) What greeted us first was of course the elephants that were to perform shortly.

The Thai cultural show showcased dances from most of the Thai provinces (above picture depicts the Southern region dance which uses the bamboo), short sketches in which the elephants were brought in, and also muay thai (Thai boxing). The five of us sat in a theater-like area.

Lots of elephant antics here. Ball game, bowling, dancing, tricycle ride and painting. The paintings by the elephants were offered for sale. Bananas were also sold here for tourists to feed the elephants. On our way out, after the show, a tiger cub was spotted on one of the rocks held by its keeper/trainer. Some took the opportunity to take pictures with it.

And yes, after this, it was a long walk... However, the plants and flowers kept me going though I do admit it was tiring. So, garden lovers, this is one attraction you should not miss when in the area of Pattaya-Sattahip. Based on the leaflet, the garden covers 652 acres! Variety of plants here which include the bromeliads, palms, cycads and other tropical trees and flowers. The garden is segmented to a few areas such as the French garden and the bromeliads. Water spouts coming from big, colourful vases further enhanced the serene and beauty of the areas. Walkways were also built to make it easier for visitors to walk and enjoy the garden.

Vertical planting was used extensively in certain areas (as in the above pic - background).

The French Garden. For more pictures, click here.

There was also elephant rides but we already had one in Damnoen Saduak before. Replicas of flamingos adorned an area. Other animal replicas include colourful birds and frogs. Oh yes, there was also an area where fish were kept. Arapaimas were also in one of the large ponds and smaller fish in the aquariums.

After that long and tiring walk, we headed back to the car park. Next, we ventured to Sattahip town.

Hemigraphis alternata / Red Flame Ivy, spider plant

1. Tumbuhan menjalar, hemigraphis ni sesuai sebg tanaman tutup bumi. Tanam dlm pasu gantung pun cantik. Taken from K. Nosi/Mak Lang's place.

2. At the background, is a succulent (name? Mak Lang gak.) and another one, Spider Plant, chlorophytum comosum (Mak's house).

Euphorbia Milli (betulke spelling?)

Yellow Euphorbia milli. Have 2 plants and planted outside the perimeter fence.
1. Orange canna. Bought 3 plants but just 1 survive.

2 The cordyline fructicosa (red leaves) / jenjuang are at the back. Bought from previous home.
3. In the foreground is Excoecaria spp. with two different coloured leaves.

Majalah Laman Impiana - Hortikultur: Racun Organik.

Dua hari sudah, semasa membelek-belek majalah Laman di R&R Sg Buloh, terpandang segmen Resipi racun dan baja organik di cover page. Lebih teruja apabila 'resipi' yang dihantar, disiarkan pula di m/s 46 Edisi 23 (Nov/Dis 2009). Apa lagi terus dibeli majalah tersebut. Suami pulak tersenyum2...

Anak Misai Kucing -- For Sale!!

MISAI KUCING UNTUK DIJUAL

Anak misai kucing #7 (Orthosiphon stamineus - betulke nama saintifik ni) ini disediakan oleh lamanoflife sendiri. Tanah hitam dan baja digunakan.

Setiap polibeg berharga RM5.

Untuk pertanyaan, boleh hantar ke ruang comment.

Tanah Yang Sesuai....

Semenjak berkebun ni, ada juga tanah yang dibeli dari nursery yang digunakan untuk penanaman pokok. Ada tanah merah, dan ada juga yang hitam bercampur baja. Yang merah selalunya tiada brand. Boleh dapat dlm RM1.50 - 1.80 sekampit (tak pasti beratnya berapa). Tanah hitam + baja pula, ada yang dalam kampit kuning, ada yang putih dan ada juga yang tiada brand. Kalau tak silap ada yang 'berbrand' Jaya. Harga dalam RM2. Ada juga sampai RM4 dijual di sebuah hypermarket!!! Memang tak jadi beli... Apapun, nursery yang selalu dikunjungi ada 4 di Bandar Baru Bangi dan 1 di Pajam. Dari situ, bolehlah di congak-congakkan harga yang mana sesuai denagn isi poket!!! Agaknya di nursery mana boleh dapat yang murah lagi?

Racun Ulat Mesra Alam

Ada yang bertanya tentang racun ni... Dari pengalaman, ada ulat/serangga yang mati tapi ada juga yang survive!! Jadi terpulanglah jenis serangga macm mana... Resipi yang saya guna ialah:

1. Cili padi + bawang putih ditumbuk lumat.
2. Campurkan ke dalam larutan sabun basuh pinggan.
3. Tapis supaya biji cili dpat diasingkan.
4. Masukkan ke dalam botol penyembur dan tambahkan air mengikut kepekatan yang anda inginkan.

Selamat mencuba. Kalau yang lain ada resipi sendiri, bolehlah kongsi ye.

Majalah Laman Impiana - Oasis Pembaca

'Ma, ada hantar gambar ke Laman ke?' Begitulah ungkapan anak sambil membelek majalah Laman Impiana terbaru, keluaran Karangkraf.

'Ada,' balasku sambil meneruskan pemanduan ke arah Pajam. 'Dah keluar ke?' tanya ku lagi ingin tahu.

'Ha..ah...dahh... Eh, mama letak nama ayah sekali ye?' tanya Mar lagi.

Begitulah serba sedikit perbualan ibu-anak. Gambar laman dan sikit penerangan telah dihantar hujung Jan 09 ke pihak majalah. Tak sangka begitu cepat diterbitkan. Memang seronok bila artikel atau sebagainya di'print'kan. Lebih lagi bila teringatkan waktu jadi 'freelance writer' sedikit masa dahulu. (PS. Those who need writing services, do contact me!)

Yang berminat, silalah ke m/s 12, majalah Laman Impiana, Edisi Bumper, Mac-Apr 2009. Bukan apa, cuma berkongsi kegembiraan.... Mungkin satu hari, pembaca lain pun dapat berbuat demikian, insyaAllah.

The All Knowing!! Ya 'Alim, Ya 'Alim, Ya 'Alim!

The whole family spent some time watching the eclipse of the sun last Monday (26/01/2009). Starting from 5pm right up to 7pm, we were in the garden whilst having our tea and doing a little bit of gardening!! Old strips of exposed films were used to see it more clearly. I was hoping to see the 'ring' but there was none. Only about 70% of the sun was 'blocked' at one time.

SubhanaAllah. HE is the All Knowing. The Creator of the Universe and far beyond. And yet, we are the Khalifah of Allah on this planet that HE creates. A heavy responsibility indeed.

'Dialah Allah yang menciptakan segala apa yang ada di bumi untukmu kemudian Dia menuju ke langit, lalu Dia menyempurnakannya menjadi tujuh langit. Dan Dia Maha Mengetahui segala sesuatu.' (2:29 Al Baqarah:29)

Roselle

Have planted 3 roselle plants and alhamdulillah, have used the flowers to get the roselle drink. Without sugar, it's quite sour but full of Vit C, I'm sure. Apparently, the plants are quite hardy when compared to other plants that we've planted. The soil suits them. To get the drink, I've soaked the whole flowers in hot water (not boiling) until the water changed colour to red. Did it 2-3 times until the colour has been fully extracted. The flowers are not thrown but used in the curry that I cooked later on, well ...to replace the asam jawa. Everything is trial and error, though the info on extracting the roselle was taken from an Agri Dept website. Hubby suggested that, the flowers be blended but I haven't come across any lit on it. Furthermore the flowers that are harvested were in small number. Planned to plant more so needs to get some seeds. By the way, a daughter has taken along a bottle of roselle drink to school today!

In the morning....

Taking advantage of the not-so-sunny weather, I spent about 2 hours in the laman this morning. First, the keladi needs to find a home. I cleared the grass, dig a hole and put in some black compost soil and went in the tuber. Hopefully, it'll grow.

Next, the area around the blue vase (heliconia). I want to have some plant covering the base area. The same procedure repeated. But for the plant, I had to dig them from the planter box at the gate. So off I went to the front and digged out the purple 'kuku jin' (#8). Now, they have found a new home. By the way, only one vase is 'decorated' for I don't have enough of the 'kuku jin'!!

As for the mulch, after pausing and thinking for some time, I decided to use the (??? brown thatched-like material) from the coconut and palm trees!! Yes, I'm a frugal gardener....

And in today's edition of the New Straits Times (Life and Times - Living), there's an article on thrifty gardeners, plus a column by Desmond Ho of Terra Garden on Orchids. Anyone for the contest in Desmond's column?

New Seedlings

Some new seedlings have found their way to our home. Though not yet planted, we look forward to have these additions that we brought home from Pasir Mas. The seedlings include mango, sukun, a type of keladi, purple-coloured-flower misai kucing and pokok duit (the Chinese love this plant).

A few days before, I took some white rose cuttings, green ati-ati seedlings and hydragea cuttings from an ex-neighbour's house. These too, haven't been planted. Ohh...so many plants to be planted.

Btw, one of my misai kucing has gone to Pasir Mas....

Majalah Laman Impiana

Isu Nov-Dis 2008 sudah dibeli semasa mengambil anak di sekolah tadi.

Majalah Laman memang menjadi sebahagian daripada rujukan untuk inspirasi laman kami. Gambar2nya cantik dan mengasyikkan!! Banyak perkara yang dipelajari dari majalah ini. Nama pokok, cara menanam, pembiakan pokok (propagation), lanskap.

The Beginning of a New Life

A nice surprise awaited in the laman this morning. Two white eggs were found nicely tucked in one of the palm trees! My first instict was, these would better be the bird's eggs or else.... Took a picture of the eggs since it would be interesting for my youngest to see them. And this afternoon, it was confirmed! Saw the mama bird came visiting and hatching them. It looked like a tekukur though I'm not 100% sure. Will have my watchful eyes on the nest for the next couple of days. Thank you Allah for giving this beginning of a new life for me and family to see.

A for Ati-Ati (coleus)

So this is #4, ati-ati or coleus. It's red in colour though ati2 (also known locally as nilam, bangun-bangun) is known to be in many other colours which makes it a beautiful plant for the laman.
Been wanting to have it before and settled for this since the price offerred at the nursery in Nilai 3 was rather cheap, RM2 per polybag. So bought just one!
I found it rather easy to plant and had it propagated to a few more new plants. Will find time to propagate more. Just see the pic and you know what I mean.
Read about ati-ati that can be used as a cough deterrent.

Ati-ati is also said to have other medicinal values. However, due to the many varieties of ati-ati ie the different colours; different plants may have different medicinal values or are they the same?

B is for Bucida (Cat. #3)

I'm trying to catalogue the plant species in our laman. No formal knowledge though but will try to find out. Ok, so this will be the third (since the first was the ulam raja and second, pokok mengkudu).

Cat.3 -- Bucida (molinetti or buceras??? Anyone knows)


The pic on the left is the verigaeted species. When first planted it only had one layer but over 10 months, two more layers have grown. However, the same can't be said about the others (altogether there are 8 of this kind)! This Bucida is right at the front lawn, on your right hand side of the driveway (when driving in). How am i to make others grow into layers?



The pic on the right shows 4 Bucida plants. When planted they were already 3 layered (but haven't grown much since). Any ideas on how to make them grow faster?
Have seen this plant planted by the road side in Bandar Baru Bangi, near Billion and also at the Mahallah Ruqayyah at International Islamic Univ, Gombak.