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A garden enthusiast who loves to travel and capture the beauty of places and freeze the memories of her travels in photographs, as well as document her experiences in verse...thankful for the simple pleasures in life.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Precious, Molly-Coddled, Purple Orchids of mine


These purple orchid plants have been sitting in their pot on my porch with limited exposure to full sunlight. Maybe I was being over-protective...didn't want my precious purple princesses to get 'sun-burnt', so I kept them in that location, not expecting them to flower much. After some months  of dormancy, I was so happy to find one brave stalk emerging, seeking light. I guess a bit of molly-coddling doesn't hurt. Now I am patiently waiting for the other plants to get activated and bloom! 


Can you hear what the blooms are singing?
Stretching our limb towards the light.


When's Rosie coming out to give us our foliar feed???


That swan's been watching us  us all day long!




Hey, we get lonely out here on the patio.


We can't wait for this pot to be filled with more stalks of purple orchids! 

Linking to:
Today's Flowers

Friday, June 3, 2011

Landscaped Gardens of Hong Kong Disneyland




I have just got back from a visit to Hong Kong and am pleased to feature the Hong Kong Disneyland landscaping style for your viewing pleasure.


Intricately manicured hedges 




I wasn't aware of how much planning had gone into creating the park, but I was struck by the variety of flowering plants and shrubs. The whole park is a vast botanical garden! I found out later that the horticulture teams of Walt Disney Imagineering had spent three years researching and locating suitable trees and shrubs to create the desired look. There were lovely flowerbeds many of which are filled with plants from southern China, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand.

 Main Street, U.S.A.

The landscaping here around the Plaza and Town Square is said to be typical of municipal parks in small towns in America at the turn of the century.




 A pretty sight


Such a pleasant colour scheme.


Well-kept beds of begonias and coleus

Adventureland


In the rainforest jungles of Adventureland where Tarzan lives, there are tropical shrubs and giant trees beside a man-made river.




A touch of Angkor Wat?


 Yellow flowers from the buttercup tree


You can spot elephants and chimpanzees by the river


Large-leaved flowering shrubs

Topiary Gardens of Fantasy Land


Leafy shrubs are shaped into animals that look like cute unicorns, dancing bears and dinosaurs.


An eye-catching design




Is that a topiary resembling Mickey in the background?

For Glenda, Maia and Laura, here's a macro that I would like to flaunt!



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Monday, May 30, 2011

When a Rose is not a Rose

This post is about my Confederate Rose, which is not a rose, but a hibiscus. It belongs to the Malvaceae family and is known as Hibiscus mutabilis. My Confederate Rose bush happens to be a double flowered cultivar which produces really large flowers that are about four inches across.


What makes this flower so special is its magical ability to dazzle! If you have seen quick-change acts on stage where the performer changes her clothes in the wink of an eye, then this is the flower version. In the early morning, this flower is white in colour. It slowly changes into a blushing pink by noon, and in the evening, it is red! This magic act in my garden never fails to amaze my friends. You can't help but fall in love with this beauty


It is also known as Cotton Rosemallow, Cotton Rose and nicknamed the Changeable Beauty.







Why is it named the Confederate Rose? Well, in the USA, it is generally grown in the section that was once known as the Confederate States of America. It is a popular garden plant in the United States, but it is native to Southern China.









According to Wikipedia, in Ancient China, the flowers are believed to resemble beautiful ladies. Some historical paintings depicting beautiful young women are titled "Cotton rosemallow out of the Water", which has the proverbial meaning of a young lady whose beauty is appreciated.