Garden of A Thousand Flowers

I have posted on my garden visits in many parts of the world, but have not had the time to post on the gardens in my hometown. This one which I am posting about has an ambitious name, "Taman Seribu Bunga", meaning Garden of A Thousand Flowers.


The last time I visited it, there were lots of orchids in bloom. This time...none. I was a little disappointed, but the other areas made up for that. 


Let's go in and count the flowers! 

Colourful carpet of annuals at the entrance to the public garden

This grove of Golden Chain trees greets us from the car park area.

Lophantera lactescens

Manicured garden with hardscapes including gazebos are found throughout the grounds.

A close-up of the Mussaenda philippica also known as Buddha's Lamp, Bangkok Rose (the bushes in the previous photo, to the left)

This walkway is lined with clumps of  bamboo  on the left.

This path has a row of  heliconia  backed by tall palms on the left.

Heliconia augusta

Drunken Sailor, or  Quisqualis indica, all  in a row.

Giant-leaved yam plants.

Musa ornata, a tall banana tree with  lavender flowers. The yellow stamen-looking off-shoots must be the beginnings of young combs of bananas. The ants want the first taste, I see.

Sweet pink Peacock Flowers

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Philodendron bipinnatifidum

Another mussaenda variety

Mussaenda luteola, dwarf yellow variety called White Wing. You can see why.

"Misai Kucing", meaning Cat's Whiskers

Orthosiphon aristatus

 My favourite part of the garden

Topiaried bougainvillea with a carpet of annuals beneath them.

If your count hasn't reached one thousand, my job has not ended. I shall have to  make another visit to this garden for more tropical delights. The bromeliads, ferns and palms are waiting for their turn to be featured in the next segment of Taman Seribu Bunga.

In the garden...

(my first tanka for submission  to Poetic Form at The Purple Tree House)

temptation beckons

passion reaches for a taste

tainted fruit so sweet

faded petals on the ground

soiled for all eternity

written by rosie gan

( also for Poetry Picnic Week #1)

Linking to:

Watery Wednesday

Poetic Forms 

Poetry Picnic

Haiku My Heart

Outdoor Wednesday

Thursday Poets Rally

The Strangest Roots ...

Taken in Hanoi, Vietnam. These roots are like a community of strange-looking swamp inhabitants! What do they look like to you?

Linking to:

MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE

WATERY WEDNESDAY

WEEKEND REFLECTION

Great Ocean Road

ur day trip along the Great Ocean Road had started out fairly fine. I can see why people opt for a tour to see the coastline... it is nothing short of spectacular.


It is usually the photographer's dream to capture the seascape here at sunrise or sunset.We had started our journey from Melbourne  in the morning after sunrise of course, and missed that photo opportunity. However as the day progressed, it was evident that we were in for some dramatic action. It was certainly not your run-of-he-mill ocean scenery we were about to witness.

As dark clouds rolled over the Southern Ocean, we were afraid that a storm would erupt, and that would ruin our chances of seeing The Twelve Apostles. Looking down from the cliff-top, we could sense the turbulence that was beginning to build up. It was a magnificent, threatening ocean...in other words,beautiful! To a photographer, this was the photo opportunity that is better than any sunrise or sunset scene.



We could still make out the limestone rock formations of The Twelve Apostles. The muddy-yellow colour stacks have been created since 10-20 million years ago, and they stand about 45 metres high.




And look at the colour of the sea above. It looks like a black and white photograph! The wind was getting bolder, but the Sun behind the clouds refused to lose the battle with Neptune who had tried earlier to create mischief with some  wave-action. The sun cast an eerie shimmering light in silent victory over the wind and the storm failed to make an entrance. All we were left with were petulant clouds that insisted on covering the waters in shadowy darkness.

I wouldn't have missed this for any sunset for my Australian Great Ocean scenery!!!

Let us see what else is in store for us at Watery Wednesday. Click on the link at the bottom of the page.