Aside from the obvious fact that Singapore is really warming up rapidly these few days, the sudden news of 1 H1N1 case early this week and 3 more new ones appearing this evening, (causing much worry to say the least), there have at least been some interesting and exciting developments in my own place.
A lot plants sprang up outside my doorstep where emptiness once stood, and thankfully, a few of them are flowering to the delight of my mum and myself.
Hoya mindorensis
This is the reason why I like this genus so much. Also commonly known as 'wax plant', the flowers of Hoyas' all bloom in umbels (ball of flowers), and this species is one of many which actually bloom in near-circular umbels. It just bloomed yesterday, and some flowers have yet to open, but my mum was so happy to lay eyes on this ball of flowers. Although mine is not as huge and well-rounded as those found on the web, I think it's really cool to see it bloom nonetheless!
What was once in the Asclepiadaceae family, is now re-assigned to Apocynaceae which is related to the common Frangipani. They are really nice and quaint plants to keep at home, and they are really fun to admire when they flower! Some of them have fragrances ranging from perfume-grade scents to the other extreme odour of mild puke. Accompanying the aroma of fragrances, sap is also produced (although not in copious amounts, but certain species do produce loads of sap) to attract pollinators to the plant such as flies and ants. However, be warned: although the flowers are really pretty to look at, the overall plant form of most of the plants in this genus is not the traditional upright form. Most of them are climbers, creeping here and there and may look messy of not taken care of properly. However, some are able to grow upright in a shrub-like manner and are able to lignify their stems to carry the weight of the whole plant.
Brassavola nodosa
This orchid flowered for me not too long ago and is still flowering till this very day. It was a gift from Loy, and I'm glad to have made him proud by keeping it alive and flower as well. When I first got it, I was waiting impatiently for it to flower, but of course it didn't, so I had to just diligently take care of it, and one day two spikes suddenly appeared. I was so happy to see them grow slowly, but sure enough, they finally bloomed, and it was really satisfying to see them bloom. I thought the petals were of a darker shade of green, but I guess they looked nicer in the orchid books.
They too emit a certain fragrance, but mine has not been emitting any since they flowered, but I don't want to persue the matter, because they just look too beautiful to blame for not emitting any scent.
To add to this, 1 more spike also appeared at the time of this photo, so now it's about half-way from blooming. Like Mark said:"flower power man!" Yes, I totally agree with that, and I'm really proud to be a flower boy (in a way). =)
This orchid flowered for me not too long ago and is still flowering till this very day. It was a gift from Loy, and I'm glad to have made him proud by keeping it alive and flower as well. When I first got it, I was waiting impatiently for it to flower, but of course it didn't, so I had to just diligently take care of it, and one day two spikes suddenly appeared. I was so happy to see them grow slowly, but sure enough, they finally bloomed, and it was really satisfying to see them bloom. I thought the petals were of a darker shade of green, but I guess they looked nicer in the orchid books.
They too emit a certain fragrance, but mine has not been emitting any since they flowered, but I don't want to persue the matter, because they just look too beautiful to blame for not emitting any scent.
To add to this, 1 more spike also appeared at the time of this photo, so now it's about half-way from blooming. Like Mark said:"flower power man!" Yes, I totally agree with that, and I'm really proud to be a flower boy (in a way). =)
~moey out~