A Walk In The Garden

During the months when I was poorly, my garden was neglected.  Most of my azaleas died. (Of the 16 pots I had, only 7 remained.) It was therefore encouraging to see this new bud emerging from one of the remaining pots. Life and Death surpasses each other in the unending drift of Fate.

Azalea

The Phalaenopsis below (white and purple) was bought last January. I was surprised to see it bloom this soon.

Phalaenopsis

Cattleya - almost always blooming

Phalaenopsis

Murraya Paniculata (below) (aka Kemuning in Malay) is commonly known as Orange Jessamine. The person who introduced me to this fragrant shrub was my mother-in-law who originated from a tulou in Guangdong. They had one of these fragrant shrubs growing in their central courtyard when she was a wee little kid. She told me how the fragrance from the plant's tiny blooms penetrated every nook and crevices of their extensive home.  For want of a better name, they called it Fragrance of a Thousand Li.

The seeds are a bright red and hugely favoured by the birds. I often found them perched on the shrub canopy pecking at the seeds. The birds leave their droppings behind and from these droppings new plants emerge. That is how they propagate naturally. It is rather difficult to propagate them from their cuttings or seeds.

Murraya Paniculata This (above) used to be part of the hedge on my fence. (Right) It was close to 6 feet tall at the time. We had it uprooted and forced into a rectangular pot. Some of the surface roots were damaged but it survived. Little mushrooms sprang from the dead surface root.

Orange Jessamine

Not sure if these are edible.