Monthly Archives: January 2009

Lunar New Plant – Radishes!

Posted on January 13, 2009 | Leave a comment

 The Lunar New Year is just about two weeks away and plants that are associated with this important Chinese festival are gradually being stocked up in the nurseries, and are waiting for shoppers to take them home!

This year, cute potted radishes plants seemed to have come to Singapore in a rather big way as they are being sold in almost every other nursery! I recalled seeing some of these red radishes being put on sale in just a few nurseries last year.

Radishes have a special meaning to the Chinese. In Mandarin, radishes are called “cai tou” (菜头) which sounds somewhat similar to the pronounciation of word ”good luck” (彩头).

There seemed to be two types of red radishes on the market. The first type had skin that was naturally red in colour while the second type appeared to have either been coated with a thin layer of varnish or red paint. The latter’s outward appearance looked overly artificial as they were all shiny and uniformly red! Perhaps this was a method resorted to make these root vegetables look better.

These radishes supposedly were grown in the grown like a typical vegetable crop and when they reached the suitable size, they were then carefully uprooted, washed, planted individually in fanciful pots and decorated with colourful ribbons to turn them into festive plants. In the nurseries, they have been labelled as “Taiwanese radishes” which indicates the probable locality where they have been produced.

Each of these potted radishes are priced quite affordably and their prices vary accordingly with the extent they have been decorated at the point of sale. During such bad economic times, these red radish plants do make very good and affordable festive plants to buy for decorating a small corner in one’s home or serve as a gift to be given away.

If the roots were not damaged during the transplantation process, the plant may continue to grow by putting forth new leaves. It will eventually flower too. One has to ensure the plant receives direct sunshine for at least 4 to 6 hours daily if it is being grown in a high-rise apartment.

Do only use them as decorative plants. I don’t recommend eating them after the Lunar New Year, especially those painted ones!

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Flowers & Fruits of the Curry Tree

Posted on January 11, 2009 | 4 Comments

Most Singaporeans should be familiar with the curry tree. Its aromatic leaves are indispensable for various curries. It also has medicinal uses. Botanically, this plant is called Murraya koenigii where the species name commemorates the botanist Johann Koenig. This plant is a member of the Rutaceae family and do you know that oranges (Citrus spp.) and the rue plant (Ruta graveolens) are members of this plant family?

The curry tree is commonly sold as young plants of about 20 cm tall. They can be propagated from stem-cuttings and seeds. As its common name suggests, these small young plants can grow into a small tree when they are grown in the ground. Medicinal and spice gardens can grow a row of the curry tree as a hedge!

The white flowers of the curry tree.

The curry tree can be constrained to a manageable size by growing them inside a large container and subjecting them to regular pruning. It is not unusual to see high-rise apartment dwellers growing this plant along their corridors and balconies that enjoy a couple of hours of direct sunshine.

A plant that is native to India, the curry tree does produce flowers in Singapore. The small but attractive, white flowers are produced in a bunch at the end of branch. Besides being attractive, the flowers are also scented. If one regularly prunes down his/her plant, it would be difficult to observe and appreciate the flowering of this plant.

Fruits of the curry tree.

What follows the dainty white flowers is the appearance of small, oval, shiny berries. The fruits are green when they first form which subsequently become red and finally turning black in colour when they are fully ripe. They are said to be edible and rich in ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). They tasted sweet when fully ripe fruits are consumed but are accompanied by a characteristic odour.

However, the eating quality is compromised by the small amount of pulp that surrounded a fairly large, single seed inside each berry. Be careful not to chew into or swallow the seeds as they are reported to be toxic.

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Painfully slow Heliconia spissa

Posted on January 10, 2009 | Leave a comment

I first chanced upon Heliconia spissa in one of my favourite Australian gardening magazines entitled ”Subtropical Gardening and Landscaping in Warmer Climates”. This Heliconia species was featured in the article “Heliconias for a Cooler Areas” in issue 6.

Having remembered the content I read in the article, I was quite hesitant to buy the plant when I got to see it being sold in a local nursery in Singapore because I have doubts as to whether it will flower under our local very hot lowland climate.

This Heliconia species is native to Southern Mexico and from the appearance of its flowers that were present on the plant at that time, it is most likely to be the cultivar called ‘Mexico Red’ as it has red to pink bracts in the upper portion of the inflorescence. Those located near the base are greenish distally. The rachis is red and sepals are yellow. What a nice contrast, isn’t it?

As a plant, H. spissa adopts a musoid growth habit that is seen in most of the other heliconias we usually grow here. However, it is not exactly a nice-looking plant due to its lacerated leaves that are similar in apperance to those produced by Heliconia chartacea ‘Sexy Pink’.

After I purchased one clump from the nursery, I planted it in a cooler, semi-shaded location in my community garden. I appreciated the existing inflorescences while they lasted. To my surprise, very soon afterwards, one of the mature leafy shoots started to show signs that it was going to flower as exhibited by the appearance of newer, smaller and narrower leaves that was followed by a hint of colour characteristic of the floral bract.

That first sign of the plant flowering was observed in late August 2008 and it took about another month for the inflorescence to appear clearly. The floral bracts unfurled in a painfully slow pace which was quite unlike most other heliconias I have grown. In January this year, the inflorescence had fully furled, with the slightly hirsuite bracts arranged in a spiral manner. It took the entire inflorescence a lengthy period of about 5 months to reveal its full glory.

This is by far the only inflorescence my Heliconia spissa has produced. But this does not mean it will flower in Singapore because that inflorescence was produced by an existing leafy shoot that came with the plant. No doubt Heliconia spissa can grow in Singapore, I hope it won’t just be putting forth vegetative growth. I am waiting with anticipation to see whether the new growth that were produced in Singapore will ever produce an inflorescence.

 

30 Aug 08 

20 Sep 08 

27 Oct 08

 

23 Nov 08

4 Jan 09

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

Home Concepts Magazine (Jan 09)

Posted on January 8, 2009 | 1 Comment

The January ’09 issue of the Home Concepts magazine is out on the shelves of bookstores and newstands! This month, the theme of the magazine is “Five ways to improve your life.” In this month’s Garden Treats column, I contributed an article written about Dendrobium orchids. 

Most of us are familiar with the dendrobium orchid. They are very common cut-flower orchids that we see being put on sale in florist shops islandwide. I won’t be too surprised if Singaporeans mistake them for our National flower which is an orchid. Dendrobiums are more commonly seen than our own National flower, Vanda ‘Miss Joaqium’ (now reclassified under a new genus called Papilionanthe). 

Cut-flower dendrobiums are perhaps the most rewarding for the novice to grow. They are very affordable and flowers quite frenquently if given the right growing conditions. Most require some direct to filtered sunshine for several hours a day and hence they make rather good houseplants.

So how are dendrobiums associated with the current issue’s theme of “Five ways to improve your life”? Firstly, they are attractive flowering plants and secondly, they have air-purifying properties. Dendrobiums were reported to be one of the plants by NASA that are able to cleanse the air of certain volatile pollutants such as toluene and formaldehyde which are emitted by, for example, newly bought furniture, into the indoor atmosphere.

In order for a Dendrobium orchid to grow healthily, bloom and perform its much desired air-cleansing ability, one has to bear in mind to give it the optimal growing conditions it requires. Note that more than one plant is required if the living area is large. If the typical dendrobium is too big for your garden space, there are a multitude of miniature hybrids to choose from.

With Chinese New Year around the corner, we will see more of these colourful orchids on sale as festive plants where people buy them back to decorate their homes. Note that Dendrobium flowers are quite durable if they are left on the plant, compared to those that have been cut and displayed in a vase. Keep flowers away from fruits and remove fading ones as these emit ethene gas which is known to shorten the lifespan of flowers.

Many thanks to Far East Flora for agreeing to allow us to photograph their plants!

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Posted in Contributed Articles, Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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Pink Snakeweed @ HortPark

Posted on January 6, 2009 | Leave a comment

Butterfly enthusiasts would be most familiar with the blue snakeweed plant (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), which is also commonly known as the blue porterweed.  As its common name suggests, this shrubby plant produces small but attractive blue flowers that are borne on long, stringy spikes at the ends of the stems. The nectar-rich flowers serve as a rich food source for many tropical butterfly species and bees too. It is a ‘must-have’ in any butterfly or eco-garden!

The pink-flowered snakeweed plant at HortPark.

I was at HortPark recently and I saw they had a pink-flowered variety growing in the Floral Walk. This pink-flowered snakeweed is another Stachytarpheta species and is botanically called S. mutabilis. From the Internet, it’s exact botanical name should be S. mutabilis var. mutabilis. Apparently, there is a violet-flowered variety called S. mutabilis var. violacea, which I have not seen in Singapore.  Besides flower colour, the pink-flowered snakeweed is larger than the common blue-flowered one in terms of stature and the size of leaves and flowers.

A closer look at the flowers of the pink snakeweed.

Snakeweeds are members of the Verbena family (Verbenaceae). I find their leaves quite attractive. The leaf margins are serrated and the teeth are all forward-pointing towards the tip of each leaf tip. The leaves are smooth on top but has short hairs below. Each inflorescence look like a thin rat’s tail and each day, one to several small flowers bloom as they emerge between the scales on the inflorescence. Flowers first open from the base of each inflorescence and proceed upwards.

The large leaves of the pink snakeweed.

Snakeweeds look best when they are planted close together in a sunny location. As they age, plants tend to lose their lower leaves and look straggly and that is when they need a drastic prune to encourage side-shoots to grow so as to regain a more compact look again.

Plants are most easily propagated via stem-cuttings and tip cuttings root quite easily. The stem-cuttings of the pink snakeweed may be a little harder to root compared with the blue snakeweed. Although they make attractive ornamental plants, be forewarned that snakeweeds can become weeds in unwanted areas of the garden as they self-seed readily. Seeds can be found inside dried flower stalks that remain on the plant and to prevent indiscriminate dispersal of seeds, cut off spent inflorescences regularly.

I managed to find two interesting articles that were published on the website of Florida Native Plant Society and they can be accessed via the following URL:

http://pinellas.fnpschapters.org/porterweeds.html

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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GCS Feature Articles for Dec 08

Posted on January 4, 2009 | Leave a comment

I have finally finished the final instalment of feature articles for Year 2008 for the Green Culture Singapore (GCS) website. As usual, there are two feature articles for members and any one who comes across them via Internet search.

The first feature article was a book review written by Lim Xuan Hong, one of my members from the GCS discussion forum. He is a high-rise orchid grower and I thought he would be able to give some of his thoughts and comments after reading the book entitled ‘Dendrobium and its relatives’, written by Bill Lavarack and Wayne Harris.

Book Review on ‘Dendrobium and its Relatives’

‘Dendrobium and its relatives’ is a must read for all orchid lovers, especially those who cultivate and collect Dendrobium species. It is written in an informative yet easy to understand tone, making it a delightful read for both amateurs and professionals alike. Printed on glossy paper, readers will be captivated by the alluring photos of these unique Dendrobium flowers. Read this review feature article written by Lim Xuan Hong which contains his thoughts and views after reading this publication.

URL – http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/dec08/dec08_dendrobiumbook.pdf

The next feature article was inspired by my recent encounter with the blue ginger plant at HortPark. Although not a common garden plant in Singapore currently, it is one that one should consider growing for its unique blue flowers which is rare in the flowers borne by most other tropical plants. I also took the opportunity to share with readers why this plant often gets confused with gingers which are unrelated to it.

I am not a Ginger!

Dichorisandra thyrsiflora is known by its common name as the ‘blue ginger plant’. It is a popular landscaping ornamental plant for the tropical outdoor garden and famed for its attractive blue flowers. It is commonly mistaken to be a ginger and in fact, the plant is more related to plants belonging to the Commelinaceae family. Read this feature article written by Wilson Wong and learn more about this beautiful plant and how to distinguish it from the ginger plant.

URL – http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/dec08/dec08_blueginger.pdf

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Posted in Flowering plants, GCS Feature Articles

Root Awakening (3 Jan 09)

Posted on January 3, 2009 | 1 Comment

The first Root Awakening column for Year 2009 was published today and answers to three gardening questions were featured.

For the first question pertaining to the money plant, a variety of pests can attack the plant and cause leaves to fall off. A common one is perhaps the scale insect and the least toxic way to eradicate them is to spray a thin layer of oil in the form of white oil or summer oil which suffocates them. This method however cannot be used on plants that are sensitive to oils.

The second question was about problems encountered with the growing of the dill. I reckon the reader was asking about the Artemisia, which is a medicinal herb that has been confused by most Singaporeans to be the true dill. Overly wet conditions can cause the lower leaves to turn yellow and brown. Old stems also exhibit such signs which is not a sign for concern. White insects could be due mealy bugs and the same strategy against scales can be used against them. Snails inside pots can be difficult to control but a way to prevent them from climbing up the plant and devouring the leaves is to use some copper foil to go round the plant.

Finally, the question of wanting to get a tall jasmine tree – we cannot do much to accelerate the growth of a woody shrub, even with the addition of fertiliser. If one wants a tall jasmine tree, the fastest and probably the most economical way is to purchase one of the desired height from the nursery!

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Posted in Root Awakening in ST Life!

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Ripe Musa laterita Fruits!

Posted on January 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Just recently, I spotted a bronze banana (Musa laterita) bearing fruit which were turning yellow. As we all know, when bananas turn from green to yellow, it is a sign that they are ripening. On the inflorescence which was still in bloom, there was only one complete hand of fruits that was located much lower down on the stalk where the female flowers normally occur.

The only hand of banana fruits on a still flowering inflorescence. 

Unlike the self-peeling banana or velvet banana (Musa velutina), the fruits of the bronze banana behave and look quite ‘normal’. Fruits of this ornamental are smooth and when they are ripe, they do not peel their skins on their own to reveal the flesh beneath. The fruits of the bronze banana are short and stout and if left unpicked, they eventually turn brown as they dry up on the plant.

The ripened fruits of the bronze banana.

I picked one of the ripe fruits, peeled the skin like a typical dessert banana and sampled the flesh beneath. It was sweet and I thought it was quite pleasant and the taste could be likened to that of a  dessert banana. The only complain I have if I were to consume the entire fruit was that there were too many seeds inside the fruit. It would indeed become a chore and now I appreciate the existence of seedless fruits borne by cultivars of the dessert banana!

The numerous black seeds found inside a fruit of a bronze banana.

Each seed of the bronze banana is roundish that is flattened on one or some sides. They are dark and very hard and I wonder would my teeth break if I were to accidentally bite into one! I was trying to remove some seeds from a fresh fruit and found the process rather tedious as it was difficult to totally remove the flesh from each seed.

Seeds that were removed from a dried banana fruit.

I then thought of and tried an alternative method where I allowed some ripe fruits to dry totally on their own under direct sun. After about a week, I prised open the hard and brittel sun-dried fruit to reveal the seeds. Thankfully, it was relatively easy to take each seed out but some work still had to be done to scrape off traces of the dried remnants of flesh that was stuck rather tenaciously to the seeds.

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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