Rockets at 10 weeks

I haven't been eating my rocket salad (arugula) lately, so I've allowed them to keep growing and growing. They are 10 weeks old now, yet the leaves are still tender and tasty. I had never imagined that I could grow rocket successfully here in this humidity.

If you can get your hands on some seeds, I recommend that you sow some in your backyard. A small bag costs more than S$5 here in our supermarkets. Imagine how much money you can save if you grow them at home. Besides, freshly harvested leaves taste so good, it's worth a shot!

Italian variety.

Wild rocket.

Gardenia gone leafy

Flowering season is over for my gardenia. Instead of gorgeous white blooms, the plant is filled with large new leaves. I suspect the plant will soon become straggly and stop producing so many flowers. That is the trouble with plants that have been imported from cooler climate. They just have to adapt to the warmth and humidity here.

Magenta roses

I spotted Rusty hiding behind my pot of roses. He must like the pretty flowers in an unusually bright shade of magenta.

Here he is, lying beside the plant.

I spotted it at the nursery last week. Being the only one in this striking colour, it stood out like a sore thumb in the rose section. I had to bring it home to brighten up my patio. My yellow roses suddenly pale in comparison.

The portulaca (Japanese Rose) is flowering like crazy. It's a coincidence the flowers are in a shade of shocking magenta.

Periwinkle invasion

Anyone who has grown periwinkles before will know how self perpetuating they can be. The pretty flowers turn into pods. When the pods explode, they send tiny black seeds flying everywhere. Suddenly you have little periwinkle plants growing everywhere.

I started with seeds picked from our estate's garden. Now I have periwinkle plants in every nook and cranny of my patio.

These hardy growers thrive in hot and humid climate. They will not hesitate to stretch out to receive sunlight. My boardwalk is almost fully blocked by a vigorous grower (below). I'm reluctant to trim it down.

It's a happy problem to have.

Wild flowers in Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin boasts of a rich diversity of flora and fauna. While hiking on the island yesterday, I spotted some flowers growing in the wild.

Blue pea flower.

Flower of the winged bean legume.

Wild ginger flower.

A common wild flower called Melastoma malabathricum, sometimes refered to the Singapore rhododendron.

I wonder if this yellow flower is related to the one above.

Strangely this red flower is also found on the same plant that produces the yellow flower (above). I suspect it transforms into yellow flower at a later stage.