Rocket and friends

When my friends came from UK two weeks ago, they brought me some seeds of the wild and cultivated arugula (rocket). I love this peppery salad green but found it impossible to get the seeds in Singapore.

The moment I got the seeds, I quickly scattered them in my garden. They are not called rocket for nothing. These are fast growers and they germinated within 2 days. Now I have 2 large pots of rocket in my garden.

The weather must have been good for the plants for they are all flowering all of a sudden. The miniature rose plant is filled with gorgeous yellow blooms.

There are pink periwinkle flowers everywhere.

Even the adenium is flowering for the very first time.

And the best thing is, this funny looking succulent given by a friend has produced a cute little bud.

Big yam, small yam

Six months ago, I blogged about the yam which I grew in my compost bin. At that time, young leaves were just starting to appear from the stump I buried in the soil.

Photo taken on 6 September 2010.

Look at the difference now. The episcia is jostling for space with the yam. And the 'mother' yam has produced two smaller offsprings.

Photo taken today.

The mother yam has a big tuber. I'll harvest this big one and let the offsprings produce more tubers for me.

The other smaller variety that I've grown in a smaller pot looks ready for eating too.

Small variety.

Narcissus

The narcissus bulb that I bought in Hong Kong a month back has grown quite a bit, though not in time to produce flowers for the Chinese New Year.

Happy new year!

We're celebrating Chinese New Year and I've decorated the house with flowers.

Wishing all my Chinese friends a Happy New Year!

Succulents

My heart jumped for joy when I saw this group of succulents (large ones) at a temple in Penang.

I love growing succulents as they make excellent display plants in dish gardens but they just don't do well in our humid tropical climate.

About a year ago, I started a dish garden with 8 different species of succulents. Today, only four remain and are doing well.

So much rain

We have been getting lots of rain lately, my plants are well hydrated, so much so that the episcias are doing so well.

I was quite surprised to see the succulents thriving as well.

Last Christmas I bought a high pressure water jet for more efficient cleaning of the patio space. After a major clean-up, my garden looks quite bare and neat now. I ended up with lots of empty flower pots and garden soil. While I was tempted to grow more episcias, I decided to take advantage of the cool season to grow some lettuce and coriander. I hope to show photos when the seeds germinate.

Flower Market Street

During my short stay in Hong Kong, I visited Flower Market Road to find the mood very festive and cheery.

I was drawn to the outdoor kiosks selling knick knacks for the home and garden.

Most of the flower stalls were selling narcissus (shui xian hua, 水仙花) an auspicious plant for the Chinese New Year. I bought a bulb back to Singapore, hoping that it will grow well in our tropical climate.

Another popular flowering plant is the Azalea.

I was particularly impressed with the way they've trained the branches of these azaleas (below) into a long and horizontal shape.

The Chinese New Year is a month away. Can you imagine how packed the streets would be in the days leading to the new year?