A new baby frond gingerly putting out
its feelers to make friends with the sunshine
Air plant
My maid randomly wrapped these on the trunk.
She says it's a medicinal plant in Indonesia
My fragrant lilies
Right: This trusty shrub has graced many
floral arrangements as fillers.
Left : I was introduced to this plant by a merchant
in Little India. He says the Indian community plant
these to keep away snakes. Sounds good.
My Lovely Hibiscus.
Bunga Raya. Rosa Sinensis.
Chosen and brought by my dear mother for
my garden and planted by my Dad,
to greet me through the window while
I am still in bed, in the mornings.
This one is another story.
At a stage in my life when I was into plants and gardens, I found that the white plumeria is sweet smelling. I got this one from Ms Pillay, the playwright, actor, who was then facilitating Anak Anak Kota - perhaps the first person to induct and inspire my son to local FOOD and culture - She taught
me how to treat and prepare it for planting. So here it is, this mother, now choosing to plant the plumeria by her daughter's bedroom window so that she too, wakes up to the loveliest white flowers
in bloom, and her room waft with its sweet scent.
What beautiful Ti leaves in arabesque!
The heliconia garden cleared for fresh shoots and renewal. They are stark and simple against the newly white washed walls. Look at that Sexy Pink dropping in a curtsey. This is one of my favourite flowers, and never fails to delight me whenever it puts its flowers out. I could sit for hours in the morning, just looking at this pink beauty in the changing morning sun. As the sun moves up the sky, it just lights and shadows the flowers and foliage in beautiful changing vignette.
My amaranth-ruby bouquet.
I first met and fell in love under this tree.
I was standing on a sidewalk under its ambrosial parasol. I fell in love. I looked up to find the source of this bewitching bouquet. I asked TeddyBear to close his eyes and tell me what this fragrance reminds him of. Honolulu. Exactly.
So TeddyBear asked permission to have a gardener cut off a branch, hired a lorry to transport it home. After all these years, its perfume still bewitches me.
My red heliconias idling in the shade
My wanna-be Balinese garden.
These pots were acquired at a time when I was into Balinese gardens, water plants, burbling water fountains, and a rainbow of luminescent peacock fishes. My collection of balinese and Thai pots holding graceful thalias, lotus, blue water lilies (not in picture), and other waterplants.
Dragon pots from my mother. Precious.
Staghorns
The quiet road up the hill
See the beauty hidden behind,
past the stag horns . . .
I thank God for this home, and the
garden of delights!
Sunlight on the ground
