Friday, August 30, 2013

Typhonium-divaricatum my black flower in Singapore.

Typhonium flagelliforme is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae.[2]


 This photo, I cropped it to show just the flower. The spathe is the

 big petal-like part that people consider the "flower". It looks 

like a tongue.  The spadix is the thin spike part sticking out of it. 



http://www.blackjungleterrariumsupply.com/Typhonium-divaricatum_p_1899.html
About 20 years ago, I found the original plant in the jungles near to NTU. The Singapore government left the jungle for the soldiers to practise their warfare. Only a crazy person like me would ignore signs with 2 rifles on them.


I nurtured it, one day, many many years later, I saw the black flower. Not black black but burgundy black. The colour of dark liver. I was very excited. Many people come to my plants and they wowed at my "black tulip." I had a gardening column on NTU staff's Nanyang connect website, so the plant is seen all round the world as the professors are international.


So I grew many pots to present it friends. Strange as it may seem, my friends could not make their plants flower. It was as if some one says some people put a voodoo so that only they could have the special plant.



The bloom lasts only 1 day and is best only in the early morning. It doesn't bloom much. May be once every 2 years. If you don't catch it blooming in the morning, you have to wait for another year or 2. This applies only if you have a green thumb like me. 

This reminds me of the search for the black tulip. Only this slipper like flower is so rare. You see, I snuck into the jungle and stole the mother plant and brought the jungle back with me. I had been quite successful in propagating the plant in pots. 




skywatch Friday: Lopsided tree.


Photo: This tree never fails to fascinate me.


http://skyley.blogspot.com/



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Have An Anniversary?



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Have An Anniversary? 5 Great Photography Gift Ideas 

An anniversary is a beautiful time of the year for both male and female aspects of relationships worldwide—but the proper way to celebrate them can be tricky. It becomes something too much, or too little, and it’s all value around the same thing: genuine happiness.  Why not take a different approach? Find somewhere that has proper photography studio equipment and personalize a gift idea. Make something a memory and something worth looking back on from every passing year.

Yes Com USA is a great provider of photography gift ideas; if it doesn’t have exactly what you need, it’s a great place to start. Consider making this anniversary a little different and taking the approach toward gift giving as an act of sentiment rather than a material advantage, it can really give a new look on something that is truly already beautiful. 
Anniversary ideas in the art of a photograph

1. Portfolio- Having a portfolio shot done professional of you and your significant other is something you can look back on and forever appreciate. It’s celebrating your heart and what completes it.
2. Memory book- Having a compilation of photos of significant memories of you and your special partner is something that put together professional, you can look back on, and always appreciate.
3. Calendars- A calendar of special events allows you to keep track of important times of your current life, while having the chance to look back and appreciate the times you’ve already lived.
4. ‘Special’ Moments portfolio- Hand select some very important times in the relationship and have a book of pictures put together based around them. It’s special and something you can always look at and appreciate.
5. A poem- Have a poem put together with proper photographs of you and your sweetheart and let the celebration of sentiment begin.

These are a few select ideas that deliver a special value and can be appreciated far beyond what can be thought of based on a rink, necklace, or other materialistic avenue that most gifts fall victim to.  Gift a gift a push in a different direction and a new value on the idea of a special occasion.  

This is a sponsored post.



Saturday, August 24, 2013

Hylocereus undatus (Red Pitaya) is a species of Cactaceae



Commonly known as the dragon fruit

The nightblooming cereus is also known as the lunar flower, 'The queen of the night' or moon flower. This plant is native to the Sonoran Desert in North America. The plant grows as a thin, almost dead looking stick from a single stem in the ground. They bloom just on one or two nights of the year, typically around May 30. Beneath the ground is a large tuber, often the size of a watermelon, that was eaten by Indians and early settlers because of its nutritious content. Pack rats often eat these blossoms before morning, so catching a glimpse of them can be fleeting. They often stay open until the early morning hours, but then close up for another year.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2010/01/macro-monday-mid-night-glory.html

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Stevia The sugar substitute






A new product Natvia, is advertised on TV. I googled and found products with names ending ___via  are all the sugar substitute. 
The main ingredient is my Stevia plant. The leaves are very sweet, but it has a distinctive taste. My sister, a Professor in plants attended a conference and the main issue was how to remove the bitterness.
Stevia is a sweet leafed plant, part of the Chrysanthemum family. The leaves of the Stevia plant have an incredible sweetness that is 300 times sweeter than sugar.

For a while, the plant was growing nicely. Then in summer, we had a heat spell and my poor plant got sun burn.  I tired to revive it by taking it indoors. I was too late. Now it is too cold, and I have lose interest. It's dead. There goes my experiment. May be it grows better in a tropical weather. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

wordless wednesday.




  1. There aren’t many rules for this blog – mostly the usual ones: Every Wednesday, post a photo that speaks for itself (and you are the one to make that judgment!).
  2. Post only photos that you have authority to use.
  3. Include a link to this blog in your post - http://wordlesswednesdayagain.blogspot.com.
  4. Leave the link to your Wordless Wednesday post below on Mr. Linky.
  5. Visit other blogs that are posted, being sure to leave a comment.
  6. Enjoy!


Friday, August 9, 2013

Skywatch Friday and wordless Wednesday.




  1. There aren’t many rules for this blog – mostly the usual ones: Every Wednesday, post a photo that speaks for itself (and you are the one to make that judgment!).
  2. Post only photos that you have authority to use.
  3. Include a link to this blog in your post - http://wordlesswednesdayagain.blogspot.com.
  4. Leave the link to your Wordless Wednesday post below on Mr. Linky.
  5. Visit other blogs that are posted, being sure to leave a comment.
  6. Enjoy!