SENTOSA - PART 3

I just removed my Impatiens balsamina to make way for a new plant but this is reserved for another post.

I have a serious case of backlog photos for posting and I wonder when I can catch up. Anyway, back to this post. Just look at the multi-colour flowers of the Balsam, aren't they all so sweet? Did I say before that I prefer double-petaled flowers? This is one reason why I prefer Impatiens balsamina over Impatiens walleriana at times.

HYDROCERA TRIFLORA

I grew some of these Hydrocera triflora beside the glass houses but they are such short-lived plants.

From the Balsaminaceae Family, they are related to the common Balsam plants that I posted recently, except they are not as showy and are weeds in agricultural fields in China. Locally, they have become somewhat naturalised.

IMPATIENS BALSAMINA

These were the seeds of the pink-flower and -stemmed Impatiens balsamina (common name: Garden Balsam, Rose Balsam) that I collected from the nursery.

What prompted me to suddenly do that was the memory of this plant that I used to know. I learnt about it from my mum who loved to plant them from seeds in the past and I learnt about their explosive seed pods from my science lessons in school etc. So yes, I was more than familiar with this beautiful annual with rose-like flowers that come in a range of colours and cultivars.

From the Balsaminaceae Family, this plant is related to the more popular and commercially sold Impatiens walleriana cultivars. So anyway, I collected the seed pods and watched some of them popped and split open, to release the black seeds, when I pressed them too hard. Yes, I must remember to give some of these seeds to my mum again for her to grow them.

HYDROCERA TRIFLORA

This is a plant that we bought from Hua Hng. It is related to the balsam plant and originates from China as a common weed in their padi fields.

It simply loves growing in waterlogged sites and the hollow stems require a lot of water for it to be turgid and erect. Without sufficient water, it would flop over.

The lanceolate leaves are serrated with a red edge whilst the clusters of three beautiful pink flowers are absolutely free flowering when the plant is planted under full sun conditions.