WEED

This is not the first time I saw this weed. Previously, I saw it covering a big patch of turf in the rain gardens of Bay East. Although the white Gomphrena-like flowers are small, they are so lovely that I think they have a potential to be an ornamental groundcover.

NURSERY

I was collecting plants and suddenly saw caterpillars of the Autumn Leaf butterfly on the variegated Asystasia groundcover. I have often seen this butterflies' caterpillars on Pseuderanthemum and Graptophyllum shrubs but this is the first time I am seeing it on this particular cultivar. So it seems it has adapted to feed on this plant species too.

Nearby, the Phyllagathis rotundifolia beckoned me with its beautiful foliage. I simply love the textural veins, leaf shape and purplish leaf bases of this groundcover.


Then, I saw the Pleated Ink Cap Fungus (scientific name: Coprinus plicatilis) on a batch of soil. The semi-transparent umbrella-liked caps look so adorable when viewed close-up. When they occur in clusters, they look even more lovely.

SEA OF PLANTS

This is a sea of plants, beautiful plants to be exact. 


Frankly, I love Bougainvilleas and can understand why they are so popular, especially with their versatility and multiple uses in the landscape e.g. border plants, bonsai plants, climbers. However, their popularity waned here as more and more new plant species and cultivars are introduced over the years to replace these overused beauties. 


I personally feel very motivated to use them in my landscaping whenever I see this sea of colourful flowers. In fact, I planted some of them in HortPark previously and am now introducing them to the newest garden that I am managing. How can anyone not be in love with them?


As for the Cyanotis cristata, it is a wonderful plant to be used in rooftop gardens because of its ease of maintenance and interesting physiology. Under strong intense light or dry conditions, the leaves tend to be more purple. But when there is a lot of rainfall or there is high soil moisture, the leaves turn more green. A sea of its small purplish flowers with bluish stamens and yellow anther caps look so adorable when viewed close-up. I am now trying to use it as a bed of groundcover and I know it works because it was successfully implemented to replace the former Ruellia brittoniana on a rooftop above the F&B outlet at Admiralty Park.