HORTPARK 2

Today's weather - sunny

It is always such a a joy to visit HortPark and sometimes they bring back so many fond memories.


I love this native climber Tetracera indica that I planted at the Irrigation Pond area to conceal the manhole behind it.


The Clerodendrum quadriloculare across the Hands-on-House decided to show its beautiful pink tubular flowers that earn it the deserving common name Starburst Bush.


Over at the Prototype Glasshouse, the attention seeking Impatiens walleriana cultivars and the Tibouchina cultivar were wooing me with its amazingly beautiful flowers.


Then at the Golden Garden, I saw for the first time the unknown red flower Bulbophyllum in bloom. Since planting it, I have never seen it flower and I was definitely secretly excited by the excellent growth exhibited by the orchid on the Rain Tree fork. I hope they don't prune it away someday.


Just beside the Fruited Vegetables Garden, a clump of Strongylodon macrobotrys (common name: Jade Vine, Emerald Vine) flowers were hidden amongst the dense leaves covering the shelter.


Further up at the Floral Stitches, a sun lizard was so well camouflaged against the trunk of the tree that I almost missed it.


The unknown Terminalia was also fruiting for the umpteen time. As someone pointed out, the winged fruits reminded her of the plastic balls commonly used in washing machines to prevent the clothes from tangling together. Instead of having two glands on the underside of its leaves, typical of Terminalia trees, there is only one small gland on this one.


At the former Arbor Garden was a small bed of Lobelia chinensis, which I grew in waterlogged areas in the Car Park Garden in the past and which I have not seen in recent times.

HORTPARK

Luckily, the Rondeletia odorata shrub is still there today. The unusual but free flowering orange flowers of this shrub make this an interesting plant to have in a garden.


The cluster of Tetracera indica is also growing so well that it conceals the raised service manhole on the slope very well. The flowers are also a delight to look at.


Across the area at the Hands-on-House, a squirrel was scurrying down the trunk of the Washingtonia robusta palm and it froze in its steps when it saw me. What an adorable creature it is.


The grey lava stone pots are put to good use in different parts of the park to showcase plants in the different theme gardens. A new plant label is also in use now and provides more relevant information on plants to visitors.

TETRACERA LOUREIRI

This is the Tetracera loureiri (common name: Tetracera; Family: Dilleniaceae) with smaller white flowers and tri-locular fruits compared to the native Tetracera indica that I prefer because of the larger whitish-red flowers and red fruits.

A link on the two Tetraceras is attached below:

http://www.toptropicals.biz/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?search_op=and&keyword_op=and&language=e&number=5&v1=wht&user=tt&sale=1&first=1051