LOTUS

I am just happy that I took photos of this pot of Lotus this morning because by evening time, the petals were all gone and was told that some kid pulled them all out. 

The Zephyranthes in front of the pot were trampled flat because of curious visitors who stood right in front of the pot to take the photos. How sad!

HAZE

This was the day when the haze was so bad that the PSI reached 400 and Marina Bay Sands and Bay East completely disappeared from our view hours later.

Everywhere was depressingly quiet and the gardens was like a ghost town shrouded in a fog, albeit one with a burnt smell in the air.

However, I did find some brief joy in a flowering Bougainvillea at the Secret Life of Trees at the World of Plants and the flowering orange Zephyranthes at the Chinese Garden courtyard of the Heritage Gardens.

BISHAN PARK 2

On the other side of Bishan Park 2 across the road, the residents were gathered around the tentages to kick-start the Community Arts Festival event as part of the PassionArts Month.

One of the first things that attracted my attention, other than the crowd, was the mass of flowering Zephyranthes grandiflora (common name: Pink Rain Lily) in the new landscape beds. I also have not seen the Lagerstroemia indica (common name: Crape Myrtle; Family: Lythraceae) used in our parks for a long time now and I was delighted to see them here.


Almost everyone was carrying umbrellas of a multitude of colours and design in the drizzle. On my way across the overhead bridge to make a quick exit to avoid the heavy downpour, I took photos of the understorey palms e.g. Arenga hookeriana, Johannesteijsmannia lanceolata, Iguanura wallichiana, planted below the crown of the existing clusters of mature trees.

ZEPHYRANTHES CULTIVARS

Aren't these Rain or Fairy Lilies beautiful? My big boss referred to them as tulips of Asia. What an apt comparison.

MEALY BUGS

I freaked out yesterday and had to throw away an entire clump of Zephyranthes rosea (common name: Rain Lily). When I was going around doing my weekly watering of plants, I discovered the nest of mealy bugs all over the clump of plants. My heart almost failed because knowing mealy bugs very well, I doubt I can eradicate them completely once they set foot on my plants, especially when I prefer not to use any inorganic pesticides on my plants.

The sight of the colony and the crawling mealy bugs were enough to give me nightmares for days to end and I blame myself for not discovering it earlier. And just a while ago, I saw my normally healthy Haemanthus multiflorus (synonym: Scadoxus multiflorus; common name: Blood Lily) with another colony of mealy bugs. This is not a good sign at all. And my hair feels itchy just with my thought of the mealy bugs.

I can only hope that they do not spread to my other plants. Otherwise all hell will break lose.

ZEPHYRANTHES CULTIVARS

I saw this range of Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes cultivars) at a former colleague's nursery on 1 Mar 10.

Rain Lilies are one of my favourite groundcovers from the Liliaceae Family. The leaves are grass-like and inconspicuous but when you plant them in large patches and after a rain, you would likely be greeted with a mass of flowers that never fails to remind me of spring. Hence, the name Rain Lilies.

Coming back to this post, the pastel colours of this range of flowers are refreshing and the double-petals add to the subtle beauty.