EPIPHYLLUM OXYPETALUM

This was a very free flowering plant that I bought and displayed in HortPark's Home Garden until my colleague came and took it away a year ago.

I took a cutting then and the plant is quite big now. Recently, it produced lots of small flower buds and this flower bloomed on 18 Jan 10. The following 2 photos show the same bloom on 19 Jan 10 before it closed for good.

WHITFIELDIA

I planted this several months ago in a semi-shade location at HortPark's Silver Garden.

It's been flowering for a while now. The white petals are covered with fine hairs.

DEATH

A Bird-of-Paradise appeared dead at the Silver Garden on 17 Jan 10, with its crown and head hanging low on the ground.

It looked defeated and its life finally came to an end for this beauty.

PAGIANTHA DICHOTOMA

I posted about the transplanting of this Pinwheel Flower tree recently to Floral Walk.

Whilst this tree is relatively free flowering, I have never seen it fruit in Singapore. When I visited the Malaysian nursery last year, I saw lots of fruits on the small trees. I thought the pollinator may not be present in abundance down south in Singapore, hence the lack of fruit production.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a pair of familiar yellow crescent fruits, typical of plants from the Family Apocynaceae, from afar at the corner of the Garden Of Seasons on 17 Jan 10. Though the tree was small with only a few branches and leaves, there was a pair of the fruits. Now I shall wait till the fruits are ripe before I collect the seeds.

GARDEN OF SEASONS

I would be changing the winter display soon and thought it is good to take some photos to compare the growth since it was planted 2 months ago.

The photos were taken on 17 Jan 10.

RHODOMYRTUS TOMENTOSA

I remember first seeing this plant planted by my friend at Punggol Park across the Bliss restaurant.

This photo was taken on 17 Jan 10 at HortPark's Herb and Spice Garden.

The flowers appear light pink and gradually take on a darker pink.

CISSUS

Don't you think the blooming flowers look interesting?

This climber actually produces long strings of reddish trailing roots. At World Farm, they look beautiful trailing above a trough of water.

The bluish-black fruit is most unusual for such a plant.

SYZYGIUM

This dark red leaved Syzygium campanulatum seldom flowers. The last time we captured the red flowers was quite some time back.

When I saw the flower buds on 17 Jan10, I couldn't help but took the photos.

CLERODENDRUM QUADRILOCULARE

This is a pretty unusual Clerodendrum that I first saw in the nursery. Then I saw lots of it in Chiang Mai and bought back quite a few large ones over 1.5 m tall.

The upperside of the leaves is green but the underside is magenta. The cluster of flower buds start out small, but slowly develop to produce long tubular pink flowers with a bulbous tip. At this stage, the flowers remind me of cotton buds and the magenta external surface of the sepals also contrast strongly with the pink flowers.

These photos were taken on 17 Jan 10 at the nursery. There was no observed synchronous flowering but I notice another plant flowering at HortPark's Butterfly Garden.

BIRDS

When I drove past the Nursery Holding Area on 15 Jan 10, I was drawn to some rustling movement amongst the low grass weeds growing from the laterite layer.

I stopped on my buggy and observed from a distance. Then I realized they were actually birds feeding on the seedheads of the grasses. There were groups of Spotted Doves and Munias.

Everytime I drove the buggy closer to take their photos, they took off further away from me. Eventually, I managed to get some photos of them.

Aren't they just lovable?

MISTLETOE & EGGS

My colleagues informed me on 15 Jan 10 of this cluster of eggs found on the parasitic plant mistletoe near the Nursery Holding Area of HortPark.

Before I get to the eggs, I must highlight that the small mistletoe flowers are really unusual.

Below the thick leathery leaves were clusters of eggs, which were likely from the butterfly Painted Jezebel. I am in fact rather surprised to see that the butterfly actually laid its eggs on this plant in a bright open sun area. I would have thought it would lay its eggs at a place where it is more protected.

Anyway, the eggs didn't hatch into caterpillars because they were parasitized by wasps.

CLERODENDRUM MYRICOIDES 'UGADENSE'

When not in bloom, this plant may not seem interesting.

But once the flowers are produced, it does not fail to attract my attention with its beautifully crafted bluish-white flowers that resemble a small butterfly. Hence, it is commonly known as the Butterfly Bush.

Even this day-flying moth is drawn to the flowers, as shown by this photo taken on 14 Jan 10.

EUPHORBIA COALCOMANENSIS

Planted next to the sub-station of HortPark at the Pasir Panjang entrance just before Clean and Green Singapore 2009 in November, this newcomer Candle Cactus or Bird Flower Plant in the nursery landscape was an instant delight to some.

Known to grow to more than 2 m tall in its native habitat, it produces masses of red bracts under full sun and contains the interesting bird-like flower within. Close-up, the creamy flower is shaped like a small bird perched on the plant with the numerous stamens and brown anthers as the tail end of the bird.

Now, it is sold and marketed as a lucky plant for this Chinese New Year.

BARRINGTONIA

Taken on 14 Jan 10 along Pasir Panjang Road, this Barringtonia is really awesome. Though not a frequent bloomer, this uncommon tree produces pendulous clusters of relatively large pink flowers with long visible stamens held by a ring of star-like petals reminiscent of sea anemones when viewed close-up.

After pollination, the stamens and petals are shed, leaving only 3 sepals around the developing ovary.

PSEUDOGYNOXYS CHENOPODIOIDES

These photos of the Mexican Flame Vine were taken on 13 Jan 10 at the HortPark's Home Garden.

Previously known by its synonym Senecio confusus, this beautiful climber is one of my new favourites because I love the orange colour.

See how the flowers open in light orange, becoming turning a more crimson red as it ages. Unfortunately, the one I have at home still has not produced a single flower since I propagated it at least 6 months ago.