HUB

The Adenium obesum (Common Name: Desert Rose) and Grammatophyllum speciosum (Common Name: Tiger Orchid) were flowering recently at the Hub.

the beautiful red flowers of the Desert Rose

close-up of the flowers

the Tiger Orchid

closer view of the flowers

CHORISIA SPECIOSA (VARIEGATED)

Just when I thought I have seen lots of unusual plants, something interesting comes along. I have never actually seen the flowers of the variegated Chorisia speciosa and it is the first time the variegated cucumber-like fruits appear everywhere on these trees at the Hub. I bet the flowers are small, inconspicuously coloured and night-pollinated by bats.

HUB

After a short bout of irrigation, some of the bromeliads displayed it's brilliant colours. How stunning they look so early in the morning!

HUB

These are some of the latest photos of the landscape at the Hub. How I wish the Flame of the Forest would burst into blooms under this heat to add to the splendor. It would be a great sight to behold. 

Echinodorus

AMAZING PLANTS

Athyrium spicatum

I planted these Athyrium spicatum not long ago and they are so lovely. There are not many small ferns with such beautiful palm-shaped foliage and pinkish new leaves.

Elsewhere, the Globba winitii with yellow flowers and bracts are flowering amazingly too. I must say this is how plants growing in their ideal conditions look.

A stone's throw away are the purple flowers Tibouchina that contrast fantastically with the variegated Dianella.

Globba winitii

Tibouchina and variegated Dianella

Flowers of Dianella

HUB

The Hub is one of the two areas of convergence from the Heritage Gardens, Supertrees Grove and World of Plants. So I must say this is one of the important areas of the gardens and I am happy that this part of the garden is planted with a grove of big and small Ceiba speciosa (Common Name: Cotton Floss Tree) trees, varying in their trunk thorniness and colours of the flowers.

So far, the trees have been flowering separately but never synchronously. That is the only pity. Nevertheless, when the big ones do flower, it is quite remarkable. There are also a number of variegated Ceiba but I don't think I have seen any of them flower before. Other than the Ceibas, there are quite a number of other plants including Pseudobombax, Plumeria cultivars, Jatropha cultivars, Vinca rosea, Ruellia rosea, Ludwigia etc.

some tall Ceiba peering above the walkway

close-up of the pink flowers

thorny trunk of some of the trees

close-up of the thorny trunk

one of the few variegated Ceiba

close-up view of the flowers

variegated palmate leaves

palmate leaves of the Pseudobombax

a sea of lanceolate leaves from the variety of shrubs

purple Crinum 'Menehune', yellow variegated Pandanus toei, silver Dianella

pink flowers of Crinum 'Menehune'

Pseudobombax ellipticum

seed pod of Pseudobombax