Clerodendrum Ugandense

My first batch of blue butterflies never made it past the pupa stage.

I had berated myself for that. Had I watered them too much? Too little? Given them too much sun or not enough?

Or perhaps it was an overdose of TLC?

A friend had offered me a few Clerodendrum Ugandense cuttings. I googled and saw flowers shaped uncannily like butterflies with forewings, hindwings and antennae to boot! 

The cuttings grew but my joy was short-lived. Sadly, there were no butterflies for me.

It was a very long time before I was given another opportunity. This time, I potted the cuttings and left the rest to nature.

I’d almost forgotten about them until one day I saw a flash of blue where there used to be none. Was that the Clerodendrum Ugandense in bloom?

I ran to get a closer look; my first butterflies may be rooted to the pot, but my heart took flight. If not for my two left feet, I would have danced too.

The Clerodendrum Ugandense is proving to be fuss-free; it’s not bothered by pests or diseases, doesn’t seem to mind if it gets a little too wet or too dry, and it loves the sun and the heat.

The pretty flowers look deceptively delicate, but you can be sure that the plant is one tough cookie.

Care and propagation: Full sun; well drained soil, water moderately. Propagate using seed or cuttings.

Tillandsia Cyanea

“Look at this!” I told my niece. N took one look at my Tillandsia Cyanea and laughed.

“You stuck the purple flowers there, right? I’ve seen them before in the garden.” She probably thought I was trying to pull a fast one; a lame April Fool trick.

“No, I didn’t. Look again.” N’s eyes widened. “You mean they are real? Wow!”

The T. Cyanea’s inflorescence is really quite amazing. I too was captivated by its impressive pink bract and vivid violet flowers when I first saw it. I still am.

Recently, I found out that the T. Cyanea is also called Pink Quill. How apt.

My first T. Cyanea was stuck onto a piece of driftwood and had looked more like a sculpted art piece. It was a thing of beauty, that unfortunately did not last forever.

 

It died prematurely due to a fatal combination of moi’s ignorance and over-enthusiasm. I had overwatered it. That dealt a painful blow – both to my wallet and my ego.

And so there was a long hiatus between my first T Cyanea and my second … and third. And these plants came to be only because a friend gave them to me; a double portion of blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

His T. Cyanea had grown into a huge clump of some thirty over plants. And when they all bloomed in sync, the pot of Cyanea looked like a big exotic bouquet. The clump had grown too big and had to be divided.

I wasn’t about to blow my second chance with the Cyanea. This time, I did my research and used media and pots that ensured better air-circulation. Thankfully, the plants grew and are thriving.

Like other tillandias and bromeliads, the Cyanea can only bloom once, after which it produces pups and fades away. Fortunately, each Cyanea inflorescence lasts more than four months.

The quill which first made an appearance before December 2012 is still pink and purple flowers are still taking turns to emerge from between the bracts.

an emerging T. Cyanea pup

It’s been making a huge impression on the family with its exotic beauty and long lasting blooms.

The T. Cyanea may be years from forming the huge clump my friend once had, but they will get there; one pup at a time.

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Care and propagation: Dappled light, pine bark, wood chips or charcoal bits; water moderately and ensure good air circulation. Propagation is by division or by using seeds.

 

Brugmansia Supernova

With a name like that, I expected something of epic proportions.

The brugmansia Supernova lived up to its illustrious name. A gardening enthusiast had shared photos of his trophy; my jaw dropped. The pendulous trumpets measured at least 10 inches in length!

But what’s so special, one might ask.

The Angel’s Trumpet may be a dime a dozen up in the cool tropical highlands, but they are as rare as hen’s teeth where I am; where temps can soar beyond 40 degrees in the afternoons.

I’ve always been cautioned against getting any brugmansias from the highlands. “They’ll never bloom for us,” my friends advised.

The amazing thing was that the Supernova was thriving and blooming in all its luminescent glory in hot humid conditions!

Always a fan of the Angel’s Trumpet, I was delighted when I finally got a few cuttings of the B. Supernova and managed to grow them in the garden.

And when the Supernova’s first buds formed, I almost held my breath.

Overnight, the buttery yellow buds burst forth into full ivory-coloured trumpets.  The Angel’s Trumpet; truly an inspired creation of God.

Care and propagation: Partial shade, well drained soil, water generously. Propagate using cuttings

Curcuma Alismatifolia

Desperate for a slice of Keukenhof, I started a small tub of tulip bulbs in the fridge. That yielded five inches worth of leaves and a tiny misshapen bud. However, the valiant bud stewed in the tropical heat almost as soon as it was out in the open.

One of my dreams may have gone down the drain, but, I was not about to admit defeat.

I turned to the internet and looked for tulips grown in the tropics. My search turned up something interesting; the curcuma alismatifolia, a tulip-wannabe from Thailand. Not surprisingly, it was called the ‘Siam Tulip’.

The striking bracts of this ginger form a cup-shaped structure and mimic the shape of a tulip. While it vaguely resembles the delicate tulip from afar, the curcuma alismatifolia is anything but fragile.

The c. alismatifolia’s bloom has a much longer shelf-life than the fragile tulip and its tough bracts and sturdy stem can withstand the battering of a tropical storm.

What’s more, the c. alismatifolia comes with another bonus. Small white flowers with pronounced purple lips emerge from the tulip-shaped bracts, flaunting a beauty of their own.

Is that slice of Keukenhof within grasp after all? What I’ve seen at Bangkok has inspired me to give it a shot. But at the rate at which my plants are growing, I’d have to be really, really patient.

Care and propagation: half to full sun; well-drained soil; water sparingly with occasional dry spells; propagate using rhizomes or by division

The next few photos which were taken in Bangkok had me envisioning fields of  tulips.

Lycopodium Cernuum and L. Clavatum

Lycopodium Cernuum and Lycopodium Clavatum used to be quite common. As natural open spaces, slopes and hills get pushed back, these pretty prehistoric ferns are slowly disappearing.

These lycopodiums look like miniature pine trees with short fine soft hairs. The ferns send out horizontal stems, enabling them to spread over surfaces at a faster rate than propagation through spores.

I first saw them in floral arrangements when I was a kid; not as decorative ferns but compacted and wrapped around to hide unsightly floral sponges or plastic holders.

Since the ferns are not grown commercially, they must have been gathered from the wild. Sadly, they would have ended up in a bin or a compost heap.

Today, we don’t see them at the florist anymore; possibly because of their scarcity.

These lycopodiums have a shallow root system. I have tried a few times to remove the ferns from newly developed areas knowing that they would soon be cleared and replaced by manicured lawns. Each time, the ferns died despite all the care I took. Transplanting them seemed impossible.

Then, I came across a fellow gardener’s tips on relocating the lycopodiums. Fantastic! Armed with that knowledge, I was ready to try again.

So recently on a trip up to the hills, I found some L. Cernuum and Clavatum at the edge of a plot designated for the construction of a home.

In my enthusiasm, I ended up with more than I expected. My booty included grazed hands and knees as I slipped into the drain. If anything, this strengthened my resolve to succeed this time.

I wrapped the ferns in moist tissue and potted them as soon as I could. As advised, I kept the media constantly moist.

Now after more than half a year, I’m relieved to say that the lycopodiums have survived their relocation and are doing quite nicely.

Are these humble ferns worth the scraped knees? Undoubtedly.

Care and propagation: shade or dappled shade (can tolerate full sun once established); mix of loam and clay; water generously; propagation by division, or using spores (challenging)

Salvia Coccinea

Salvia Coccinea flowers may be tiny but what they lack in size, they make up for in sheer numbers.

Each plant has multiple branches and every spike has dozens of buds and blooms. So that easily adds up.

What’s more, Salvia Coccinea self-seeds easily. Left unchecked, it could easily cover an entire flower bed.

Given the Salvia Coccinea’s prolific nature, it’s a mystery how it could have disappeared from the garden altogether when I planted it years ago. Could someone have mistaken the seedlings for weeds?

Anyway, I was thrilled to find it again at the garden centre a few months ago. So the same fire-engine red Salvia is back in the garden again.

With it, I found another Salvia Coccinea I’d never seen before; the coral nymph. This is as lovely as its name suggests. This soft pastel coral coloured salvia looks almost coy when juxtaposed with the more flamboyant red.

The Salvia Coccinea loves basking in the sun, and has been doing so until very recently. It is now struggling with the storms that have been battering the region almost every day.

The damp makes the salvia a fungal magnet and it’s a challenge keeping the fungus in check.

I wish the rain would let up. In fact, any more of it and I may need to do the rain dance in reverse.

 

Care and propagation: Full sun; well drained soil, water moderately. Propagate using seeds or cuttings

Oranges and Lemons Hybrid Tea Rose

Oranges and lemons sold for a penny

All the schoolgirls are so many…

 

‘Oranges and Lemons’ … first a myriad of childhood memories surfaced, then visions of sorbets and marmalade.

I loved the rose on the strength of its name alone; even before I saw it.

I took home a plant with a bud on the verge of releasing its tightly bound petal so I didn’t have long to wait.

The next day, the petals unfurled with bolder streaks of colour. And then I saw Oranges and Lemons in all its citrusy glory. And as I expected, it looked good enough to eat.

Care and propagation: full sun; light and well drained media, water generously, fertilize weekly. Propagate using cuttings