Variegated Indian Borage (Plectranthus amboinicus)

I’ve been coughing my lungs out. After multiples doses of cough mixtures and popping lozenges and cough drops, I decided to turn to the herb garden for relief. I wonder why I never thought of the Indian borage in the first place. As it’s always been lauded as a great herb for coughs, I steamed [...]

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Bat-face cuphea (Cuphea llavea)

I scoured the rows of potted plants at the garden centre. Nothing new, I thought. The usual pentas, impatiens, dianthus, zinnias, petunias … … and then I saw it. Something different; something new. Its crimson red caught my eye first; crimson red ears, then its purplish black impish face. Tiny bats stared with their huge [...]

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Ploiarium Alternifolium or Cicada Tree

I’ve been fooled by a plant for years. I always thought that the Ploiarium Alternifolium was a small potted plant since ours has always been less than 18 inches tall. And we’ve had it for a very long time. Then I find out that it’s called Cicada Tree and I wonder why. A quick Google [...]

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Senecio Macroglossus Variegatus

I must be seeing things. Creamy yellow flowers on variegated ivy?  But the vision persisted; a trellis covered with ivy shaped leaves and daisy-like blooms. The leaves were fleshy; thicker and glossier. This wasn’t the regular ivy I knew, so what was it? The plant wasn’t for sale but I helped myself to some of [...]

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African Violet (Saintpaulia)

“You want this?” the lady selling plants asked me. “Take it. No one will buy it.” “Why not?” “I dropped the pot the other day. See? The leaves have broken off so I can’t sell it now. You can have it.” I couldn’t say no so I thanked the lady. I felt I had adopted [...]

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Melastoma Spp.

The Melastoma Malabathricum is a weed that grows wild in wasteland and open spaces; yet the bare branches of the Melastoma sell like hot cakes every Chinese New Year. We’d attach fake cherry blossoms and hang tiny ornaments on the branches and the overall effect is pleasantly festive. But no one sells them anymore. There’s [...]

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Planting Rice

(I hope rice farmers will excuse the ramblings of this over-enthusiastic gardener) 82 grains of rice. What can one do with them? It’d probably make a great meal … for a bird. I had found a grain of rice germinating in one of my rose pots; part of the fertilizer mix of grain, husk and [...]

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Marimo

Here’s something round, lush and green to usher in the New Year! No, it’s not the tang-yuen or glutinous rice balls which the Chinese eat on the first day of the winter solstice. Nor is it the mochi, despite its Japanese name. The Marimo was a Christmas gift from my sis. But how she guessed [...]

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Mexican Tarragon (Tagetes Lucida)

I was wondering if I had the French or the Russian tarragon. Let it be the former, I thought, since the French tarragon is said to be superior in terms of flavor. It turned out to be neither.  It wasn’t the Artemisia Dracunculus or A. dracunculoides. It wasn’t even an Artemisia to begin with. Mine [...]

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Thymophylla tenuiloba (Dahlberg daisy)

Stray plants in the garden normally spell trouble but not when they are Thymophylla Tenuiloba seedlings. These tiny seedlings could never be mistaken for a weed; not with their soft, fine, scented leaves. We bought a pot of Thymophylla Tenuiloba many years ago; a froth of small dainty yellow flowers which threatened to spill over [...]

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