Hold the torch

I hold the torch for a certain ginger-head. I showered her with care, tender touch and kindness. But alas, the attentions I gave were all left unrequited.

But years of persistent waiting, though truly exasperating, has finally bore its fruit. Our Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior) has blossomed!

Just like the Bird of Paradise, this plant has kept me waiting for so many years to see it bloom. Last year, after three years plus of waiting, the former granted my wish. With that, I thought the latter's turn will come very soon.

With almost four years of no luck I was inclined to conclude I'm waiting for a flower to sprout from the wrong plant. Whenever I see posts of the Torch Ginger from other bloggers I can't help myself but be envious. One blogger friend, Africanaussie, suggested I send her pictures of our ginger so she can help verify if it is really a Torch Ginger. Immediately I asked my mother to take a picture of the said plant, but since we now have different species of gingers in the garden, she's already confused as to which plant is which.

Then one January morning, as mother was going around the garden to check on the plants, lo and behold, two Torch Gingers are in bloom. They may only have one flower each but that is more than enough for me, I'm happy!

Going bananas ... also

I was in the middle of composing this entry when I read Angel's Going bananas post. Since I've already titled mine "Going bananas", I just added "... also."

Angel's bananas are different from mine. Her's are edible, mine are not (no double entendre intended). Anyway...

It all started when I asked Mom to look for a particular ornamental bananas. As always, mistakes were made and a different type of banana was bought. We've identified it later as the Blood banana (Musa acuminata 'Zebrina'). On the next trip to the garden store, another type ornamental banana was bought, the name of which I still do not know until now. As for the one I am looking for, well it's still out there waiting to be found.

Some of the Blood bananas in the upper garden. The one on the right have plenty of suckers, baby plants ready for transplant.

After these ornamental bananas have been transplanted to the upper garden they've adjusted and  practically felt at home, growing and multiplying faster than their edible counterparts. Since they have plenty of room to grow, might as well let them grow in number for now.

The still unidentified ornamental banana in bloom and with pups and fruits.

From a couple of mother plants there are now several clumps of Blood bananas found in different parts of the upper garden. As for the other "unnamed" ornamental banana, it's just doing what bananas are suppose to do, silently multiplying. In no time it too will be scattered in the garden just like its "blood" relative.

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P.S.

Thanks to Angel and Autumn Belle for identifying the other "unnamed" ornamental banana. It is called Musa velutina. Its common names include "Pink Fruting Banana", "Purple Banana" and "Pink Velvet Banana" among others.
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Claw me, claw thee

It's been over a year since I last gave an update on our Lobster Claw heliconias (Heliconia rostrata). Back then they were still growing in the nursery and have responded well to the extra attention they've received so much so that their area in the nursery looked more like a Lobster Claw plantation (Their claws are showing). So what has happened since then?

Weather permitting they were slowly transplanted in the upper/back garden. As expected they experienced transplant shock to varying degrees. Some seemed to have died completely but new growth appeared after a few weeks. Others only had minor shocks, losing several leaves.

Some of the Lobster Claw heliconias already established in their new home in the upper garden.

A solitary clump of young Lobster Claw begins to bloom. With surrounding weeds cleared it looked even more alone.

More Lobster Claws in the upper garden, some displaying new blooms.

These Lobster Claws are competing for attention amid thick, persistent weeds.

With all the weeds in the background, this heliconia is a sight for sore eyes.

What I love about Lobster Claws are their colorful flowers that look interestingly unusual and that they bloom year round at intermittent intervals. So you never know where in the garden the next blooms will appear and when. And even though this plant is now widely and sometimes over cultivated, to me its exotic appeal never diminishes. A proof to this is the existence of more of this plant all over the upper garden.

"Claw me, claw thee" is an old German/Dutch idiom which means "stand by me and I'll stand by you" or sometimes "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine".
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Return to paradise

Just a month after our first Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) graced our garden with its very first set of elegant blooms, it's our second Bird of Paradise's turn to shine. And it's also its first time to bloom so it's another memorable event for us.

When Mom spotted two developing pointed shoots, she already knew that these aren't ordinary shoots, they won't be turning into leaves but something else, something more interesting.

A couple of weeks of waiting and the first flower bud opened to reveal its awesome 'feathers'.

And several days later the second flower bud unveiled its colorful 'plumes'. Ah, the Bird of Paradise... definitely one of my most treasured tropical plant in the garden.
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Fruitless

This year our summer income generator failed to deliver. This is not a big surprise since what's left of our mango trees have not completely recovered from the severe damage brought by a devastating storm that passed through the farm late last year.

As I've mentioned before, our mango orchard is dwarf in size compared to commercial plantations. Despite that, if the conditions are right, the trees are able to produce plenty of fruits that come harvest time the income our small orchard generates is enough to sustain the farm's financial needs for a couple of months.

Some of our mango trees before the devastation.

This year not a single fruit was in sight from the trees that survived. The pictures below were taken when I was in the farm last February. Typically by that time the trees should be teeming with flowers and/or tiny fruits. But as you can see bare trunks are more prominent than leaves. As to how many more years before these trees become fruitful again is anybody's guess.

That is the thrill of living in a tropical country where on one day the weather is a friend and on another an enemy. It's how you deal with it that matters. And all those open spaces between the trees are saying that the time is ripe to plant new mango seedlings in preparation for the next generation.

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Up the garden path II

Lately, it seems that I've been concentrating in featuring plants, structures and projects in the lower garden. What about the garden in the upper area of the farm, particularly the back side?

Although the upper garden plants have been sort of "neglected" they are doing just fine. For some reason they are more independent than their relatives in the lower garden. When it comes to nourishment, they are able to fend for themselves without much human help. This summer alone they have not received as much watering as one might expect they needed and yet they are thriving.

For the past several months we temporarily hired additional help to clean the garden area. As much as the plants are thriving well, so too are the weeds. In fact, the viny weeds have found good structural support from the taller plants almost to the point of taking over, threatening to choke them. So the task of the extra helpers were to clear the grass and weeds around and under the plants, remove dead leaves and trunks and other gardening stuff.

Much of the upper garden is the realm of the grazing animals particularly our small herd of sheep, a few cows and water buffalos. In the small areas where they are not allowed to roam are where the plants are growing.

In the places where the plants dominate, you will find different types of Heliconia, different palms (Foxtail, Manila, Fan, Traveler, Triangle, etc.), Norfolk Island Pines, Indian Masts ("Indian tree"), Plumerias, Ti plants, Alocasias, Cycads (Sago palm), ornamental bananas (Blood, Yellow, etc.), different ornamental gingers (Red, Red Torch, Shampoo, Beehive, etc.),  Calatheas (Cigar, Rattlesnake), and somehow a lot of Crotons. Not to mention are some other plants, the names of some I do not know.

These are the plants that are currently there. The 'greening' of the garden isn't done yet. We will continue to add more plants whenever we could. As much as I'd like the garden to look like a jungle of tropical plants now, I'd have to be super patient since the plants with the capacity to grow tall are still relatively small.

If there is one particular thing that I am proud to say about these plants is that they look strong and healthy despite the fact that they are free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
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I'm still passionately feeling blue...

Oh, but this has nothing to do with that hideous monstrosity in my previous post. I haven't gotten over that yet but we need to move on.

The Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea) vines crawling up the four corners of the steel pergola are experiencing a growth spurt. There is an abundance of exotic flowers gracing the garden with an irresistable display of beauty.

The Blue Passion Flower vines are busy putting up a show.

And more are coming. In no time they too will unfurl their yet hidden beauties.

Aside from the flowers the vines too are creeping and crawling like crazy. And their spiraled tendrils are reaching out for the closest object to latch on to for support.

While they are busy flowering the vines are also busy filling in the spaces at the top of the pergola.

Soon the creeping vines will completely cover the top of the pergola. Eventually they will provide a completely shaded area underneath. This shady area will then be an ideal place to hang out at any time of the day, as long as it's not raining of course. This is what I'm aiming for, a cool place for an outdoor breakfast, lunch or dinner, a picnic area or just a place to relax and unwind.
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A glimpse of paradise

For most of April and on into May our very first Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) has been gracing the garden with its exotic yet stunningly beautiful flowers.

Third flower in early bloom.

Second flower in full bloom.

Very first flower past its prime.

To me, this is a wonderful milestone in the garden since we've been waiting for so long for this moment to arrive. At last it's here! And there are still young flower buds waiting for their time to shine.

Then another promising development. I recently received a text message that it looks like the second Bird of Paradise is forming a flower bud. It's too early to tell if it's indeed a flower bud or just another leaf, but Mom believes its going to be a bud. So here we are, looking forward to another glimpse of paradise in late May or early June.

Visit Hope Grows Day: May 2011 meme to meet other hopeful gardeners.
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Astonishing!

"Katakataka" is the local name of this plant. It means astonishing, remarkable or puzzling. According to Wikipedia, its other names are Air Plant, Life Plant, Miracle Leaf, Goethe Plant.

The Kalanchoe pinnata is a succulent and a native of Madagascar. It's widely cultivated in temperate regions because of ease of propagation. In other areas, it can be grown as an indoor plant.

What's astonishing about this plant is its method of reproduction. Tiny plantlets begin to grow on the notches along the margins of its leaves. As soon as the plantlets develop roots they can be severed from the mother leaf and transplanted as individual plants.

The "Katakataka" (try pronouncing it fast if you don't speak Filipino) has become so common in the Philippines that almost nobody cares about this plant anymore. Even I was not a fan of this plant.

As I was walking around the garden last February, I was drawn to this curious profusion of chandelier-like clusters of upside-down flowers that are bell-shaped, reddish in color and dangling like pendants. In my several decades of existence it was my first time to see such a bloom. "How beautiful!" was all that I could say.

Upon closer inspection, it was a revelation. Surprise, surprise! The lowly "Katakataka" does not only reproduce in a remarkable way, its flowers are even more remarkable. This drew out a renewed interest in me. I will no longer ignore or dismiss this plant.

Because of its unusual but easy way of reproduction it has become an invasive plant in other parts of the world, especially in Hawaii. It's so easy to grow and as a succulent it even thrives on neglect. One leaf alone can produce several plantlets in no time.

In a sparsely populated garden like ours, plant invasion is still a welcome event.
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Waiting for paradise...

Three very long years. At last our first Bird of Paradise has shown us that truly, good things come to those who wait.

Our very first Bird of Paradise is about to shower us with gifts.

The first flower bud is almost ready to open.

Three more flower buds in various stages of development.

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Another unplanned project - conclusion

The back-ordered Triangle palms have arrived.

In my Another unplanned project post, I discussed about the revamp of the landscaping at the entrance to the farm while I was there on vacation. I decided to remove all the plants in that area and replace them with Triangle Palms. However since the garden store did not have enough of the Triangle palms that we needed to complete the task, my vacation ended with an unfinished project.

On the evening of Monday of last week, all the back-ordered palm trees finally arrived. These trees should suffice to finish the two projects I started on that short visit. The other project required more Foxtail Palms. For this particular project though, my original plan was to use tall and short Triangle Palms in an alternating pattern. But I was informed by my mother that the short palms Dad picked are not short enough to achieve the effect I was going for. This meant another project revision.

Three Triangle Palms on the left side of the gate.

Instead of sticking to the original plan I just asked Dad to plant the tall palms where they were supposed to go, pull all the other plants out and plant them somewhere inside the farm. As for the five supposedly "short" Triangle Palms, I would have opted to return them had it been possible to do so. But since the backside of the farm badly needs more trees, I just told them to scatter these palm trees there.

Four Triangle Palms on the right side of the gate.

The same four palms as seen from the other end.

Now since the original design was not followed, consequently there are wide spaces in between the Triangle Palms. I still don't know what plants to put in between them as well as between the palms and the wall.

Although the changes we made may be considered simple, the area is neater and more pleasing to look at than before. As such for now I declare this project complete.
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