GBBD for June

Our rainy season starts in May in all the years that passed. However, this year our official weather bureau proclaimed it just started this week, last June 10! Imagine the almost 1 month delay in all farm activities, plus the plant's delayed quenching their thirst! Moreover, the plants showed unusual characteristics because of the unusual weather conditions. Being a plant person, both in profession and in hobby, i think a big change in plant physiology really changed because of the changing weather patterns and climate. I have observed a lot of changes, although i still can't fully explain it.

But i will post here a few of the blooms as a result of the first heavy rains.

My Hippeastrum puniceum usually flowers simultaneously after the first heavy rains in May. With some twist of fate, it started sending a few blooms at a time since March, and continued on till now when the real rains are coming. It produced the usual simultaneous blooms last week, unfortunately i didn't go home to see the show. The blooms are almost finished when i arrived home, only the bald scapes and wilted flowers remain. Therefore, i will wait for next year again to see all of them blooming, if they will ever be able to bloom. They said the flower primordia starts 18 months before blooming, so all the primordia might already have bloomed this year and nothing more for next year! I will cross fingers.

We planted some clumps in different areas, in the above case under the shade of a big golden shower tree. The beauty of this hippeastrum is that they grow nicely even when shaded.

The 'katunggal' or Proiphys amboinensis/euricles bloomed just in time after the first heavy rains. That is its normal habit. Three scapes are produced this year, while last year was only two. The above blooms are nearly wilted, and one umbel has a lot of seed pods. I hope some of them will continue maturing, as last year they all wilted before maturity.

The above bloom is abnormally different because the scape didn't elongate before blooming. I had to push aside the leaves just to see this big umbel bloom, fresh and simultaneously open. I am sure the plant hormones are in control in this condition, as affected by the very long dry season and late rainfall. But it didn't diminish its beauty, however the umbel is not very conspicuous.

The hoyas especially this Hoya buotii showed abrupt growth in response to rainfall. They all show long spikes of growth, and this one produced bigger numbers of blooms per umbel unlike the previous bloom. This species has a slight scent too.Those hairy petals are so lovable.

Duranta erecta produced a lot of simultaneous blooms, that butterflies, bees and other insects truly love.  In previous years, i used to prune this before the rains come, but this time i wasn't able to do that as i didn't go home often. I am glad that branches produced lots of blooms scattered all over the canopy.

 The blood lily or Haemanthus multiflorus remained true to its habit, flowering after the heavy rains. I experimented on watering the bulbs even at two months before the rains, it started leafing but the real blooms didn't. Now they have a real big show.

 The caladium also started to produce leaves. They are dormant without leaves during the dry season.

Another dormant underground is this 'kamia' or Hedychium coronarium. Now the rhizomes are all sprouting some have leaves already. In a few weeks white fragrant, butterfly-like flowers will be emerging. It will not be a long time.

 And ferns which are nowhere to be seen during the dry season, now starts to show up. This species grows ahead of the others, and we have many ferns species in our property. In a few weeks the ground will not be seen anymore, but fully covered with plants and weeds.

That green lush is just the outcome of the first heavy rains. We cannot see the sky from this vantage point, in contrast during the height of the dry season in April, when we can fully see the blue sky between those branches. And that crape myrtle also produced those blooms in response to the first rains, isn't this view relaxing enough? This is my line of sight when sitting at our terrace, having breakfast or sipping coffee and watching the butterflies on plants at the ground level. I am sure you will agree, it is delightful.

FLORAL FRIDAY FOTOS



GBBD for June