Endings and Beginnings

My title was not spur of the moment as i normally do. Honestly, i had difficulty making a title because it is New Year, but my plants are starting to dwindle at the ends of their lives. Our circumstances are like that here in January. The start of the year is not synchronous with the climate or weather. We are at the end of the rainy season, the plants are maturing and not as beautiful as in their prime. We are also supposed to be at the coldest temperatures, courtesy of the cold winds from Siberia and China in the north. However, the temperatures are not like it used to be, not the cold we anticipated, because climate has changed and we are now almost at 30C. We feel like the dry season is starting, and the weather bureau promises an El Nino year, a long dry season for us. I pity our plants, they will suffer drought, heat and extreme death. OMG, double death for them. At least we can stay indoors in airconditioned rooms, but our plants are left there outside to die.

So i tried my best to document whatever is there in the garden, not as lovely, but at least there are colors despite the chaotic growth.

 Left and Bottom: Clerodendrum smithianum or light bulbs Clerodendrum  and Impatiens balsamina at the right.

Left: Justicia plant;  Right: Asystasia intrusa 

 Chrysanthemums being photoperiodic responds very well with the longer nights. A nice spray of yellow flowers cover mother's bamboo fences.

 ...and the bees are happy with the yellow flowers too!

 some red Pentas lanceolata are real lovely despite the struggling growth

 This was planted by my mother from a cousin's garden. The problem or maybe advantage of my mother's habit of inserting some plant tops to the soil, is that they normally grow. She forgot all about them and just realized they are there when the flowers emerged from the thicket. 

 Alternanthera, not a flower but a very lovely addition to a drab fully green growth

 Eucharis grandiflora blooming nicely. They need some partial shade so i planted them under the hoya plants. With that arrangement they also receive the water drips from the hoyas, and they seem to be happy in this arrangement.

A purple Vanda hybrid also emerged from the chaotic growth of so many green stems intertwining with themselves. Neglect and inattention didn't deter it to produce a very lovely purple inflorescence. This is just a remnant of the orchid collections i have before, which mostly succumbed to pests and death. This one is surely a survivor.

 Hoya halconensis showing promise, it has been aborting its buds for several times already, unfortunately after a week they aborted too. 

...while another umbel of Hoya halconensis continue to open at least 4 flowers, leftover from an insect attack. This is the first time i saw them bloom, i am so glad.

another first time promise from Hoya valmayoriana after 2 years from planting. I hope it opens during the holidays, however i left on a Sunday and it was still in tight buds. I was only able to see these 2 flowers below, at least i saw them in full splendor.

Then my sister sent me through FB a celfone shot of the umbel i have been waiting so much. The color was not so nice, but at least it provided me an idea of a whole H valmayoriana umbel in bloom.

Hoya buotii is not in the best of growth, so was able to give me only 2 flowers. I have some problems with its media, need to replace it sometime.

 Lastly, Hoya diversifolia never failed to please me. The umbels are big with beautiful blooms, and a lot of them bloomed at the same time. It was really a fiesta week for H diversifolia. 

They are happily blooming on  the lanzones tree canopy, all at the same time, continuously too. 

Look at them, aren't they lovely and looking great? The only problem i encountered here is that i need to be on the roof to get an eye level view of the flowers. It is a bit difficult going to and walking on the rooftop, however i managed and got excited doing so! So now, the wonder of growing hoyas is not only the flowers and the photography, but also walking on the rooftop. Sigh! 

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