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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Blooming in the Rain!

After the extensive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to the Southwest Monsoon aggravated by the typhoon in South China, we fortunately had 3 days of sun, and the streets got dry. However, most of the flooded areas are still flooded, families have not yet returned because waters are still high. The soils are very saturated still and can't yet drink the rains coming again. This time it is a typhoon, a real one. It hits the top north part of the country but we in other parts of the country especially Metro Manila still gets too much rain again. Evacuees who left the makeshift evacuation centers to clean their homes returned for fear of another flood coming in. Oh My God, what is happening. But to all my blogger friends, please don't worry about me and my family, we are safe and not flooded!

But rain or shine, typhoon or flood, bloggers don't forget the Garden Bloggers bloom day! I haven't been home to our property in the province for the last two weeks, so i will be posting what I have here before I left.
The gardens after the dry season has not been fully recovered, but the bulbs are one of the firsts to send out leaves. I  used the plastic water scoop for this variety purposely because it contains little soil to control its growth. I love them with stunted short petioles and smaller leaves. I love it this way. I have other caladium varieties, which i posted earlier than this.

The Turnera subulata is planted near the wire fence to keep it upright and well supported on one side. Without that support it grows wide fast.


The yellow Ixora is also loved by the butterflies, we have plenty of the red ones both the I javanica and the I coccinea, and the appearance of the yellow is a nice welcome.

The ever faithful Duranta erecta never fails to amaze me and the butterflies, dry or wet, rain or shine! But now it already suffered a big pruning, so it will produce better blooms while the rains are still available. The butterflies have to make do with other flowers before their favorite Duranta gets blooming again.

Catharanthus hybrids

Lantana camara

 These Petunia flowers suffered from too much rains, see the effects on the petals? Even the stems get so long and lanky and have to be cut.

The above Gaillardia is a migrant trying to acclimatize itself here in my tropical garden conditions. Last dry season it started to bloom but rains are drowning its leaves now, and lots of insects will be killing it. It might not be able to withstand our rainy season. This is from seeds sent by a friend blogger from the US. 
This Epiphyllum oxipetalum has been blooming five times this rainy season. This can be the last time as there are no bloom sprouts anymore. I have posted its blooms in a single post last time HERE

They are also blooming with the rains, don't you agree? 

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59 comments:

  1. Lovely blooms for you right now. I really love the Lantana and Ixora. Yes the chickens look good too.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. Haha, yes Cher, it seems many like the chickens. We have 3 Ixoras but the two i've just posted recently. This one is the neglected variety so it's her time now! We have 2 Lantana, but the other one might be over exposed to media too, haha!

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  2. Stunning as usual - love your posts!! The first plant with the red lines in the leaves are just brilliant! LT

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    1. Hi Lt Expanded, that is a stunted caladium, i have the labels below my photo. I also put there its story!

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    2. I see yes, missed the name, thanks, still love it! LOL! LT

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  3. Once again, feast or famine weather in regards to rain. These extremes are frightening! And they're happening everywhere. Glad that you and your family aren't in danger of flooding out, but hope that others in your country are safe as well.

    It's fun to see some of familiar flowers in a different setting! By the way, though, I think your Rudbeckia seed may actually have been Gaillardia seed (another North American native). They're both hardy, drought tolerant plants that grow in similar conditions, so it would be easy to confuse the two.

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    1. hahaha, thanks Gaia, actually the first time i posted it i put Gaillardia, then someone said it is Rudbeckia, then when i posted it now i was confused which term is the right one. Do you think it might have shattered some seeds on the ground, so i can watch out for them?

      Yes, we also pray for our countrymen who are still in chaos and depravity. But the government and many groups are helping them with necessities, i hope rains will not come in needed areas. If only we can direct them.

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  4. Your garden certainly is "blooming in the rain." Just wonderful! Love your pictures, especially the hens. I do so miss having chickens in my garden.

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    1. There's a lot more blooming in our garden, but it seems redundant to post them again consecutively. The hens are my enemies especially when the seedlings are newly planted, but they are mother's, so let them be!

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  5. Lovely colors to brighten rain-soaked spirits.

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    1. Yes Mary, at least i have some enjoyment in front of the house!

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  6. Your blooms and butterfly are beautiful! The rain sure does beat down on the blooms but hopefully there will be more to come. Lucky you to have some chickens in your garden!

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    1. Thanks for appreciating Karin. Those chickens are most of the time my enemies in the garden because we dont have fences to keep them out. But eating time for free-ranged native chicken comes, and they become so loved, and their eggs too!

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  7. I was wondering how you were doing. Haven't heard from you in a bit:) Your plants are gorgeous but Andrea, your butterflies around your place are really really really amazing!!! Everytime you post them, my jaw drops 10 feet! That one you posted today is a stunner. We don't have these varieties here. A remember a post you did last year and I was just floored at the beautiful blues and greens. Stay dry my friend and be safe.

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    1. Oh Kreesh, thank you very much for remembering me positively. I hope your jaw will return to normal again after the awe on my butterflies, or else you wont look as handsome again, hahaha! I know our butterflies are beautiful, reasons why temperate countries import them for their butterfly gardens and conservatories. I know of someone who export pupa to US and UK, and here too during celebrations it is a recent trend to release butterflies. And it is a very beautiful event to witness! I've just seen it once. That is a business i want to do, the problem is I can't hold larvae or pupa with bare hands.

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  8. I am glad you updated us about the flood situation in your country. Now, we know that you and family are safe which is a big relief. The flower photos offers a delight to the current gloomy weather situation. I am dreaming about your EO blooming 5X! Wow!

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    1. The mother plant is actually not mine, but it is as good as mine because it is very near our kitchen's back, and my cousin owns it, i can get cuttings anytime I want. So gather your friends to buy from me, advertise in Malaysia that I am selling EO, hahaha! What percent share do you want? I don't even know what is the price, i will still ask you about that!

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  9. Your lantana has great colored blooms. I hope your rudbeckia survives all the rain you've gotten.

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    1. We also have a mostly pink Lantana which is in the wild and grows as tall shrubs. In my garden i also have a purely orange variety, i also got from the wild in an island i visited in the Visayas. I transported the cuttings experimentally and they survived.

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  10. So much color! Everything looks so lush and healthy! I love the Lantanas and the Caladiums. And the Duranta is pretty special, too!

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    1. Your appreciation is appreciated too! I love more caladiums actually, but i can't find more accessible varieties nearby.

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  11. I love the dripping Epiphyllum oxipetalum, but sadly got an error on the link to see the last blooms. It's so nice to see water in the garden, we're in the heart of our dry season in San Francisco. I am in love with the duranta and the caladium, neither of which I know anything about. How big does the duranta get?

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Lazy Composter.I will check the link after this. Duranta is amenable to constant pruning, so you can always cut it depending on what look you want it to get. I cut mine every year to produce more shoots and branches whenever i see that the berries are already mature. Cutting branches while still immature might kill the plant though. Ours is about 8 ft tall, because i want the slender branches fall on the sides for the butterflies.

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  12. Glad to hear and and your family are safe and sound. Never heard of Turnera subulata but now that I see your picture I think I have seen it growing on several islands

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    1. There are two Turneras: subulata and ulmifolia. T ulmifolia is the more yellow one! Thank you and regards.

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  13. Ah, rain... I'm sure I have to wait for another month or two, it pretty much never rains in summer in California. But with an El Nino winter forecast, we might have a wet winter.

    Happy bloom day!

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    1. Hi Town Mouse, maybe you will wait a little longer than usual because most of heaven's water fell here causing too much flooding, which hasn't happened before.

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  14. I truly enjoyed looking at all your blooms in your garden.
    Especially the cactus orchid. Not sure why - I was not able to get into your link there to see the full bloom as there is an error.

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    1. Thanks also James, i will check on the link so those who missed the blooms can check them.

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  15. Wow. flowers from my own homecountry. It made me homesick! Beautiful. Glad i found your blog here kababayan. See you around!

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  16. Andrea it took me a couple of moments to realize who you were when I read your comment on my blog:) The caladium is lovely. I'm looking for one I can try and grow as a houseplant. Although I'm sure it will take some fussing since the inside of my house is very dry and can be cold in winter.

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    1. hahaha, I know my term is a bit exotic which is not really a name but a place in our local dialect. I remedied that by putting both Kalantikan/Andrea in my signature so my former blogger friends can readily relate and remember me! Caladiums thrive in wide ranges of temperatures, so I wish you don't experience much difficulty growing it. Thanks.

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  17. you have many great flowers. I have no garden. You asked what flowers I psoted. I don´t know the name. They are not mine. I was only passing by.

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  18. Andrea
    while reading your post I realized how fortunate we are in Toronto, Canada.
    Flooding like you and your family must endure we don't get here.
    I hope you can return soon to your home and garden.
    Thank you for posting your lovely flower pictures.

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    1. Oh i might have misinformed you in my post, but I and my family are not affected at all by the floods in Metro Manila that you might have also seen in the news. I actually reassured my blogger friends that we are fine, it is only our countrymen who are still suffering now! Thanks for the concern and positive thoughts.

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  19. Oh I am loving your gorgeous flowers...so beautiful...that is definitely a gaillardia and I have it blooming now in the garden...it should hold up to your rain and heat...I love it...glad you are all safe with all that rain.

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    1. Thanks Donna for reinforcing Gaia's comment that it is a Gaillardia, i will correct it now. I hope it does hold on as it traveled a long way from the US just to experience our conditions, and if it seeded then that will already be acclimatized here. However, i see that it is very susceptible to mealy bugs and aphids, and for absentee gardener like me, that is a problem.

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  20. Stunning flowers! So sorry about the typhoon and flooding. My prayers are with you.
    Beth

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    1. I appreciate gladly your concern for those here affected by nature's wrath. More power to you too Beth.

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  21. :) wonderful photos!
    the chickens are "blooming" all right!

    I also saw on TV images about the typhoon and flooding. My prayers are with you! Be safe!

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    1. Thank you Anastasia for your prayers for our people. And yes, the chickens are blooming, hahaha!

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  22. You have beautiful flowers and plants and you are so good in naming them. Me? I never remember the names and no, I do not know the name of the one growing near the pool deck with yellow flowers. We live in Natchez, MS and not TX. We have to bring in some of the plants in the house and garage when it freezes, which really is not that often here....Christine

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  23. Gorgeous flowers and I really hope floods will stop and people can return to they homes if there is anything left of them.

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    1. Thank you very much Henrietta for the concern for the safety of our people. You are so right, "if there is anything left of them", many don't have anything to return to!

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  24. I love all your blooms, a beautiful post. I hope the flooding has stopped, the typhoon sounds awful. Have a great day and thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Eileen for the good wishes for our conditions. Thanks also for dropping by again.

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  25. Wonderful sequence of beautiful flowers. Everything looks so lush and lovely.

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    1. Thank you Carver for the visit and appreciation.

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  26. my mom told me that chicken doesn't like rain. your flowers certainly are loving the rain, although some are bruised. i haven't seen a Gaillarda before...it's pretty.

    Today's Flowers

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    1. Hi Luna, yes chickens don't like rain, but as you can see, this photo is already after the rains. You wont see a Gaillardia here, as i discussed above it is sent by a friend blogger from the US and is still acclimatizing in our tropical conditions. Thanks for the visit.

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  27. These flowers are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing them. I have read about the terrible floods over there, and am happy that you are okay.

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    1. Thank you very much Denise, certainly appreciate it. It has been sunny for a few days with occasional drizzles, but some low-lying areas are still flooded. Unfortunately, typhoons are always coming sending us more rains.

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  28. Lovely post...that Duranta is so lovely!

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    1. Thanks Scott for visiting. I always associate your name with awesome photos!

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  29. A delight to go through your photos! The Duranta is special and I love the butterfly you captured.

    Kanak

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  30. Beautiful sharing. Of course after the rain blooms become fresh and healthy. BY the way I love chicken in my plate not in garden.

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  31. In spite of the haevy rain, you still have many lovely blooms in your garden. I have fewer flowers during this wet season. The flowers look very soaked through and limp too.

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