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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

GBBD for May 2013

Despite the casualties i posted earlier, there are still wonderful and colorful blooms in our yard. It is just a matter of perspective, or let's say just limiting the photos to themselves, and avoiding wide angle shots. Otherwise, the larger pictures might be a bit depressing. So i would rather convey joy, enthusiasm, life and continuous growth and development in our little corner of the world.

 The gaillardia from its temperate  US home proved to be tolerant of our hot and drought-laden environment.  Its growth is affected, the stems are lanky, leaves are wilted every afternoon, yet it still produce the same lovely and colorful flowers, though very few. The above endemic stingless bee seems to have trained itself already with its pollen.

 These gaillardia flowers are alwasy a sight to behold. I never get tired of looking at them, but most specially shooting them.

Another pot of gaillardia has mostly just yellow flowers. I am glad that there are variations in color from the same packet of seeds. But, I am not sure if this is gaillardia or rudbeckia, can you please clarify my misinformation!

 The Hippeastrum puniceum, which bloomed way ahead of the first heavy rains seemed darker in color. Even the texture of the petals looks velvety with golden glitters, a friend calls it 'pelus' texture.

The drawback of the early flowering is the staggered blooms, and my hope of taking a photo of the hippeastrum hedge with simultaneous flowering will not materialize this year! Of course you know that my hippeastrum is planted on the ground, not receiving extra care or any cultural management.

 This is the red Pentas lanceolata. Despite the dwindling stems, which are very much affected by heat and drought, this photo of the emerging blooms doesn't show the stress.

 The purple Pentas lanceolata photo also looks healthy, but i guess that is how the camera lies! Their stems don't grow beyond 1 ft in height, and the leaves are always wilted in the afternoons. Our pentas receive some watering in the afternoon though, sometimes recycled water from the kitchen are very useful.

Chrysothemis  pulchellia cannot withstand drought, so this is the only one left of the mass deaths they suffered. This is in a pot purposely placed under shade and receives the run off water from the orchids above it. Layering arrangement ensures maximized use of resources.

The drought tolerant Ixora coccinea never fails to provide warmth and beauty, here its hedge hugs the slightly elevated contour of the land, and covers the stones behind it. Butterflies and bees at least have their food in this extreme heat. If you are with us, seeing some of these insects diminish the stressful heat and high humidity in this part of the world. 

One Celosia argentea seedling reached this blooming stage because it happened to be near the bottom of a pot that mother is taking care of. The rest of the seedlings died at infancy (LOL). 


We have a wide clump of this Heliconia rostrata in our garden, i purposely chose only one of them to show here because many inflorescence already dried and it is not a pleasant sight. I've shown the group shots in the previous post. 
The golden shower tree, Cassia fistula, is a sight to behold during flowering. However, ours showed only a few flowers due to constant pruning because it is near the electric post.  Even just a few drooping inflorescence already give a lovely scene. 

Other climates show a lot of flowering trees, full of blooms and almost leafless. This fire tree we locally call 'caballero', Delonix regia, can be our counterpart to them. Theirs show off in spring, but ours show off at the height of the hot dry season. Some of our highways are planted at the sides with these trees, and going through them provides both a very pleasant ride and sight.


37 comments:

  1. Wow, what beautiful blooms, so colorful and vibrant.

    FlowerLady

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    1. My appreciation for your kind words Lorraine.

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  2. Beautifully photography on GBBD. We used to have a lot of Delonix regia planted by the roadsides in Malaysia but they have all being chopped down.

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    1. I am so sorry that the beautiful trees are chopped down, what gets into their heads for doing that! I am also sad when some trees on the highways are chopped down to give way to some buildings or stores. I envy the advanced countries for being good to their living trees.

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  3. I can't tell you how *happy* I am to see you growing gaillardia, one of my native prairie plants, on your side of the globe! Both of your shots are of gaillardia; the second one is not a rudbeckia, although they both are in the asteraceae family, and so have some similar characteristics. Both of them, as prairie plants are heat and drought tolerant, as you've discovered. I am so very glad you are able to take pleasure in this plant's fiery color!

    Cheers!

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    1. Oh thank you very much for responding soon! By posting my questions i didn't know i will be getting the answers that favorably. I am also glad that gaillardia is not like most of the introduced species which are intolerably invasive. I just realized it is very susceptible to mealy bugs and planthoppers. Moreover, it doesn't seem to seed on their own, I am sad they they might all get lost when they all mature. Maybe you can teach me how to favorably pollinate them. Thanks.

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  4. Your fabulous photos are breath taking! Do you have any of these seeds, or gaillardia flowers seeds to share? That would be so awesome to grow in my backyard. :-)

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    1. Oh i thought you are in a temperate country! I discussed in my post some information and characteristics about the gaillardia as it is introduced in my garden. If you read my post you will not ask seed anymore, rather you might still be the one to send me, LOL.

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  5. Smart to accentuate the positive. You do have many gorgeous flowers. Interesting for me to see the Pentas, one of my favorite tropicals grown here as an annual.

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    1. Hi Jason, this post is to neutralize my post before this, showing the casualties due to our dry season. Yes the pentas, i haven't seen blogs showing them as buds, so i posted them in that stage that are as interesting as the full bloom.

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  6. Lots of pretty blooms!
    Such vivid colors!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. Happy GBBD for you as well, and thanks for the visit.

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  7. Stunning photographs and beautiful plants !!

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    1. I think this is your first visit here, thank you and hope you drop by again.

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  8. Oh what a lot of work you have to do in the evenings Andrea but so worth it for those wonderful blooms. As my garden is still so late at coming into leaf I didn't want to take wide angle shots of bare soil :) I see you've another reason for not taking wide angles :)

    That Fire Tree is spectacular and could rival any of our blossom any day!

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    1. Thanks Rosie, unfortunately I live in the big city and go home only some weekends. My 83 yrs old mother and sister take care of them because they know i will be upset it they all die, most specially those coming from temperate country friends. But they are also glad to see flowers they only see for the first time. Regarding our fire tree, wait till you see my shots of the highways planted with them. However, i failed to take them as i wasn't able to take front seats in the bus while going home, haha!

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  9. Tropical blossoms are my favorite. Gailladia fits right in. You can propagate it by jabbing a shovel into the ground next to it. New plants will grow from the severed roots.

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    1. Thank you so much NellJean for the information. I will surely do that for my gaillardia, as i don't want to loose all of them. At least rains started to arrive and plants are now happier.

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  10. So many lovely flowers I haven't even heard of! Beautifully photographed and great compositions. The only one I know is Hippeastrum, but here in London we grow them of course indoors, although there is a semi-hardy cultivar recently released that might do well in my garden. It is quite expensive though so for now it is only on my wish list.

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    1. Thanks Helene for your kind words on my photos. These comments are the lives of my blogs, haha. I am starting to collect hippeastrum and have been exchanging mine with already a few from nearby countries. It is funny that your hardiness means for cold, ours is hardy to hot and drought. Someone said it is easier for them to acclimatize to tropics, than from tropics to cold. I can't also buy online because of the cost so i am glad i have the H puniceum for exchange, at least i will only pay the cost of shipping.

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  11. I so enjoyed my virtual visit to the Philippines. I live in the United States and have never been off the North American continent. Your plants are so different from ours in New York State(mostly). Your hard work has paid off; what lovely photos.

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    1. Thanks for your visit and kind words.Blogging certainly delighted us with alien plants, and I've been so thankful for the lovely visitors i get from mostly temperate countries of Europe, US and Canada.

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  12. Beautiful flowers! The shapes and colours are lovely.

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  13. These are some lovely shots considering the previous post. I hope you get some rain soon.

    Is Heliconia pollinated by ants ? It looks like it might have evolved before bees were around.

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    1. Thank you b-a-g, I actually haven't seen fruits of heliconia, or maybe because we take it for granted. Ants eat those sweet nectar, even sunbirds love it. Your last point is very challenging, we can search, i wonder if there are information. 20%?

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  14. Fantastic photo of lovely flowers!

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  15. What a heavenly array of colours you have going on! I know from experience how hot and dry it is over there right now - your garden really is a credit to your hard work and effort.
    I love your Ixora hedging - it looks pretty and doing a lovely job down there next to the pathway.
    Salamat and Happy GBBD :)

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    1. Thanks so much for dropping by again, you should have come in Dec-Jan when temperatures are a bit down.

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  16. gaillardias look like bees, it's probably the fuzz.:p
    blooming caballeros is a delightful sight.

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  17. wow, you have some gorgous and unusual flowers. Really nice ones. :)

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  18. Pure gorgeous here!!! WOW are your blooms spectacular!!! I am thrilled you popped by my blog so that I can now follow along with you!!!

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  19. I absolutely LOVE the Celosia! My grandmother used to grow those and they always remind me of her :-) Happy Bloom Day!

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  20. Oh, wow, your today's post is very hot and fiery red!

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  21. Just fabulous hot blooms today and your gaillardia in wonderful in both pictures...waiting for mine to flower.

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  22. Looks like Spring has descended here on your blog! Grand colors!

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  23. What a wonderful collection of hot-colored flowers. I especially love your Hippeastrum blooming outdoors. I have one just starting to bloom on my windowsill; we try to force them to bloom in the winter here, but this one insisted on its own schedule. -Jean

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  24. I cannot choose a favourite, as they are all so unique and lovely! Greetings from Polish.

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