Jacaranda Seedlings

Photo courtesy of bamdogo.blogspot.com

Before any ooohs and aaahs, this is not in the farm. But boy, I think this is one gorgeous driveway! They're jacaranda trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia), a native of Brazil and South America.

I've been trying to source seedlings; even just one, as early as three years ago when I started the farm. But I couldn't buy them: I did find them but they wouldn't sell it to me.


Now some time ago, I managed to collect mature seeds from a flowering tree here in the country and we just germinated them ourselves. So now we have stocks, and not just one but a lot! The pods had multiple seeds inside and we were surprised to find they quickly sprouted faster than other trees.

We'll plant some in the rainy season and gladly sell the rest. Just like in the photo on top, it would look good lining an extensive driveway but it will also work solo in a garden or grouped together alongside other flowering trees.

Kadyos

The kadyôs are ready for picking, Pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan)  rich in protein and amino acids. It has yet to be a more frequent staple in the country, quite unusual as it is very filling, tasty and delicious. It's traditionally more popular in the Visayas, closely identified with Ilónggo cooking. Kadyos is the "K' in the acronym "KBL," a dish that has achieved some popularity in Manila in the last couple of years ("B" is báboy [pork] and "L" is langkâ [jackfruit]). Our version below though, has no langka since ours are still too young to pick.

What I learned just now as I researched is it's the same peas that Indians use and make dal with, among their staples alongside lentils and beans. With their largely vegetarian diet, Pigeon peas are a valuable source of carbohydrates and protein.

The Puppies

Vitra unbelievably gave birth to nine puppies! Boy, it has been an amazing six weeks. It is our first time to have a pet give birth and we relish every single day from the time she conceived until now that we're weaning the pups away. Vitra displayed a side of her that we never knew: she became a totally different animal in the first couple of days after giving birth. Frequently we were baffled, at times a bit flustered. She herself looked frustrated a lot too. There were too many new things going on that we had to develop a totally new language to communicate with her. It was through this experience that I feel our relationship as my pet and her master has come full circle.

We chose that she gives birth in Manila so we would be on hand, a vet would be nearby, and a pick-up is always available. But now after six weeks, the pups are beginning to be restless and it is time we bring them to the farm. Space is a problem in the city and moreover, Vitra is also experiencing tremendous discomfort breastfeeding her large litter by now. A lot of times, I remind the staff that it is paramount we take care of Vitra too as she gets sidelined more often than not by the adorable pups.

And I can't blame them if they occasionally get distracted from our dear pet, myself included! Her nine-strong litter are all beginning to display distinctions from each other, not just physically but also in terms of traits, their habits and the different sounds they make.

Half of them display Vitra's physical marks: some have tan-colored "socks" while some have streaks of white fur on their chests. This one above looks like her at the time when we got her two years ago!


And they have the most gorgeous blue eyes! The

vet says this will still change; meantime we are enjoying this and photographing it for posterity. Actually we will have to start parting with some of them in the next weeks, and all the more we should relish every remaining moment we have with each of them.

From My Library: Bawa: The Sri Lanka Gardens

I have long been a fan of the Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa. One of the reasons is that his designs almost always incorporates plants and landscaping into his structures, which are so organically designed that they look like they grew out of the land. 

Along with his brother Bevis, he unknowingly set a new direction in tropical landscaping, which style evolved through years of experimentation, invention, and a lot of thinking out of the box. Both of them were foreign-educated but came back to what was then Ceylon and started seeing their country and its lush landscape with all its exotic plant life through new eyes.


This book, "Bawa: the Sri Lanka Gardens" showcases their respective estates, Lununganga and Brief. Apparently, both places are still maintained the same way until today, despite the fact that they have both passed away many years ago. I have had a guide book to Sri Lanka for some time now; I should make plans to see these gardens for myself.

Sinukuan

I found this plant in a roadside garden some months back; the lady calls it "sinukuan" and until now, that's the only information I have. No search has yielded even a confirmation, all the more a scientific name. I have no clue how it will grow; whether it will be a small tree or more shrub-like or whatever. It has small yellow bead-like fruits lining the underside of the stems.

But one of my neighbors recognize it; in fact he taught me that the leaves are an antiseptic and can be rubbed into a small wound or cut to stop bleeding. I've tried it and it does work! They don't know the name of the plant though, and they've not heard of sinukuan either.

Does anyone recognize it?