Jade Vine

Nothing is more alluring than the extraordinary Philippine jewel: the Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). Magnificently hanging from its otherwise plain-looking vine are these blue-green and purple flowers that look like chandeliers just like the Lady's Slipper Vine but this rare local plant is far more mesmerizing, if only because of its turquoise hue. In fact,I am now in the midst of designing a new trellis just to showcase its cascading flowers even better.

Honeybees

These last weeks, a colony of honeybees have been buzzing around the gardens; another live science class happening literally on my front yard! Admittedly, I don't know anything about them except that they make honey on a honeycomb. Apparently, this colony is making its honeycomb on an upside-down terra-cotta pot amidst some bromeliads.


Where did they come from? Why do they show up now? Where are they the rest of the year? Still so many things to learn...

The Puppy Gym Extension

Some weeks back, I wrote about the Puppy Gym that Bukíng constructed for the two-month old pups. But now, in just a short time, they've outgrown it so he expanded and expanded and expanded...

... that by now, it has become a quarter-oval track with ramps, slaloms, and even a skyway! It's made entirely of bamboo that just grows in the farm, 100% recyclable though I have yet to apply for LEED certification :) We should be selling these!

Chenille Plant

Although I have written at length about Acalyphas just yesterday, I purposely withheld one variety which I feel should be singled out, if only for its sheer outlandishness: it has plain looking leaves unlike its other cousins but makes it up by producing bizarre, tail-like inflorescences (in vivid red, at that) that hang from its branches! Some authoritative references call it the Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida, French for caterpillar, but actually alludes to chenille fabric) though I also have come across the common name Cat's Tail Acalypha. Either way, it cannot be helped that it be noticed in any garden where they produce the red thingy practically all year round.

Acalyphas

Any tropical garden can use some Acalypha plants to create contrast among its otherwise green foliage, what with the striking colors, leaves, and patterns of this unusual family. Some, like the A. wilkesiana cultivar above and below left, have ruffled, serrated leaves with randomly-stripes and peach-colored margins. Another cultivar (below right and further below) has predominantly-red shades with bronze specks but no margins.

A. wilkesiana "Copperleaf" with Golden Miagos (Osmoxylon geelvinkianum)

Another cultivar we have looks just the same as the one above but colored in a complementing palette of green, yellow, and white (below). This cultivar's leaves look like it's not as big as the copper-colored variety and apparently does not grow as tall when trained as an informal hedge. Further below is yet another cultivar with narrower leaves.