edenstrauss

Golden Trumpet Flowering Climber (Scientific Name : Allamanda cathartica) This is a flower that is pretty commonly found in nurseries and even at some public places. They resembled morning glory which is also a creeper. For more information about the plant, please visit National Park's Flora & Fauna Web at the following link: http://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/

Have u ever tried leaving all the doors to these new cabinets opened? Meaning that airing them prior as long as it's permissible before they are being used for storage purposes?

Purchasing my gardening supplies ... Eversince I started gardening, I had been obtaining my gardening supplies from the following nursery which had been reputed to be in business for a very long time: The nursery is within walking distance (2-minute walk for fast strollers like myself) from Kovan MRT station & Heartland Kovan, located infront of the carpark (and across the wet market). The gardening supplies I've bought from this nursery thus far includes gardening soil (of both organic & non-organic nature), water (pressure) sprayer, fertiliser, flower pots, plants, etc. There's a huge variety of plants available for sale & I love the hibiscus plants, orchids which are evergreens that were found in their nursery. However much as I liked these plants, my flat has got limited access to the morning sun which is necessary for gardening. So to date, I've not bought that many pots of plants from any nursery.

Step 1: We tried extracting the plants with its existing roots from the pot. However, it was a tall order as the plants were already root-bound from the interior of the pot. The plant & its existing soil were stuck fast inside the old flower pots which were made of plastic. As such, my hubby broke the plastic pot by breaking it up in sections after pulling at its tapered rim. It was only then that we manage to free the plant with its existing roots & old soil from the old pot. Step 2: We cut out a section of green gauze such that it was large enough to be placed inside the flower pot at its base to cover the holes. This is to prevent the soil from being washed out of the flower pot when watering the plants in the morning. Step 3: After placing in the green gauze, gardening soil is then poured into the pot such that the new soil level (with the plant & its old soil) should fall a couple of inches below the rim of the new flower pot. As we were filling in the sides of the pot with new gardening soil, we had given the pot a little shake on & off so as to allow the new soil to fall through the gaps. To ensure that there are no "air pockets", we had used a small spade to tuck in the new soil. Step 4: Once repotting is completed, we had watered the plants at the soil bed generously until water had trickled out from the bottom of the new flower pots. This is an indication that the plant already had a sufficient intake of water. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they would work out well in their new homes!

Repotting process: Finally, we have completed repotting these "Ginger" plants. It was an arduous experience & if u asked me whether I would like to go through it again, the answer is a NO becox just once is enough. We took more than half an hour to repot & clean up the mess. Firstly, it was our first time repotting plants. We were faced with lot's of uncertainty but we still have to do it because the roots were showing up in an entangled mess at the surface of the pot. Secondly, the plants weren't standing straight as they were already crooked & bent outwards at an angle to catch the sunlight. It was extremely tough to imagine not damaging any parts of the plants while repotting. And a challenge to figure out ways in minimising any possible damages, injuries on the plant. It's a pity that we didn't manage to take any photographs of the root-bound base of the plants as we were too engrossed in ensuring that we were doing a good repotting of the plants.

Photograph of a new adult spotting a very fat stem and a huge, thick red "corn" with a day-old flower bud whose nectar had already been sucked dry by an Olive-backed sunbird.

The Chinese lantern being flanked by another breed of Hibiscus:

Hibiscus schizopetalus continued ... The buds of these blooms resembled smooth-skinned peanuts as shown in the photograph below: More photographs of the red lanterns

Hibiscus schizopetalus To start with, we didn't know that this was also a breed of Hibiscus because the flowers looked nothing like the typical Hibiscus. The Schizopetalus Hibiscus was said to be a weeping tree hibiscus. Its flowers are characterised by a parachute-like appearance and can be identified by the dangling stamen and lacy petals. It does look like a pretty, red chinese lantern, which explains why it is also commonly known as the Chinese Lantern / Japanese Lantern. A less desirable nickname is the Skeleton Hibiscus. Don't you think that these flowers look like pretty chinese lanterns with tassels & dangling from the branches? When we first spotted the plant at Pasir Ris Park, it looked quite pathetic although there were plenty of freshly bloomed flowers. Its stature resembled nothing like what we have seen in the photograph attached below. The photograph's version of the Hibiscus looked really healthy with good growth of green leaves. The version in Pasir Ris Park looked neglected & quite "bare", to the extent that there were only 3 to 4 stalks of leaves on the stem even though there were 5 hibiscus flowers growing from it.

HIBISCUS Hibiscus flowers are a common sight found in the private gardens of homes & nurseries all year round. I've tried my luck on Hibiscus but they were tough on me & would usually die off as they require alot of sunlight. The nurseries had also advised me that Hibiscus plants are prone to diseases and not advisable for homes that do not receive much sunlight. (Rule of thumb: Flowering plants require adequate sunlight to survive & bloom) The Hawaiian Salmon As I couldn't find the breed of this Hibiscus flowering plant from the National Park's website, I've looked elsewhere & found that it's known as the Hawaiian Salmon. The colour of such breeds of Hibiscus does look like the meat of cooked salmon. They are characterised by hanging multi-coloured flowers & are fast growing. According to sources, they are good for outdoors.

More photographs on the Honolulu Creeper ... I love the saturated shades of pink! Don't they look yummy?

Honolulu Creeper (Scientific Name : Antigonon leptopus) I think most of us would find this creeper a very common sight especially decades ago when Singapore isn't as urbanised as these modern times. I used to recall that many old houses in the past were surrounded by green or even rusty wire mesh-like fencing & they would be flanked by Honolulu Creepers or Blue-bell plants. These Honolulu Creepers had a lengthy list of commonly-known-as names, such as the Chinese Love Vines, Chain of Love, Hearts on a Chain, Queen's Wreath. Which speaks alot on love & romance... Since the Honolulu Creeper is so closely associated with love & romance, and has such a saturated tone of fuchsia pink, then it must be an auspicious flower to be grown in parks & perhaps, the Registry of Marriage could consider having such creepers planted within its vicinity too! I've incidentally fished out its chinese name from National Park's website, which says: 珊瑚藤 or 朝日藤. For more information about this flowering shrub and other types of plants or animals, please visit National Park's Flora & Fauna Web at the following link: http://florafaunaweb...ov.sg/Home.aspx

More photographs on the Orange Cosmos shrubs ... A weather-beaten shrub after a heavy downpour that took place throughout the day: Applying softening effects on this photograph to achieve a dreamy effect:

Orange Cosmos (Scientific Name : Cosmos Sulphureus) We noticed that butterflies love them and the shrubs of these orange blossoms were found to be clustered in Pasir Ris Park. And these orange, cheery-looking flowers had definitely added alot more vibrance to the palette of colours in any garden. This photograph shows the yellow version of the flower, which is not as abundant in bloom as compared to its orange counterparts: Photographs of its shrub with pretty orange blooms (with a few yellow versions):

Madagascar Periwinkle (Scientific Name : Catharanthus roseus) Periwinkle flowers are not my favourite. I used to see them all over along the streets during my childhood. In my opinion, I always had the impression that they are "weeds" ...

U might want to ask your neighbours to start talking once your contractors are in your house.

Hv u bought ur flat already?

4-o-clock Flower Shrub (Scientific Name : Mirabilis jalapa) This is a flowering shrub that was found in my granny's home garden while I was a kid. I could still recall one of my sisters stuffing the seeds into her nose & being admitted to the hospital when the seed got stuck at the entrance of her nostril! I was quite surprised when I learnt that the shrub's country of origin was in Peru, which explains why it was also known as the Marvel of Peru. Whoa, that's a loooong drift all the way here to Singapore ... Seeds of the flowering shrub which are easily collected by picking on the black ones as shown in the photograph below. These seeds would then germinate easily in the soil & grow into seedlings, which would subsequently develop into a flowering shrub if the conditions are right. Photographs (of the 4-o-clock flowering shrub) taken by my hubby at the Pasir Ris Park: For more information about this flowering shrub and other types of plants or animals, please visit National Park's Flora & Fauna Web at the following link: http://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Home.aspx It's a plant & animal dictionary and is definitely useful & informative.

The Seven Golden Candlesticks continued ... Please allow me to share my experience with this plant. I had a strong & long-standing affinity with this plant as far back as in the 1980s. As a child, my skin had been frequently plagued with problematic skin. My feet would break out in blistered-like rashes & itch throughout the day. The skin on my feet didn't just break out in sores during childhood but the skin started peeling to the extent that it became scaly. Dermatologists were consulted but the condition couldn't be cured. In fact, the condition was making its way upwards from my foot soles all the way up to my ankles. To sum it up, my feet was not only gruesome looking but it was rotting with a bad stench! It was during a fateful trips to one of the dermoatologists in a private hospital where the adults in the family chanced upon an old aunty whose also a patient. She told my parents to visit her bungalow as she had a plant that could cure my skin condition. As we were all driven out of desperation, we accepted our invitation & drove up to her place. That was the very first time when we got to know all about this miraculous plant known as the Seven Golden Candlesticks. Method: The old aunty cut down about 5 stalks of leaves from her plant & my grandma rinsed them in water prior to boiling them in a metal pot of water. Once the leaves were boiled & cooked, you will notice that the "soup" is a shade of green. The "soup" is then transferred into a huge aluminium of enamel-coated basin. While the liquid is still hot after boiling, I would force my feet into the basin & I assure you that this procedure should be done at every user's discretion. My threshold for heat is pretty high. Needless to say, it still hurts a big deal! However, I must say that the "soup" of this Seven Golden Candlesticks works best when it is still hot (not lukewarm) because the hot temperature seemed to have a catalytic effect on curing the stubborn skin condition for my feet. When my condition was extremely bad in the beginning, there was a stinging sensation during the feet soak. It hurt so badly that it felt like there were thousands of ants biting into those freakish rashes. The colour of the "soup" gradually changed from a greenish shade to brown! This feet soaking ritual went on everyday for a period of 6 months before all the rashes were completely gone. And I continued with the feet soak for another 6 months because all in the family were fearful that the skin condition might just relapse. The results were remarkable becox not only did the skin on my feet heel, the skin texture looks good too! This is a humble photograph of the current condition of my feet after a painstaking effort of adopting an intense feet soak using the "soup" of 7 Golden Candlesticks & I am extremely grateful to the old aunty who recommended us this plant & shared with us the remedy. God bless her soul! So for those of you out there who are lucky enough to own a home garden outside your landed property, I would highly recommend that you groom such a plant - but of course, you've got to be mentally prepared for a huge battle with those giant red ants! Here's a photograph of a giant red ant getting itself transferred from the plant to the wooden shade nearby :

Flowers Seven Golden Candlesticks (Scientific Name : Cassia Alata) After loitering into the premises of the nursery @ Pasir Ris Park, I was pleasantly surprised & elated when I spotted an abundance of this marvelous breed of medicinal plant known as the Seven Golden Candlesticks. Its scientific name is Cassia Alata. And because its medicinal uses are varied across cultures, it is also commonly known as the Candle Bush, Gelenggang in Malay or Akapulko in Philippines. I've been nicknaming this plant "Iron-Fan princess" because the shape of its leaves resembled that of the Iron-Fan pricess' magical Iron Fan in the chinese folklore of fairies known as Journey to the West where the mischievous Monkey King dealt with devils & evil spirits who were hankering after the flesh of his guru, Tripitaka. As the plant produces alot of nectar, it attracts many huge red ants who were eager to get a share of food. For the plant to survive, it requires plenty of sunlight to flourish. The photograph below shows a picture of a spray of flower that stands tall on the top of its plant. For more information about the plant, please visit the following website: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/candlesticks.htm

Pls share with me feedback on ur daikin aircon & installer after u guys have tried & tested for say a couple of months.. My 15 yr old Fujitsu has refused 2 die out & is still slugging on with loud humming sounds. But once it breaks down, we'll be replacing it straight away. Thanks in advance!

Dear forum members, I have contemplated carefully prior to setting up this thread so as to benefit any potential customers who are considering getting their kitchen appliances from the above mentioned brand here in Singapore. I am a genuine customer whose been gathering relevant information about kitchen cooking hoods so as to make an informed decision on which brand & model to purchase for my kitchen. My perception is such that what use would a cooking hood be if it doesn't perform in sucking in cooking fumes. Paying alot for a white elephant or one that breaks down frequently are undesirable issues. I had called up a few brands & although I had been pretty happy with the service, information I've received as a potential customer, I was very concerned over the 1 year warranty without any option for an extension. I've decided to call Rhoyxon (http://www.rhoyxon.com/) & got to speak to an old "ah-beng" uncle who spoke in chinese, telling me to speak hokkien. Anyway, I spoke to him in chinese & typical of an ah-beng, he was already not well-groomed to take on calls with a customer. He was unapproachable to start with & the tone used was condescending. He was extremely rude when I told him that 6 months warranty for the cooking hood was unacceptable & I tried to negotiate for a longer warranty period. He became extremely defensive & started chewing me up over the phone. He told me off in an extremely crude manner that Rhoyxon has been in the Singapore market for more than 30 years, that it was a very well-known brand. And as a result, lengthy warranty periods are all RUBBISH. This old ah-beng over the phone also mentioned that all Rhoyxon's stoves do not come with any warranty becox their 30 year reputation in Singapore was good enough to imply that their brand of products was that good. He came close to scolding me vulgarities in Hokkien and refused to identify himself. No names were given & he was yelling at me over the phone. I have never ever come across a sales rep who had such a bad attitude, to the extent that he was swearing at a potential customer who voiced out concerns over the lifespan of a product that came with an exceptionally short warranty period. Since he was so defensive & couldn't accept or answer the warranty issues handed out to him, I told him flat over the phone that if his company's kitchen hood quality is that great, then why give only a pathetic 6 months warranty or no warranty at all (for stoves)?? Was it becox his kitchen hoods wouldn't outlive that 6 months?? For you guys out there, I wouldn't recommend that you consider Rhoyxon. It's highly recommended that you drop them out completely from your shopping list becox you cannot imagine what sort of trouble you would get yourself into when this company obviously has some trouble with its public image. For customers who bought stuff from them, they are likely not to have any aftersales service or it's up to your imagination to conjure what would happen when their company is represented by gangsters! The impression I have had of this company is summed up simply as unprofessional, rude, unreliable, hopeless & a lost cause. An old-school mentality of running the business - the inability to accept constructive criticisms, which r essential in finetuning & improving one's business prospects. Failure to do so meant falling behind times in business. So for those of you who intend to buy things from them, be prepared for trouble ahead of you.

Wow I m so happy 2 see that u guys aren't going 2 camp out there since things r moving on really fast. Ur ceiling looks really nice! Can u see ur electrical wirings where the cove lights r when u make ur way up on a ladder?