Strolling Through The Old Streets of Melaka

My friends from afar came to Melaka this weekend for our a close friend's wedding. I had a splendid time taking them through the old streets of Melaka town for food and shopping. While strolling through the old shops, I came across several shops that used plants to decorate the shops. The plants add a touch of nature to these shops that are located no where near any natural surroundings. Amazing, how these plants add a touch of green and freshness to bring charms to these outlets.

Walk beside me and let's stroll through these beautiful gardens in the old streets of Melaka town.

A pot of lotus and some bamboo plants placed outside a Chinese paper-cutting handicraft shop add an Oriental feel to the exterior of this shop.

A row of Mother-In-Law Tongue plants were placed to cover a drain. What a good idea! I don't usually find these long tapered fronds with pointed blades attractive.
But in this instance, the green succulent with yellow edges in a mass display really beautify this shop.

I am also drawn to these Balinese-influenced home decor shop called Puri Padi. I have always thought this is a spa theraphy centre. The calming surrounding with the lush, green garden has drawn many into its compound.

A water feature comprising of a waterfall and a koi pond.

A grass-thatched roof gazebo greeted customer at the entrance. Next to it was a big bush of tall heliconia with bright red blooms.

Lush greens were so welcoming!

Plumeria is a must-have plant in any Balinese garden. In Puri Padi, there's a big Plumeria with white blooms.

Railway sleepers path leading customers to the entrance of the shop.

Looking at the garden of Puri Padi, one would never know that it's located amidst blocks of boring, concrete buildings!!! The plants truly gave the place a peaceful and calming effect, right? Just like any spa centre set in the hilly town of Ubud in Bali.

The last shop that I feature today used Bird's Nest plants placed beside 2 water feature, with some wooden blinds to give it a rustic charm.

Hope you enjoy this stroll of gardens in the old streets of Melaka town.

Blooming Plumeria, Smiling JC

I posted last May about buying 3 pots of young Plumeria plants. Only 1 pot had blooms when I purchased them. The other 2 pots didn't show any sign of blooming. But early this month, I received a sweet surprise when I saw blooms appearing on my Plumeria that is now over 2 feet tall. What a delight!!! The blooms are dark red in colour, similar to the pot that bloomed earlier. The cluster of flowers is HUGE!!

Posted May 2009 the young plant that I brought home. The nursery doesn't know what colour is the bloom of this plant. I was kept waiting for over a year before I discovered what I colour the blooms it would be producing.

My tall Plumeria that is almost reaching the roof of our neighbour's driveway.

Taken from my bedroom's window, what a huge cluster of blooms!! I am so proud of it!
They look gorgeous! The blooms have been around for over 3 weeks and they are still fresh.

The photo below shows the pot of Plumeria that was blooming when I bought it last May. The blooms are quite similar in colour except that this one has a tinge of yellow on its petals.

For your info, the growth on my Plumeria has been rather slow. The trunk of the plant kept shooting taller and taller. There are only 3 branches on this plant with very minimal leaves at the end of each branch. I was in despair of what to do. Feeding it with goat fertilizer didn't seem to show any improvement. So, while spraying my Lantana and Adenium with liquid flowering fertilizer (the fertilizer comes in sandy, crystal form and need to be diluted in water before being sprayed onto plants), I also sprayed some onto the Plumeria leaves. Lo and behold....after a month, blooms were showing!!! For those who have not been able to get your Plumeria plants to bloom, do try this. You can get this kind of fertilizer in any nursery or hardware shop. My fertilizer is red in colour. Hope it works for you!

Red Plumeria

This is the red plumeria that I recently added to my garden. Yup, it's my 3rd plumeria plant.

The nursery that I frequented in USJ1 is moving out and the owner, Magdalene, offered me this plumeria (with blooms) at RM10 per pot. Without any hesitation, I purchased it.

My earlier purchase of plumerias was also made this nursery. I was offered the plumeria without blooms at RM10 per pot. Till today, I still don't have any blooms yet. So, I do not know what colours are the bloom of my earlier purchased 2 pots of plumeria.

During my past visits to this nursery, the plumerias with blooms were priced at RM25 each. So my recent purchase is considered a good bargain!

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I found this interesting video on urban indoor gardening the Patrick Blanc Living Wall style:

Black Spots on Plumeria

I found black spots on some leaves of my plumeria. When I was at Sg. Buluh's nurseries, I asked one of them what's wrong with my plumeria that I got these black spots on the leaves. The explanation given was those are old leaves. I find the answer unconvincing. I hope to see my plumeria blooming with fragrant flowers. I hope it won't die on me.

Can someone help to explain what has gone wrong with my plumeria? What's the diagnosis and treatment? Appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.

Ground Cover

Do you cover the ground around your plants with other plants? I do. I learnt it from my neighbour, Jenny. She has a beautiful garden that reflects her strong creativity. She gave me the above tiny, round leaf plant that you can see covering the bottom of my Adenium stem. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of this plant. It is a sturdy plant that is very easy to propagate. Just pluck some off the existing plant, throw it into a pot and it will grow very fast. It can be invasive and grown out of control. So from time to time, I will trim them off. But they look really beautiful.

Another plant that I use to decorate the ground of my taller Plumeria (also known as Frangipani or Kemboja) plant is the one shown below. Again, I do not know it's name. I have this plant for many years. So, I am rather ashamed that I have never bothered to check out its name. Can anyone help me with this?