Made in malaysia..

Rambutan... A fruit named after its hairy features (rambut stands for hair in Malay). It is real sweet that planting a tree in your garden means inviting red and black ants. These are red rambutans, there are also yellow rambutans. They are green in colour and turn red/yellow when the fruit is ripe for consumption.

Then we have Queen of Fruits - Manggis or Mangosteen in English. It is sweet sourish in taste and cooling in nature. Why queen you asked? You see.. durian is hailed as the king of fruits for its impactful taste and properties, but it is extremely hot in nature. Whenever there is a season for durian, you will find he is paired with the queen as mangosteen will help to balance up our body temperature.

Take care not to stain your clothes with the mangosteen purplish red juice, as it won't go off.

My little green cocoon

I have recently moved to a new place. No big garden or open space, but tiny little balcony for all my plants. Luckily they managed to fit in to the new place, so I still get to enjoy a little bit of green in the busy city.

I manage to grow a tomato plant. The flowers kept sprouting but no fruit in sight. I finally lost patience and took the plant out, as it is attracting pest like aphids and flies.

And this! My dad bought me a pot of rose from Cameron Highlands. I thought I have no luck in flowering plants, but I guess she likes it here. She has never stop flowering and still going strong even when I was away for a few days without watering. But I did my own research too. Give her lots of water. I practically soak her so that she can stay cool. So for those that thought their hands could never grow anything, follow Edison's motto. Never give up!

This is a plant from a fruit I have brought from Penang. The fruit is called "Pao Teh". The fruit itself is very strongly fragrant but mildly taste. I think it is called pao teh as the aroma reminds you of a good tea experience. Not overpowering but lingering aromatic. It was the fruit that prompted me to attempt planting it. They came out beautifully, but very slowly. Hope it will grow to be a fruitful tree.

Ah.. This is another plant my dad bought me when he was in Cameron Highlands. "Ji Tin Jiu" - sky-pointing chili. I have to harvest it every month as the plant kept growing chilis like there is never tomorrow. For any interested amateur planter, chili is the easiest plant to grow. Just spread some chili seeds in a pot and you can see results in a week or two. Make sure you water them daily and voila. No need to get them from the markets anymore.

Japanese potatoes are so beautiful. The fruit is interesting and the leaves are even more so. I bury the potato into the soil and they sprouted in no time. But becareful not to let them run wild. These plants are so fast, I almost have another escape route via potato plants in the balcony.

This is local sweet potato plants. They are really quick to grow. No wonder people in the olden days eat potatoes to replace precious rice. I was hoping to find new potatoes when I dig them up 2 months later. Alas, it was just potatoes (castles) in the air.

Tropical Gardening - Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale)

I love Jasmine. I love the scent, I love the colour of purity. Hindus love to pay respect to their ancestors or deities with this flower. Asian women, used to apply Jasmine oil to their hair or body to enhance their womanly appeal. For me? I just hope my plant could flourish and once in a while offer me some pelasant fragrance.

Where to get
You can alwyas find jasmine at nurseries. They do not cost much. The price shoudl be around RM5. I recall a greedy tauke tried to sell me a jasmine plant at Rm15. Luckily I did not buy. But please note that there are fragrant type and there are normal beatiful type. I have chosen the fragrant type.

How to maintain

Very very simple! Give it a hot sunny spot, water well amd inhale. Just take note that these plant needs pruning.

Note:

Put a plate of Jasmine in your living room, and the whole area will be fragrant. No need all the synthetic air freshener. Natural living and beauty.

Tropical gardening - Thai Basil

Think about Thai Green Curry and you can't forget the strong aroma of basil. It was said that basil originated from Asia. Indians planted them for protection. Easteners use it for funeral. Greeks say it represents hate and misfortune, but Europeans say it stood for love and sympathy. The mixed feelings is exactly how the aroma of basil is to our taste buds. You may sometimes feel the strong aroma too compulsive, yet pleasing. The herb is useful as it has antidepressant, antiseptic and soothing properties.
Where to get
You could find the baby plant in the supermarkets food department (apparently herbs like basil, parsley and mint are the in things now). I seldom see them sold in the local nurseries. But the lazy thing that I did and you could do is to buy the cut basil from wet market and just thrust the trunk into well drained soil. Water them well. Let them settle for a few days. About 10% of them will survive (hehe..).
How to maintain
The plant is rather easy to maintain. Just make sure they are planted in well-drained, moist and medium rich soil. The plant requires full sun (in other word, just leave it anywhere with sunlight). Water them daily. Done. Easy bitsy.
Note:
The herb can be extracted to make essential oil, but the oil should not be used during pregnancy.

Quick cooking tips - My Extreme Kerabu (Salad)
A handful of basil (coarsely chopped)
A handful of mint (coarsely chopped)
A raw mango (shredded)
A handful of shallots/onion (shredded)
Half/Quarter pineapple (coarsely shredded)
3 small chillis (finely chopped)
A bunch of sugar coated peanuts (roughly crushed)

Throw them all into a container and do a samba with the container. Bon apetit!

New addition to my family - Guppies

I love water plants, but with our tropical weather, it is prone to aedes mosquitos breeding. So I have been trying very hard not to have any water plants. But I have recently obtained some from my company's gardener (with his permission, of course). This is a version of the money plant. Easy to maintain type of plant, where you can either plant in in soil or water. Moreover, I have picked up rocks and corals from the Port Dickson beach. How can I resist from such perfect combination?
I gave in to my desire and got myself a beautiful bowl. But after I had the plant for a month, I found mosquitoes kept laying their offsprings in my bowl. I do not want to use chemicals to spoil my plant or the earth, just to kill the larvae. So I have this - tada.... My 5 brave little guppies.
3 males and 2 females.
These are clear water fish. Beautiful and easy to rear. Now that I have combination of sexes, they can actually breed to produce more little beautiful guppies :)
But what I didn't expect was how intelligent these little cuties are. When I came back home and started calling guppy, they will swim towards me. No, I wasn't feeding them or knocking on the glass. They can really hear and know that I am calling. Hope I am not hallucinating :P

This is the best photo I could manage, as I could not use flash or the glass will reflect when I capture, but if I don't use flash, the fishes are too fast before my camera can capture them. Sigh... naughty little things!

p/s: Will update you when there are baby guppies. hehe..

Tropical gardening - African violet

African violet (aka saintpaulias) are container plants. I bought this flower plant as I was a bit down and need a little cheering from some beautiful plants. I do not know what it is and I am not sure it will survive in my hands (I am not very good with flower plants). But imagine my shock when I search through the internet to find so many clubs and societies for this plant. Wow!
Where to get
I bought it at supermarket. You can find them in nurseries. Or you can just pluck a leaf from your friend's and cultivate from there.
How to start
If you actually plucked it from your friend's, (1) Cut the stem at an angle, leaving a stem below the leaves that is 1 - 2 inches long. (2) Fill a small pot (that has drainage holes) with a very light potting mix. A mix of half vermiculite and half potting mix will work well. (3) Set the leaf into the prepared pot at an angle. Do not set it into the soil very deeply. Water and allow the excess moisture to drain away. (4) Place the potted leaf into a clear plastic bag (zip-loc bags work well) and seal it tightly closed. You may wish to blow into the bag as it is sealed to puff it up with air. (5) Set the leaf in a bright location out of direct sunlight. It normally takes about one month for the leaf to root and another month for the plantlets to appear. The clump of plants that develop will need to be divided when the leaves are about the size of a dime.
Take my advice, just buy them from somewhere.
How to maintain
The plant needs free-draining soil. Do not over water. And place the plant in the sun, as it needs them to reproduce and bloom.
Note
Type african violets in the search engine and you will get loads of support.

Tropical gardening - Bowles' Mint

Mint or Mentha is a widely used herb all over the world. Its history can be traced all the way back to Roman times. There are 25 species of mints and they are perennials. I like perennials as they are more long lasting. Mints are consumed for colds, indigestion and migraine. They are inhaled to relief colds, chest infections, catarrh and asthma. It can also act as insect repellent to deter ants.
Where to get
Mint can be acquired from nursery/supermarkets (they sell them in small little pots). How did was I purchased them from the wet market and thrust them into the soil. Most of them time 20% of those will survive and flourish. muahahaha.... I know. I am extremely lazy. muahahaha..
How to maintain
Mint needs damp or wet soils. Place them under partial shade and trim the plant to promote regeneration. I usually do my trimming when I am cooking. Hehe.. But I strongly suggest this plant as freshly plucked herbs are more fragrant than those purchased from market.
Note
Excess use may cause allergic reactions.

Tropical gardening - Lemon

I know you might say that lemon should be planted at cooler temperature. But what I am proving to you is that lemon can be planted in tropical climate too. Lemon or scientifically known as citrus limon is a good source of herb. Its juice is rich of vitamin C, which can be consume or applied externally for insect bites and skin irritations. Its peel can be extracted for oil or dried for pot-pourri.
Where to get
Just buy a lemon from the market and sow the seeds.
How to start
Sow seeds in a small pot and cover the seeds lightly with mixed soil. Place the pot in a shaded area and ensure that the soil is always damp. When the seedlings come through, place it under direct sunlight. Or you can do like what I did. Just throw the seeds into a pot and place it under the sun. Water it daily and it will accidentally pop out to surprise you. That's what happen to me actually.
How to maintain
The plant needs well-drained but not too acidic compost/soil. You can keep them under filtered sun or greenhouse. For me, I kept them at my shaded balcony. Well I don't really have a choice there. And most interesting of all, you can actually keep them in a pot, as long as there are room for growth.
Note
1. Apply pesticide to avoid attacks on the plant ( I have to cut the plant to cure them of the pest).
2. If you intend to plant lemon in container, stop changing to bigger pots when the plant is at the desired size/height. Trim the plant to promote regeneration.

Tropical gardening - Lantana

I have bought many books on gardening. So far, all these books are great with many explanations and photos. The only problem is, they are all for 4 seasons gardening. Some local productions are too sad. They either lack the variety or praticality. So gardening became my experiments of trial and error. Quite fun if the plants don't die out on you. But I thought might as well share some tips with you guys, and please share yours with me.
Lantana is a perennial. Perennial means plants that can lasts for seasons/years. Lantana comes in more than 100 varieties. They come in many colours and changes colours so that the little flowers in the middle is different from the outer ring.
Where to get
You can find nurseries selling these plants as cheap as RM3 per plant. Or you can buy the seeds from supermarkets.
How to start
Sow seeds in a small pot and cover the seeds lightly with mixed soil. Place the pot in a shaded area and ensure that the soil is always damp. When the seedlings come through, place them in a lighted place but out of direct sunlight. When the seedlings are at least 10 cm tall with stronger leaves, they can be planted out under the sun.
How to maintain
This type of plant needs reasonably rich and free-draining soil. Meaning that it requires renewal of fertiliser from time to time. How to know if the soil is free-draining? When you water the plants, the liquid is easily absorbed and flow out at the bottom of the pot.
Note
1. The plant is poisonous.
2. Avoid over watering or they won't blossom.