Saluting them, bidding farewell

Should farewell be all about sadness, hugs and tears? Not necessarily. I went around the garden before sun broke loose it's monsoon anger...... with Nikon D90, to assess how they feel about us leaving. The plants I mean.

~The world of orchids ~

That is Kakdah's world, orchids and orchids. 

They come in all sort of colours, shapes and sizes. 

When they bloom, Kakdah is happiest. I wonder if it should work vice versa.

Pic 1 ~ yellow orchid

Pic 2 ~ yellow orchid

Pic 3 ~ yellow orchid

Pic 4 ~  light purple orchid

Pic 5 ~ another orchid

 

Pic 6 ~ orchid still  in buds, protruding out

Pic 7 ~ colourful orchid, Kakdah's delight.

~ Cardinal Vine ~

An ordinary flowering vine from childhood days, less seen now, but given some prominence in our garden. They are flowering again and again ~ clear bright red little flowers with white filaments in the middle.  When they climb high into the sky, looking so brave and happy, they probably are singing along with Freddie Mercury (Queen) on that heroic number, we are the champions.

Pic 8 ~ cardinal vine flower among pokok daun kesum

 

Pic 9 ~ Cardinal vine, filling up the air.

~ Lantana, the brightest ~

No other flowers can beat lantana on being showy and bright. No scent, just being fashionable . I remember how the late Negeri Sembilan's Tuanku Jaafar went on describing the Malays... "colorful, most flamboyant". Lantana describes that well.

Pic 10 ~ Lantana, bright orange and yellow

Pic 11 ~ Lantana, teaming up.

  

~ Periwinkle; being simple ~

Another simple flowering plants, periwinkle has that soothing healthy looking leaves with non stop flowers . Being so ordinary, not many like to keep periwinkle, that most end up as wild flowers in villages and outskirt of towns. But as I keep reminding Kakdah..., "it is alright to live with the ordinary, because taking off all the dressings of modern life, indeed we really are very ordinary", as humble as a periwinkle.

Pic 12 ~ Periwinkle, light purple

~ Ulam Raja ~

indeed like a forest in the garden. How  many of our lunches had been accompanied with delicious salad of ulam raja. How many times the little boy from the front row of houses came and said "Mak mintak sikit ulam raja" or translated as "Mom ask for ulam raja". And how can I forget the memorable voyage of ulam raja seeds to London (click here: ULAM RAJA against all odds: a story from London).....

Pic 13 ~ Ulam Raja bush with winged beans at the back.

Keeping in tune with Mr Mohamad's wise words, Mr Shab's J factor where every thing has to JIVE in,  in a JIGSAW puzzle, Mr Jalil's worry with golf balls having minds of their own and young Mr Faudzi's grasp on reality of life, I look at the garden and keep wondering if  farewell needs to be teary hugs and kisses........

bangchik and kakdah

Tanah Merah, Kelantan

garden exotic flower wallpaper

One may wonder why should a flowering plant, so ordinary that it never end up in anybody's garden be considered exotic at all.  I am looking at the leaves, resembling fern or palm which we don't normally see on a climbing plant. I am looking at the indomitable spirit that pushes the exotic climber to keep on growing with new shoots at every available nodes.

This exotic climbing plant is from the old world, the days when children played in a make believe world with whatever around them. There were days, when little girls would take leaves of certain plant that will cause water to become thick almost like cooking oil. Little girls would use coconut shells to cook imaginary food that demand imagination to be stretched far and wide. Biscuits from clay, colourings from so many flowers wild or tame..., were props of childhood drama on stage.

This particular plant was everywhere when we were young. Some mothers would keep them in their little garden for dramatic red blooming fiesta. This exotic plant find it difficult to get to the modern world. Nobody wants them, too ancient I guess. Now I am giving them a chance of life time, for a glimpse of the modern world.

the leaves of exotic plant.
(Cardinal Vine updated)
    

leaves and buds
(Cardinal Vine updated)

leaves and buds
(cardinal Vine updated)

exotic plant on top of trellis, viewed from below
(Cardinal vine updated)

red exotic flower
(Cardinal Vine~updated)

(update: Cardinal Vine)

red exotic flower

I dont even know the name of this plant. I cant click its name from childhood pages. Possibly someone out there can recall, and give back its name...., before it is completely forgotten. We sometimes are guilty of pushing some native plants deep into oblivion.

(Update: Thanks Julie, the common name is Cardinal Vine)

bangchik and kakdah

Tanah Merah, Kelantan.