plantshomesgardens

Truly Australian Suburbian Stuff

2012-01-25T19:01:00.000-08:00

I have been to several countries and basically talking about lands, they all look the same, different shades of brown black soils, high and low mountains, brown, murky clear, bluish, green waters, concrete creations etc etc etc. but what makes my nook in Australia different? Look at these photos because they all belong to my usual scenery's in Australia..26 Jan 2012 Australia day

some university (Univ of QLD)

some great big rivers (Brisbane)

some burgers

some bridges

some sunset


a fenced garden and home


some lamp lighted dinners

plants and flowers on the sun princess

2012-01-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

they do have plants and flowers on the cruise ship. i have seen some on the sun princess. while taking part in a photography cruise while onboard we were taught how to take proper photos of plants and flowers by using the macro or the flower icon on the camera. i learnt a lot.

i wish that i could just stay home today

2008-02-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

i am whinging..i wish that i could just stay home today and mind my garden. this training at work is making me so tired. I've consumed most of my leaves and can't take a sickie without presenting a medical certificate.

anyway i probably needed to go to bye byes now as i have no choice- sigh-

other than that- life is good- david cooked some nice bangers (sausage) and we had it with boiled broccoli with cheese sauce and rice. ray is also here - he had his photo ID taken at the university of queensland. he will be attending a business management course to major hopefully in real state and property development.

more photos re. our trip next time... good night and happy valentine.. happy anniversary to my better half too!

26th of January 2008 is Australia Day

2008-01-26T04:56:00.000-08:00

It's now 8 years since we took oath as Australian Citizens and we never looked back. Thanks Australia for all the opportunities offered and grabbed by my family. We now call Australia home!

We are in the internet cafe in Changi Airport

2007-12-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

and we were just admiring some orchid garden that almost looks like this....

OK they are rushing me now got to go..will catch up with you when i arrive in Baguio..take care!

Messy Christmas Decorating

2007-12-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

Feature of the month for PMN Fam Pic Series is MESSY!

Putting up the Christmas tree starts from a clean slate and getting it assembled with a tinsel is fine.

The problem of a big mess ensues when there are 3 people who wants to put up something, no one agreeing on the same thing, coupled with a lot of Christmas baubles and trimmings available after several years of building up to the collection. Of course our former housemates of grown up children who had moved on had also left theirs and are expecting to see them up somewhere- on the tree/wall/doorway -somewhere visible as each has its own history/memory..ahhhhh.
Anyway, we played some christmas carols (even this we have to disagree- I wanted some mambo xmas sounds, the hubby wanted the crooner and the son wants some mantovani classical piano melodies-- mum decides - ok we will play everything starting with the request of the youngest one...Mantovani which actually proved very soothing as we calmly negotiated what to or what not to hang...
These are just samples of the decors we have had since time forgotten...
Too many tinsels but i just love those xmas flowers known as poinsettias which reminds me so much of my hometown- cool Baguio...we had them planted around the house...The bar is the last place the housemates thought of decorating so I just had to put the poinsettias there!
So by the time we are about to hear the crooners on stereo- it's all finished so I can now sit and enjoy Bing Crosby's Hark the herald...., turn on the aircon and hug my fave monkey collection- Whitey! before cleaning up and vacuuming all the mess on the floor (unsightly, didn't even take a photo of it hehehe)Anyway, super moms, wonder moms, bat moms, spider moms, dad moms...A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!

from my family to yours!

Desk Top Free View (answering to Teena's TAG)

2007-11-20T01:07:00.000-08:00

More intermission before the main event blog LOL..in response to Teena here is my desktop view at the moment.

Description

My background is a photo taken by Ray while we were inside the Melbourne Jail doing our time hehehe! I thought it's an amazing shot showing the corridor on the 3rd level, each door contains a bust of the dead convict and a description of crime commited and profile of the criminal. At first I wasn't that keen entering this museum but I actually liked it for the eerie feeling, the well documented profile of boarders (people who were jailed there) and even a bust sculpture of each inmate.

Our Icons

The PC is mainly mine but Ray and hubby usually use it as it's the only one connected with the printer. My icons include Mozilla browser, W, Paint, My Documents, My computer IQ Test frog, My Games (Magic Inlay, Collapse), Window Washer, Big W Online Digital Photo, E-tax 2007, Letterhead- mostly applications that I use regularly.

Tag yourselves friends and send me a link.

The Desktop Free View instructions are:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of FUN.

You can do a screen capture by:

(1) Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key)

(2) Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint or Photoshop) and do a paste (CTRL + V)

(3) If you wish, you can "edit" the image before saving it.

B. Post the picture in your blog. Give a short explanation about your desktop screensaver. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.

C. Tag your friends and ask them to give you a free view of their desktops as well.

PMN Fam Pics - Pork N Cabbage on a Stripey Plate

2007-11-05T05:06:00.001-08:00

Anything plated is the featured theme of PMN (Pinoy Moms Network) for the month of November-
Here's my plated dish of fried lean pork (in vegetable oil) with a cabbage dish- it must be cabbage spooned out of a pork sinigang as I can see traces of tomato seeds. This is a common Filipino dish served Australian-style- no-frills

Come- let's eat!

Plated features

Pinayhekmi: Scrambled eggs

Ruth: Filipino breakfast

Lynn: Tukneneng

Mommy Chi: Fried rice and beef stew

Ajay: Because pancit is my favorite dish

Julie: PinoyMomsNetwork Fam Pics 3: Plated (On a Plate)

Connie: Chopsticks on a plate

Cookie: PMN Fampics Series 3 : Plated

KK: Eclectic taste

Feng: Plated on a operating table

Raqgold: Schlachtplatte

Vicky: What's for tea?-Lean Pork N Cabbage on Stripey Plate

Rach: My plated collage

All Saints Day in the Philippines

2007-10-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, the 1st of November. I remember our dearly departed especially my father, sister, grandparents, daughters and recently mom's better half..may you all rest in peace.

A tribute to Uncle Nick and their home in Santa

2007-09-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

I will always remember the time in 2005 when we travelled for more than 5 hours from Baguio to visit the house of Uncle Nick and Mama in Santa, Ilocos Sur. I will never forget that time as we had such a great time, sharing conversations and laughter, great Ilocano food and hospitality.

As a tribute to our step-dad, we will always remember you like this, happy, peaceful and proud.

You had done your great time in this lifetime, here's a prayer to our dear Lord that you shall now Rest in Peace. We celebrate your life by remembering with fondness those happy memories. God be with you always, Uncle...we love you..

Potted fruits and vegetables

2007-09-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

Pot Vegetables and Fruits

When some of my pot plants died due to neglect/water restrictions in our place, I decided to utilise the empty pots as storage for the citrus, apples, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and onions.

Citrus fruits and apples are 'must haves' in my dining room, kitchen and in our diets. The basic ingredients in my cooking are onions and garlic while the tomatoes are handy for instant vegetable for our meals. Lately, I’ve been adding ginger to my steamed broccoli and cauliflowers so gingers became a 'must have' too.

Since I am the chief chef at home, I prefer my ingredients to be at arms length and readily accessible. Having a busy family life, storing fruits and vegetables inside the pantry became quite impractical in my household as they never get cooked or eaten and just left to rot. They have to be seen to be used.

Eversince they became accessible in pots and displayed on the stairs, the housemates-hubby and 17 year old high school son- had started eating them too. They can just readily pick an apple or a mandarin on their way up or down those stairs - those steps by the way lead up to our lounge and down to our kitchen.

Ahh pots- they are just fantastic storage containers...

Other Potted Ideas from Pinoy Moms Network

Julie's flowers
Raqgold's Potted Memory
Cookie's different kind of pot :razz:
KK's indoor and outdoor pots
Rach's Flowers and a Smile
Lynn's Pot Shots
Lady Cess' The Best Tea
Feng's Tagaytay Pics
Analyse's Life isn't easy being a nomad
Purple Girl's Coffee Alamid
Mitch's very edible photos
Noemi's Ceramic Fondue Pot
Vicky's Potted Fruits and Vegetables
Dine's anything potted in Bhutan and Capalonga

2007-09-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is the grand MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) which is a renowned venue for international and national cricket matches. It is massive in size but I thought that the seats a a bit small- you have to be not obese if you want to come here and enjoy a live cricket match. My 2 housemates are fond of this game. Ray in fact played it while in primary school.

Happy Father's Day- to day in Australia and I am not sure if it is in the Southers Hemisphere.

A place we've been recently

2007-06-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Just around town in Chinatown, Fortitude Valley we recently attended a premiere showing of a movie to support our friend who is with Soroptomist Club of Brisbane.
It was at the Centro, located in a pretty place with pretty shops such as the above. I will buy one of those jars one day. The movie we watched was a good one and it's called Paris, Je T'aime
This was taken on Mother's Day 2007 with my other half.

To all the mothers in the world

2007-05-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

I wish that I could take you all and enjoy the view of Fitzroy Park in Melbourne Australia.

We shall stroll the park, admire and talk about the trees, flowers, Capt Cook Tavern and have a coffee and cake at the coffeshop.

In the meantime, let's connect in spirit.

happy mothers day to you all.

Giant Mosaic Frog

2007-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

After a brief reunion with Mon/Dol/Des I bid goodbye to them at the Sydney International Airport, it was a sad farewell although Mon assured that he will be coming back in April with Donna. It's now May and there is no indication of him coming back. He seem quite happy in the Phils

Anyway this big giant frog which is imbedded with shiny gems distracted me from my melancholy that day of departure of my brother and family. It looked so real- a great piece of art that entertains those left behind by the beloveds.

You'll find Mr Giant Frog in one of the many foyers of the departure lounge in the now famous Sydney International Airport.

Sydney Scenes

2007-04-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

A big water feature in the middle of Sydney CBD
My niece, Dessy Dane by the elevators at Sky City Hotel
This is near the Hyde Park on our way to St Mary's Church
A box or a big box of flowers infront of the Queen Victoria Bldg (QVB)

One of the beaches in our vicinity

2007-04-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't realise that these pictures are really tiny, but just to give you an idea about one of the beautiful beaches available in our area in Qld Australia. It's a quiet beach, bounded by Nordic Pines- very similar ambiance to the place we left, in Napier, New Zealand. We always say this everytime we visit this beach- that it's like Napier.

Going into Melbourne Proper

2007-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

These horse-drawn carriages and uniformed horsemen actually still exists in Melbourne.
Federation Square entrance.
David is ogling the famous building in Federation Square.
In our free tram tour, we passed this edifice which is a Museum (sorry I forgot which one).

Continuing from the landscape of Melbourne...

2007-04-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

The tower at the Victorian Arts Centre- it looks like the Eiffel Tower. Next to it is main train station.
From the rooftop of the Shrine of Remembrance this is the view of the landscape.
The Schrine of Remembrance is a big imposing building.

What's blooming in my garden?

2007-03-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

These beautiful nasturtiums- i love that shade of yellow- very warm. They just sprouted out of the blue from seeds i just buried there and forgotten all about the.

The bottle brush tree had a lot of flowers, the tree was almost red and the birds loved it. I have a good view of it from my 2nd level verandah.
Of course my favourite geraniums near my clothesline. I always pay attention to it when I hang the clothes on a Saturday morning.

Plants, parks and gardens (PPG) in Melbourne Pt 1

2007-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

From the rooftop of the War Memorial we viewed this thirsty (they have water restrictions e.g. category 3 when we were there) tree-bordered lawn
I looked back at the War Memorial and this is what I saw- the building right at the centre of the garden!
Further along is my garden...I mean the queen victoria garden.
This is a drought victim watch, a gift from the Swiss - otherwise it is an attractive feature infront of that monument (sorry forgot to take note who's on top of the horse).

Ray at 17's new surrounds

2007-02-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

Ray turns 17 on the 7th Feb 2007 and he will spend it as a day in high school at his new school, St. Joseph's Nudgee College.
Nudgee Chapel is one of the oldest in the state and it has palm trees and a rose garden.

Ray gets to and from there everyday through the bus. So far, he really loves it there.

Darling Harbour View from the Star City in Jan 07

2007-01-29T03:54:00.000-08:00

Over yonder the Darling Harbour is a city view and around the bend will be Circular Quay.

Below is the lovely swimming pool where I spent most early mornings and late evenings soaking myself in the warm pool.

The Flemington Racecourse in Dec 2006

2006-12-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

Here is Phar Lap whose monument is the centre piece at Flemington, the site of the famous Melbourne Cup that occurs every 1st Tuesday in November every year. The race that stops the nation, a national day in Melbourne!

Christmas Cheers and Trims

2006-12-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

Gee, I didn't realise that I haven't posted here since early November!
It's after Christmas now and before we finally remove and store our christmas adornments, here are some of them in our home right now-

The christmas flower, the Pointsettia will always grace the buffet table. This is not real!

Ray and David's bar portrait is not spared from tinsels.
The coffee table has a santa that turns around with a wind-up musical song. Some of the christmas cards we received are on the table that holds the TV
My favourite stockings- empty inside though.
Christmas lillies (these are real -courtesy of Woolworths) is a feature of the dining table.
This silk wreath had been with us since 1992!.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Queens Street Mall Plants

2006-11-05T02:14:00.000-08:00

Every season the Brisbane City Council changes the plants features in its raised gardens.
These plants look deceiving but they are real- they are actually planted on individual pots, the pots are arranged in a pretty design then they are all covered with bark.
Very effective indeed- you can actually dig them out and take them home- but not my advise as it's an offense to take them.
Bromeliads were the feature for this season
Those whites, pinks and greens on different levels are very effective.

Ahhhh Brisbane, queens street mall- i just love walking up and down this street.

2006-10-22T02:47:00.000-07:00

Shania, You´re Still The One

enjoy the music for a break- she's one of my favourite artists.

Riverside landscape

2006-10-12T02:37:00.000-07:00

I am leaving this wonderful work environment very soon and i want to share with you the facade and buildings and surrounds.

I really love the surroundings of Riverside Centre- very elegant, near the river, right in one of the most beautiful CBD locations- aside from Southbank, this is one of the choicest places to be in Brisbane.
Just right infront of our building is the icon of Brisbane, the Story Bridge.
The CityCat- a catamaran ferry that's an important public transport system in the city.
This is the 123 Riverside Centre, where I worked on the 34th floor for more than 3 years now. The building has 40 floors and was once the highest building of Brisbane.

Our Orchids

2006-10-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Sometime in April 06, we attended an Orchids Expo in the Planetarium in Brisbane and David was enticed to purchase 2 orchids with unknown flower colour. Surprise, surprise, it has now bloomed into a serene creamy-white tiny flower. David was so rapped because he just took interest in orchids when we were in Baguio last and he was quite successful in being able to 'nail' them onto the tree and they have thrived.

Here's the other one, the flower colour we still don't know. Somehow it grew more leaves instead of flowers.

These are my orchids- they are native to Queensland and are better known as Rock Orchids. They were left here by the previous owners of the house. Somehow it flowers every start of winter and they last for a couple of months on the tree. But this time they did now last long as there was a strong storm that destroyed the petals. Luckily for me I brought a stalk home and enjoyed it on my dining table before it shed its petals.
Orchids will be attended more in our retirement....

I know that Ramon will have a Zoo

2006-09-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

If he will have his way but until then here are some cyber-animals he might have

A Tortoise like Henrietta (rip) (175 y.o. ) who along with his boss, Steve Irwin had now passed on to the next life. This picture was taken when we visited the Australia Zoo
Am sure he will have some kambings- goats for the kilawen. This was taken by Ray's group in Sydney 2006 trip group.
His favourite- our cousins the gorilla- he's been dying to have one as a pet since he was three- after being pinched by one in the then Baguio Zoo.
He will probably keep some cows for the much needed milk in his baking.
Of course, the roosters will have a special place in his zoo- this one was taken in Fort Ilocandia during the year of the rooster. In fact Dolly wanted to take home this rooster and wanted to approach the manager if she can have it after the Chinese New Year.
I will ask him to put some of these horses as they are my favourite animals.

And of course to entertain Dessy endlessly and to annoy Donna he will have one of these Barneys.

I hope that your zoo will become a reality one day....wishful thinking. When you come here next we will visit Taronga Zoo or Melbourne Zoo or the one in Dubbo. Promise.

The plants and garden at Donna's house

2006-09-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

I think that this is still the everyday outlook of Donna. I haven't seen her near the plants but her parents are keen gardeners and landscape developers- of their own garden to start with.

Identical mini trees create a statement on this otherwise empty drainage cover.

By the driveway, a combination of ground cover, mini hedge and bushes.

Donna is hardly there so here I am enjoying the Japanese bridge over some goldfishes- but i forgot to take a shot at the fishes but i have it on DVD ( I should learn to translate it to itube)

Would the cattleyas still be blooming for her to wear in her debut?

The fence that Sammy built

2006-09-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Since it's Sammy's birthday, let's just feature some of his accomplishments and one great one, apart from organising the food for the 5000 or so crew of the USS JFK aircraft carrier, is his house fence. His purpose of course, apart from ensuring privacy to his house is to keep the alligators away. That's half the job done..and the fence is even taller than he is- 7 feet?
His backyard with the one who gives him the orders- i mean inspiration... according to Sam the patio is 12 ft by 18 ft and it's being used a lot.
And these are his little helpers- child labor in the 1st degree- these girls will really appreciate the value (nice fence in this instance) of hard manual labour.
Mission accomplished- what a handyman- can i borrow you for a year Sammy? There's a lot to do in my backyard.

Images sent by Sam

A tribute to Daddy on father's day and his great legacy

2006-09-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

Daddy was a keen builder and renovator of houses. When Mama and he were just married, Uncle Joe gave them a lot allotment and he quickly built a 2-bedroom house at first. As the family grew, he added extensions, attics, floors on the basement.
As a legacy, his children especially my brothers worked their hardest to save money to build/buy their own houses for their own families.
We always loved owning our own homes no matter how big or small they are.
Dad's children had spread their wings- in the Phils/USA/Australia
We do hope that our children will continue the legacy of the importance of a good home.

note:my house is the smallest!

Agave Plants

2006-08-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

These AGAVE plants that existed under our outdoor staircasehad multiplied and the more I make cuttings and give them a big clean-up they seem to thrive and shoot more baby plants. This plant was already there when we bought the house. They are the 'in' plant at the moment on this this part of the world. They are considered as succulents and require very little care and watering. I have transplanted quite a few and they are all thriving too.

Hibiscus or Gumamela in the Phils

2006-08-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

This Hibiscus plant is nearly 3 years old- it hasn't grown much but it's always blooming.
I was about to prune the stems but everytime I try to do it, new buds are present.
Finally this weekend, I was able to trim a couple of branches. One of which I stood in a jar with water.
I hope to propagate another bush or so as I just love those lovely giant flowers. It simple melts your heart! They are very photogenic too.

Look this orchid is starting to bloom!

2006-08-13T03:57:00.000-07:00

This specie of orchid that's grown on the bark of the paper tree, a legacy of the former owners of the house had shot a stem and is flowering! I will research for the name- wait till the orchid exhibits come back and i will get the name for you. There used to be a cream and yellow flowering ones and those flower shoots are out, one each per plant and I do have several.
My spider plant had also thrived under the shade- I can propagate it now into several plants.
It is the last month of winter and in September it will be spring here. I prefer the wintry months as it reminds me very much of my hometown in Baguio. But it will be gone soon.

Plants and Parks in Hongkong Feb 2005

2006-08-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

In February 2005, David, Viv, Ray and I stopped over in HongKong on the way home to Brisbane from the Philippines. We saw a very different landscape in HK, hilly with a lot of high rises that seem to sprout from the ground. The day and night views were simply spectacular. It was also the celebration of the Chinese New Year (at that time, it was the year of the rooster).

On the Promenade where we saw the hand and fingers of Jackie Chan, the famous actor, we can't help but pose infront of this fragrant carnation (real too) Chinese character, which we don't have any idea what it means.
Walking down Kowloon's main thoroughfare, this is the park that we saw, following a stairway that lead up to a temple. These were sculptures that were on display.
And there was a pond with a fountain and these ducks...peking ducks?
It's quite a big park with a big pond - which I think is more like a lake...but we remembered that there was an epidemic called bird's flu so we hurriedly left the beautiful place when we saw more ducks and pigeons coming.
We emerged on a very posh street that had real orchid plants and flowers along its sidewalk. Gee bird's flu certainly spoils a lot of fun!

The boarders of Taronga Zoo, Sydney Australia July 2006

2006-08-01T02:52:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken by some of Ray's group mates during their visit to Sydney, Australia in July 2006 The Lion King
The 'teddy' bear
The billy goat's gruff
The other billy goats enjoying the Sydney harbour (lucky goats)
The ever graceful giraffe
Close up of Mr Giraffe
The stripey Zebra

What's blooming in July 2006 in my little garden?

2006-07-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

Kamote, or kumura or sweet potatoes- had been harvested and eaten. And so were the passion fruits- not my plant but my Malaysian friend, Rosie's plant.
My next door neighbour's little bush of colourful azaleas.
I think this is called Honesty- clap them in between your hands and you will hear a popping sound- there probably isn't much for you to pop as i've popped most of them. They just come out in winter.
My little bed of flowers that added colour to our front yard- petunias and dianthus.
The orchids on the paper tree- legacy of previous owners of the house- stalks are coming out already and they always do, every year. They are also the most neglected plants in my garden.
Striped impatiens are also blooming- their fruits are my favourites as they also pop and curl- i scared David with one of its fruits once...i got one ripe one, almost bursting, asked him to close his eyes and extend his hands out - which he did... i placed the fruit in the middle of his palm and i asked him to slowly close his hand - and when he almost closed it, it went POP and rolled and curled - and he yelled out ahhhhh and thought it was a living thing. You can guess that he chased me around the house....LOL i like to tease David...
These petunias are so white and those dianthus are just good complements of the petunias.

Happy planting...

Our Fence is Finished but...

2006-07-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Our front fence is finished- apart from the bushes that we planted in between the posts need to grow... I keep on giving them a 'haircut' as someone said that this will make them thrive.

But , this side of the fence where the letterbox is, the bricks in between are just temporary. we have not decided yet whether to put up a gate here or a walkway.

David tried to kill off this tree as it was blocking a lot of sun but being a tree lover I asked him to spare it as I will look after it and will just maintain it to this height...I just love those new growth. And of course David seldom says no to me...he is nice...

BUT a big BUT....he's going to start on a new project AGAIN!...just purchased $800 worth of wood and am really surprised that there are not many of them....didn't realise that wood (from trees) cost so much....let me say that it's just worth a bit over an IPOD+accessories- and digicam here....well I guess it's money( actually loan from the credit card- where else?) well spent as it's going to add value to the house.

Will monitor the progress of this project...apparently it will be 3 meters long and it's suppose to be a carport but for the meantime we will use it like a plant nursery of sorts- for his orchid collection (he has 2 in the pot so far and 2 nailed on a tree)...hopefully i can propagate succulents and geraniums here too....Is it his or mine? OURS....

New Garden Gadgets and others

2006-07-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

David and I finally bought our first cybidium orchid at Big W in Strathpine- Ray is not here, he just went down to Sydney so it was a great opportunity for us to go out of our suburb to the shopping centre in Strathpine and we found this orchid plant in full bloom. So here- we have started our own version of Orchidarium- for the meantime it is gracing my living room.

Here are some of the other plants that we bought- tomatoes, and herbs- mint, coriander and oregano. They are my most popular herbs which I use in cooking or add on salads.
Alleluia! I have produced one red jalapeno chili. This little chili plant had 2 small green chilis when I bought it. Several weeks later, more chilis and look, there is one red one. I will add it to my beef or chicken curry next time. Although I already have quite enough garden gadgets, these 2 beauties were half price at Woolworths, just under $5 each and they are stainless steel too. The poker is a new one for me- and it's a good replacement of the fingers and thumb- mine of course - which I use to poke a hole on the pot/ground to plant seedlings.
Bunnings is Australia's answer to Home Depot in the U.S. David goes here a lot, being a handyman and the builder of our house extension. I tag along with him of course and thank God that they now have products that are appealing to the female gender like plants, outside furniture, lightings, carpets, etc. Why is it that if an item is on special sale, we suddenly find a use for it then buy it on impulse even though it's not on our list.
Just uplloaded this funny image from big-boys.com. I think that if I ever visit the Great Wall I will go to the loo (tactful australian term for toilet) first before starting the trek.

This is a very artificial rose uploaded from one of my email FW mates. I am amused by those glitters but not anymore attracted to diamonds as i have turned my aesthetic preference to nature- plants, flowers, landscapes and to man made parks, buildings, the art and paintings. I believe that our taste and preferences change as we mature and as we are more exposed to different things available around the world...won't venture into the universe as I can't really fathom the quintessence of my being.

Have also updated my events and people see you there.

Bromeliads

2006-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

My Botanica Random House 1998 book is getting some good use nowadays as I looked up The
Bromeliads. And here goes...

The 50 or so species of Bromelia are scattered through South America and parts of Central America and the West Indies. They are mostly ground-dwelling perennials resembling pineapple plants, with strong, hooked spines along the margins of their long stiff leaves which generally turn a bronzy color in strong sun. The leaves form large rosettes which in some species can multiply by sending out long rhizomes to make extensive clumps. A stout flower spike arises from the center of the rosette surrounded by leaf-like bracts that may be brilliantly coloured.

I have just started a collection and I have 4 kinds now. The first one was acquired one year ago in a garage sale. The others were from K-mart and the flea market. It's a hardy plant, very suitable for Queensland conditions so I think that I shall propagate this plant.

images by vfa collections

Geranium- my all time fave plant in my garden

2006-06-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Geraniums are so easy to grow. I have known these flowers since my childhood days in Baguio because of their attractive petals, five in all for the standard plant. I used to 'paste' the petals on my little fingernails and they look like nailpolish.

They are easily grown from cuttings, low maintenance, disease and pest resistant and they seem to flourish with flowers all the year round.

My small collection includes those that produce white, red-orange, deep read and pink flowers. They also have a scent, which I don't particularly dislike. Their foliage are nice rounded type sometimes with a tinge of a dark green around it. With or without flowers they do look attractive.

A nice garden in my neighbourhood

2006-06-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

When I walk up to the bus stop I just stop and admire this garden.

Once, the old man who probably tends it came out of the door and I told him how I always stop and look at his plants I can never forget the smile and the thanks he gave me like he looked more motivated to do it all the time. I expressed my enjoyment in watching the day to day growth and eventual blossoming of the flowers.

He plants different types of flowering plants and changes them 3 x a year I think.
I wonder if I will ever have the time to do this. In my retirement perhaps...I have a lot of gardening books and magazines.

Snow Tree

2006-06-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

I am not sure about the name of this bush/tree but most houses around my area have it. I just call it snow tree as during this time, winter time, it's covered with white leaves/petals and it's a pure white cloud-like plant, that sparkles in the dark and it looks sooooo white at daytime. The flowers last for at least a month. Next door neighbour had it first. I went to buy a pot at K-mart 3 years ago and it's grown to this bush-it's also spreading little ones around- i must have 3 or 4 new growths- very spindly ones. I have to prune it a bit after the flower's gone to encourage new growth and a good show.

Calamansi (filipino lime) bush dream come true

2006-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

In our family home in Aurora Hill, Baguio Phils Dad and brothers planted a lot of lime bushes at the back of the house. Daddy and Mama discovered the art of 'marcoting' and they went to marcot and propagate most bushes. We even had some coffee trees growing at the side of the house near Mr. Estacio's fence. We always had enough coffee barako supply for a year. But that will be in another blog. Going back to the endless supply of lime, we always served freshly pressed lemonade (we had this calamansi crossed with lime which had a bigger fruit and a lime-ey taste) to our guests- sometimes Mama will wonder how come the sugar went so fast-- we can't afford to buy soft drinks then...

Ever since I came overseas, I have always dreamed of planting a calamansi bush in my backyard. I have had 2 attempts- first was to propagate from seed a plant- which I did but then when we went for a long holiday, it dried up. The 2nd was when I bought one from Manang Adeling – a filipina fr Bayambang who together with her other sisters sell plants in the Redcliffe flea market. This one dried up too for a reason I have forgotten – hindi seguro nadiligan or it’s a poorly marcoted one.

Then one day after coming from the butcher shop in Pritchard, we passed by this garden shop with a half- price sale printed outside- we went in and by the entrance were 2 calamansi plants, with at least 3 fruits on them and they were $14 @ and since it’s half price I got 2 for the price of 1.

That’s been a year ago. Last month, it gave me my first calamansi harvest….yuhoo!

Front fence and plants

2006-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

all 6 posts are finally up- on Mother's Day, 14 May 2006. We have decided to plant some hedges in between them, hasten their growth by trimming them regularly. The hibiscus that's been cut back drastically is still flowering. It's light pink. I must plant another colour- white or yellow hibiscus?

Another plant that's thriving from under our patio is the hydrangea (mil flores in baguio)-

I just learnt to cut it back drastically to stimulate new growth and flower. It's been an easy maintenance plant, I hardly pay attention to it and yet it gives me a lot of tiny blue-cream-white flower. The colour of the flower apparently indicates what type of soil it is planted on- acidic/alkali. I don't really know what blue flower indicates. We had a pine one in Napier, NZ.

Flowers for the mothers and potential mothers of the world

2006-05-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

In fact to all the women of the world who work and sacrifice so hard for their loved ones. Cheers to all of you!

Succulents

2006-05-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

.... the current fad here nowadays and I find them easier to manage, low maintenance plants with attractive green foliage, easy to propagate and specially thrive in a place like ours- near the sea. they just grow and multiply.

zygots flower only once a year. I bought my first one from Kmart. Very dark pink. They need to be cut right back to encourage superfluous and better flowers.

Jade plants (mama called them these but they say they are money plants) were my first succelents here in Australia. I pinched my very first twig along the street from an abandoned plant that was also thirsty (wilting) after dropping the kids off to school sometime in May 1998. I was walking home then. I've planted and nurtured it, pinched the leaves, survived a couple of floods and droughts, it's grown heaps and have propagated a lot from leaves and cuttings. It's survived one house move. I have given a few to friends and workmates who in turn have propagated them. I saw a lot in HongKong placed by the doorway. Guess where I placed mine. It's supposed to attract good luck ($)into your life/home.

Echevarrias (those rose cactus) were my first succelents in NZ (but i did not smuggle these from NZ!). I picked them from Reignier School where I used to drop off Ray. It was overflowing then and were normally thinned out so let's say I helped thin them out LOL. I plant them where weeds would normally grow.

I love succulents.

plants and gardens we saw in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in Feb 06

2006-05-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur(KL) reminded me so much of Mindanao- especially the scenery between Davao City and General Santos City. It was very green. The shrubs were nicely shaped and kept in a miniature shape. KL is a melting pot, more than half the population is Islamic and the other majority are Chinese and Indian. I have not encountered a Filipino here- but we just stayed for 3 nights and 4 days- not enough time as always. It was also the Asian tourist destination of the middle eastern people (citizens of Saudi, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India etc).

The marigolds are very popular, also bougainvilleas in pots, as you can see. Palm oil is one of the major exports of the country. The 45 min. drive from the KL Int'l Airport to the heart of KL City is miles upon miles of palm tree plantation with Islamic Mosques stuck in between. I haven't seen so much Islamic Mosques. It was everywhere. I heard that there was also an orchid and butterfly park but did not have the chance to check it out- so maybe I will put a raincheck on that.

inspiration from mon and dolly

2006-05-01T01:09:00.000-07:00

On our last visit our great Baguio hosts, Mon and Dolly were constructing their home. Now it is all done after more than a year of construction and their garden is very impressive. They reckon that they did all the landscaping by themselves. Here are some pictures of their surroundings. I could really stay there forever...thanks mon and dol you deserve everything you've got having such kind and generous hearts.

Orchidarium Photos

2006-04-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just to give you an idea of what's available in the Burnham Park Orchidarium. I could really spend lots of hours here and of course you can also spend a lot of money hehehe which I did no have much a that time. Besides, I can't take it home with me to Australia. We bought an orchid for Daddy's grave, which we took home after our visit to be propagated by Dolly and Ramon.

baguio inspiration

2006-04-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

When I was home(baguio)last time, there was a plant and landscape exhibit in Camp John Hay. There was an excellent display of landscape samples and plant exhibition that are of international standards. I have watched the Chelsea (England), Sydney, Melbourne garden shows on lifestyle tv channel and the one in Baguio, if on a larger scale can easily compete with these prestigious shows. We have very talented gardeners and landscapers there. We also visited the Orchidarium in Burnham Park and my! this place had developed and grown. Of course, Baguio had always been known for its production of natural flowers, the Panagbenga (flower festival)roses, carnations, everlasting. Now they have the fashionable plants too like the succulents, the bromeliads and orchids. So when I came back to Australia I have decided to start my own plant propagation efforts at home and I will concentrate on my favourite geraniums and succulents while David decided on propagating orchids. We have started by going to a couple of orchid shows in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and preparing the backyard on our days off from work.
Pictures were from the John Hay Exhibits sometime in February 2006

Apart from people I love everything about life...

2006-04-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Landscapes, gardens, parks, wildlife most beautiful things that surround me and if they are not around, i create them (!) or go find them.

Through the years I have taken a lot of pictures of nature-mostly landscapes (natural and artificial) plants and flowers from my garden, homes- mine, friends and family and through here would like to share/chronicle them in a casual way for those who are curious or interested.

I finally found the time to do this and share it with you guys...

First pictures of course are ZigZag Road or Kennon Road and a view of Mt Sto Tomas, my first ever mountaineering experience in Baguio City Philippines, my hometown. They were taken on my latest trip in February 2006. I have travelled up and down Kennon Road so many many times before that I always feel excited when I approach it as I am very near family and home and the cool air and the smell of pine trees are better than any manmade perfume in the world... ahhhh....