Kalanchoe blossfeldiana - Flowers for Chinese New Year

You know that Chinese New Year is near when these flowers (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana that are native to Madagascar) make their appearance in nurseries, markets and Chinatown. They come in colours of red, pink and yellow. About the only thing I like about Chinese New Year are really the flowers because enjoying them is free and there are so many around, everywhere.


Pink Azalea, another popular potted plant during Chinese New Year. I remember that once I was led into the belief that I would get flowers the whole year round from a plant such as this that I bought it without hesitation. After the Chinese New Year the flowers were not forthcoming and my interest in the plant waned and the plant, sadly did not survive my indifference. So now I learn only to appreciate them with my camera when I do see them.

Ixora javanica 'Yellow'

Ixoras always enthrall no matter where they are found, no matter what their colours, no matter if they are big or small. In the Singapore Botanic Gardens they have a place beneath the tall trees and they bloom for those who seek them out.

Water Lily

These flowers belong to the morning when the light is bright the best shades of purple are drawn out against the lush green of the leaves. As usual, these were photographed in a hurry as I was passing through. A lady was tending to these flowers, weeding and making them look pretty for passers-by like me and the bee having a late breakfast.

Mystery Flower

Today's flower is a mystery

till I have time

to write more about it. Meanwhile

I have a new post on my blog on places in Singapore

here.

White Hibiscus

I wish there could have been a song written for this flower like the song by Nana Mouskouri called the White Rose of Athens. I would like a song that reminds me of gentle breezes and swaying coconut palms, waves and sunset. These flowers were photographed in different locations over a few years. The last one was taken in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The first one in the Chinese Garden. The one in-between has slipped my memory.

White hibiscus flowers are not commonly seen. I guess people prefer colours when it comes to flowers. But somehow white can be beautiful too.

Etlingera elatior, nicolaia elatior

While looking through my books I learned that the Torch Ginger also goes by another Latin name which is 'Nicolaia elatior'. Initially, I was concerned that I had gotten the name wrong. Getting the names of plants is always a nightmare for me as I am no expert on plant identification. I try my best and sometimes I do make mistakes.

In using Google to confirm that these two names refer to the same plant, I also found several images of this lovely flower. Obviously I am amongst many who appreciate this exotic flower. It is not always that you catch the flowers at the peak when they are really impressive in terms of colour, size, shape and freshness.

Sometimes you see them when they are on the decline with some of the petals browning at the edges. This is still appealing to the butterflies.

When the flowers are unopened they are sliced diagonally and used as an ingredient for our favourite local appetiser called 'Rojak' which literally means a mixture of all sorts of different things - slices of pineapple, cucumber, mango mixed with bean sprouts and 'yu tiao' that are sloshed around in a bowl of special sauce with crushed peanuts. And you could also ask for toasted slices of dried cuttlefish for that special taste that we love so much.

Plumbago auriculata

Just when I was saying that these flowers are not seen often in Singapore they appeared before my eyes out of the blue. Here they are at Lower Peirce Reservoir park lining the top of the slope along the embankment of the reservoir.A close-up shot reveal the simplicity of each flower. Basic five petals with clean lines

When you see them in clusters you tend to miss out on the details.
Beauty changes from different perspectives. In the case of flowers, I find that when flowers are present in a group I am just overwhelmed by the numbers. But when I examine an individual flower I am looking at the character taking in the flaws as well. When the flowers wilt the petals fold up and shrivel giving room to the formation of the seed pods.
When the plant is done with flowering it looks rather untidy. This is the time when it will have to be pruned so that new branches and leaves are able to grow, ready for another round of flowering.
Beauty comes with a price.

Flower for tomorrow

I never tire of seeing Ixoras. They are always a refreshing sight particularly when they smother the plant with their delightful clusters of flowers. This is my favourite colour for Ixoras - not bright red, not pink but an in between hue that is soothing to the eye and exciting to the senses.

If I have a large garden, Ixoras will certainly have a place there.

Coral tree, Heliconia, water lilies

Today the urge to paint is strong but there is no time. Playing around with colours and other adjustments in my photo software is only a temporary means to feed my hunger for creativity. Good enough for now.

Heliconias in the foreground with coral trees with flowers in the background. I cannot recall where this photo was taken.
This photo of a water-lily pond that I thought looked a little like Monet's paintings was taking in Sungei Buloh some years back.

Flowers of the Saraca tree

These trees were laden with clusters of yellow and orange flowers over the weekend. I was attracted to the numerous flowers that worked their magic on me the instant I set eyes on them. No wonder in India the Saraca tree is known as the Sorrowless tree because no one could be unhappy looking at their flowers. I looked at the branches and had no time to think about anything else except how to take nice pictures of the flowers. Then I saw something gleaming like gold caught in the light.At that moment these flowers were more precious than gold because they do not last forever. I just could not resist another shot.Looking at the individual flowers and buds.
Further down the slope a bigger tree beckoned.

Or could it be that there was more than one tree here?
The plaque below the tree described it as Saraca thaipingensis or Yellow Saraca.

I looked above me and saw these yellow flowers on the branches that looked like they were put there by someone as decorations for the tree.

But on other branches, the flowers looked like those belonging to the Saraca Indica tree that I saw earlier.

Whatever their names were, they belonged to the Saraca tree family and I was just thankful to have had the opportunity to enjoy the generosity of these Saraca trees. If, like me, you do not get enough of these flowers, visit these flowers here on my website:

http://www.flowersinsingapore.com/saraca.htm

These photos were taken more than 3 years ago.

Where I have seen Saraca trees in Singapore: Singapore Botanic Gardens, East Coast Park, small parks in housing estates.