Various Plants

Various Plants

A general collection of photos of garden plants not mentioned in other areas

Cola Gigantea. I walked past two very large specimen trees during most visits I made to the Singapore Botanic Gardens . I must of been lucky as I have only seen once, an open pod with seeds in it.  The 3 seeds I saw on the 18th of August 2018 were scattered next to an freshly gnawed pod. These trees have large leaves, grow very tall 30 - 50 meters as seen in the picture on the right, taken at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.   

To prepare the 3  seeds I had collected,  I soaked them overnight in some water, then removed the mushy pulp and then put them in some potting at the soonest opportunity. 

Within a week all 3 seeds had sprouted and choose what I hope was the strongest one to plant in the garden. The one I did plant seemed to be a fast grower, it  was about a 1 meter tall in February 2019, with surprisingly large leaves.  Not sure if I will ever see the tree mature as have no idea how long it take to grow large, which reminds me of the Greek proverb,  "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

Updated Tree Growth:

This heritage tree according to the Singapore Botanical Gardens horticulture team, was grown from seed in 1984. 

2018 August

2018 October

2019 February

2019 October

2020 February

2020 December

2021 February

2021 August

2022 August

2023 January

2023 February

2023 August

Golden Trumpet – Allamanda cathartica  have an attractive yellow bell flower that appears near the end of branches, I thought it might be a climber that would go up the water tower, but it is not an active climber and not really worth the effort, plus it tends to look untidy with bare stems.  So at some point in time I will give this plant a good hacking to tidy it up and  might even get rid of it.  A good hacking / trimming didn't improve the structure of the plant so I grew a white variegated hibiscus next to it, which hid the ugliness and together the two plants have thrived

Red Ti Plant - Cordyline Fruiticosa [obsolete  name Cordyline Terminalis], unknown cultivator name. This is a very red Cordyline, when the sun hits it in the mornings, it does not look real. However the leaves get burnt by the mid day and afternoon sun, so they need a spot where they get enough sun, but not too much. It is really tempting to buy the first reddish Cordyline you see when looking for them, hoping they will become redder, but they will not. So be patient when looking to buy these,  you will know when you have found the correct variety as they just stand out. 

Red Ti Plants can grow tall, 3- 4 meters tall and several of mine are 4 meters tall already and for some I use 2 meter steel rebar stakes to support them. Although they have rather skinny stems, I have yet to see one break due to the wind and use the stakes to make sure they grow in the right direction because the tend to fall over as they produce more stems on their skinny trunks. I have planted these in groups of 3-7 so that they stand out and as the years pass, I only cut the odd one in half and replant the top bit somewhere else. In the picture on the right, the morning sun has highlighted the golden stems of the Calathea Lutea plant as well. As the plants get taller, the ground level space becomes available and growing yellow pandan there at the moment. In 2020 I started to cut the larger stems back one at a time and use the cutting to create new plants, which is easily done.

Ti Plants come in quite a range of colours and have 7 varieties planted in groups in the back garden. I used Ti Plants as expect that they will out grow the weeds there. Some of the names of the plants are probably garden center specific.  From Right to Left. 1 Christmas Ti Plant, 2 Chocloate Ti Plant - Variegated, 3 Common Red Ti Plant, 4 Chocolate Ti Plant, 5 Kiwi Ti Plant, 6 Volcanic Ti Plant, 7 Tri-Colour Ti Plant

The commonly found Elephant Ear [Alocasia] are underestimated plants, if given some space and some time, they will grow to be large striking plants.  But they can become invasive and should not be allowed to seed or you will have them begin to appear everywhere and I suggest that you let one or two grow as these plants seem to give up after a few years.  The root structure is impressive with finger thick roots going in every direction. I have tried to dig one up and move it to another location, but the root ball required to do it successfully it too large without a excavation digger.

Variegated Alocasia is a much smaller plant and I assume that the variegation weakens it and slows down its development. As a consequence had to move it to a better location before I lost it, then after more than  a year it was moved to pot in an attempt to keep it going as it was not growing; again another year later it was surviving rather than thriving and have moved it to its final spot, to thrive or die. 

I have a number of plants that don't make it, even after all my attempts to find a good spot for them, however the variegated parts of each leaf are significant and make it an attraction, so hope the new spot for it in 2021 works. Well in 2021 the new spot killed the plant, it just gave up.

Bougainvillea are natures razor wire, except the plants have great coloured leaves/flowers. I have tried to train them to grow tall as do not want the spikes on the branches in the garden. The plant needs to be pruned regularly and any spikes down low on the stems removed. These plants are the only ones that I regret putting in some places as they grow so fast and they horrible to prune because of the spikes. 

Agave Attenuata. This agave has none of the spines associated with other agave's, with the leaves unfurling from the center spear forming a rosette of soft pliable leaves. Individual rosettes can reach a meter across and when mature the plant will send out a flower spike of 2- 3 meters, then the plant dies. The plant produces numerous offshoots and will eventually take up a lot of space. Best to plant a few together for visual impact.  Some patience is required as takes years for the plants to get to a reasonable size. Have read that this is one of the few agave's that is hard to kill by over watering or boggy ground conditions.

I saw a few Hydrangea at the garden center and got them. I am not entirely convinced that they well do well in the garden as they usually prefer a cooler climate. 

The plants were small when bought and close to flowering, so another year or so will tell if they are really an acclimatized cultivator suited to the tropics. The afternoon sun can make them wilt until a good root system is established. 9 months later and the plants have completely disappeared,  which I attribute to  buying  a plant not suited to the conditions.

Dianella ensifolia 'White Variegated' is a low maintenance companion plant that can add a bit of variety to a dull area. It also produces small delicate star shaped flowers that produce that do not produce seed. The plant is a clumper and stays where you put it. The plant is hardy and can be neglected and it still thrives once established.  Every now and then I get a green version of the plant, this seems to be the original  fertile type that produces small purple berries containing seed.

Strelitzia Reginae and Strelitzia Juncea [Bird of paradise] look almost the same except Juncea has much smaller leaf paddles and none when mature. I bought the Strelitzia Reginae as my Juncea plants grown from seed were taking too long to grow and are still are tiny plants.

If you are wondering, I cut 4 inch orange pvc plumbing pipes into short lengths and then cut the side of the pipe so that I can slip them around my plants this allows the "weed eater" to be used without harming the plant. I also use them to show where a plant is, so that people are careful and do not stand or remove or cut the plants thinking they were weeds as lost a few that way. If I see an empty orange piece then that typically means that I have lost a plant.

Graptophyllum Pictum Roseum Variegatum, grown from cuttings is a small woody shrub with pink variegated leaves that stands out when several shrubs are located together. I have five that made it through their first dry season. My tallest is over 2 meters tall and doing very well in its full sun location.

New leaves are produced on red steps and looking forward to when this plant will produce red flowers.

Justicia Gendarussa 'variegata' is another small woody shrub grown from cuttings with a smokey silvery sheen on the green and white leaves that give it a unique appearance. expected to grow to about a meter tall, all my  plants have struggled, with only one exceptional performer that is busy and 2+ meters tall . I thought that this plant prefers a spot where is can get some shade but found it likes full sun and thrives when it gets good soil and lots of sun.

Amorphous phallus titanum sometimes known as the corpse flower. I had two but one perished and this one has done ok and needs to be put into the garden as got too big for its small pot. The bulb will grow to an incredible size and weigh 30 - 50 kg, producing an ever larger single leaf stem until it flowers in 7- 8 years. This picture might be the last time I see it as the bulbs can rot very quickly. Not the typical plant I like, but thought it would be interesting to have ago. 2019 update, the plant didn't survive the 2018 wet season. 

Bird Nest Fern - Asplemnium Nidus [dapo]. 10 small plants were bought and put in various locations. It takes a few years to grow large with a the diameter of the rosette of  leaves reaching over 2 meters wide at maturity. These ferns are tough and can tolerate dry spells for a quite a while; the plant prefers bright shady areas or full morning / late afternoon sun. If the plant is in the mid day sun, the leaves get burnt and stubby, giving you plenty of notice that it needs to be moved.

Red pineapple [Ananas lucidus] is a plant with sharply tipped leaves that prick you when weeding around it. This plant is just started to bear fruit, which is uneatable but looks good when used in flower arrangements, however I leave them on the plant as it produces more plantlets from the flower base.

I liked its small purple flowers, which hints that the pineapple is not 1 single fruit, but a conglomerate of many fruit presented in a single structure.

Tradescantia spathacea - tri colour [Variegated Moses in the Cradle], this plant is a slower grower and seems to revert to its non variegated state, this is accelerated by the chickens that I keep, they wander the garden as pack, picking and eat the variegated leaves but do not touch the non variegated ones. I like the chickens so there is not much I can do about it. 

I don't have chickens anymore, but I have found that the dogs like to flop on top of the plants, destroying the brittle stems.

Stromathe Sanguine Tricolour really looks good, yet I struggle to find the ideal conditions for them. I put some in a shaded spot where I thought they would thrive and they slowly perish and in another where I thought they would get too much sun; they do alright but not great. So have mixed thoughts about them. 

I have put some more in shaded spot that has better soil that drains water more effectively and hopefully they will flourish. 

Calathea Lutea [Tobacco Plant] has been an excellent choice, I got it because I liked its golden stems, silvery paddle like leaves which stand tall in the full sun. This plant thrives in full sun, they grew from 1 meter to 3 in no time and some now exceed 4.5 meters tall in the odd spot where the soil if rich. This plant  gave instant bulk to the garden. Initially I was tentative in controlling them, now I hack and remove the rhizome as well to keep them in the space allocated. The plant produces a lot of flowers and I removed these before they turn brown. 

This plant is excellent, but the amount of stems that get removed will required me to buy a shredder.

Calathea insignis [Rattlesnake plant] is another low maintenance plant, but it doesn't multiply fast or really do much other than take up the space it was planted in. It tends to slowly clump and send up wavy edged spear like leaves with deep burgundy undersides that can be easily seen as it grows erect up to .5 meters. The leaves get larger over time.

So good looking, but a bit of a disappointment in that it does not multiply. But that did not stop me getting some more and have put them in a better viewing location.

Hibiscus are growing well, the variegated red and white leafed plants have done well, the normal green leaved ones with large Red and Yellow flowers have not done so well and  have been attacked by caterpillars.  I have propagated quite of few of the variegated white leafed plants when I put some cuttings around the garden during the wet season. 

What surprises me is the lack of variety in the garden centers, the old varieties with double bloom flowers are not found any more.

Hibiscus Acetosella. This hibiscus has leaves that look like the Japanese Maple  leaves,  which is one of main reason I have it, but I was surprised at the flower it produced; they are deep maroon and quite tricky to get a good picture as they are very dark flowers. The flowers last less than a day, by late afternoon they have shriveled up. I have seen seed, but not yet tried to germinate

The plant is a vigorous grower, mine grew from a single small twig cutting to 6 feet tall in a few months. I dont know if this plant will become a woody shrub or not as it just keeps on growing. As the stalks are a bit thin, I have staked it to stop it flopping over, another observation is that new branches appear off the base of the plant as well rather than having a single main stem/trunk. The plant was originally growing it in small pot and moved it to a larger one, during the process I noticed that is has a small root ball compared to the volume of leaves, its has., which is why it seems to wilt quickly if it gets too dry. It also recovers quickly.  

The leaves are edible [Not that I have tried], for certain the chickens liked the leaves as they plants needed some protection from them.

Carissa Carandas was grown from seed and a plant that tolerated dry conditions. Not very attractive and have only because I had a fruit and wanted to see if I could grow it. Very tough as small seedling of only six inches in a small pot, it went missing, one of the chickens must have taken a liking to it and discarded it. Anyway picked it up a day or so later and stuck it in a damp area and it recovered and that is where it has stayed ever since. The fruit is small, red and tangy and often used in muesli breakfast cereals.

Silver buttonwood. Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus. Small tree with silver leaves that blends into the concrete behind them. A good plant, however mine have been attacked by an insect and black mildew, such that the trees look like skeletons with a few leaves at the end of each branch. I have now started spraying with a general a fungicide that I use on the canna's for rust to see if that helps.

The trees have developed quite nicely and each are 4+ meters tall, but are still have wirey structure.

Acalypha wilkesiana, medium sized shrub, had three, but the chickens ate a small one but left the others alone. This  plant needs the sun to bring out the leaf colour, otherwise the leaves turn greenish. Seems quite hardy and tends to takeover space if not given a good cut back.

Variegated Gardenia. The flowers have a wonderful scent and have put a couple plants near the nipa hut so that the perfume from the flowers can be smelt while resting inside. 

Have had a couple of normal gardenia plants as well which I have removed in favour of this variety, because it flowers much more than the non-variegated one

Various Crouton's or known locally as San Francisco plants. They come in all sorts of shapes and colours.  

The crouton will flower and some will try to produce seed, although not known if the seed is viable, it looked viable and have just planted some to find out. 

I have put some of these plants in the wrong spot, but have found that these plants do not like to be moved; it is better to buy new plants rather than to try relocation. I have had a number of cases where the plants are looking great, then the next day the leaves wilt and the plant never recovers and then slowly dies, at this point I usually take a lot of cuttings, even then the cuttings are hard to propagate. I have had so many instances where a plant that is several years old, just wilt and slowly die, that I stopped buying them, which is a challenge as you often see stunning variations. 

Blood Banana - Musa acuminata var Sumatrana will lose it camouflage markings on the leaves as the leaves mature, however it will still keep it soft maroon underside. it needs some space as it will try to take over. I hack down the unnecessary plants and just try to keep one large and two or three small plants at a time.  

The root tuber needs to be dug up as well if you want to control it, it took several attempts to remove this from one location.

Xiphidium caeruleum has shiny leaves and presents them in a fan like layout, that flops over. A hardy plant that likes the shade and will take up as much space as it can to the determent of other small plants.  Its spread facilitated by it rhizome like root that allows it to take over difficult areas. It produces a flower shaft, which small white flowers appear on the end of branches. Small pea like seed pods are produced. This is the sort of plant that adds something only when it is not present.

Strophanthus gratus. a plant that is a part woody shrub, part climber that can be trained to go across a wall or kept as a shrub. The plant produces purple like flower buds that turn into short trumpet like purple/pink flowers that have the fragrance of a rose. Once you smell the fragrance then it is a plant that you want more of around the garden.

Karagumoy plant, is a tree form of pandan that I was given with no instructions on preferred environment and just recently learnt its name. I was told that it is used in the provinces for weaving, such as hats. This is a plant that will cut you if you are not careful around it. 

I had several, but only one survived in a semi shaded area and now is thriving and several meters tall. It will be years before this plant becomes a tree. If I had known how razor sharp the leaves would be or how large it is now, I might have have put it in a different position or not have it at all. In 2021 I had enough of getting cuts from this plant and the large area it was taking up, so got rid of it.

Ravenia spectabilis (Variegated) small woody shrub. Interesting foliage and flowers. Not a quick grower and seems to be quite hardy. It took me a long time to find out the name of this plant, at the time of purchase I put one plant in tight spot not knowing that this shrub can grow up to 5 m tall, but that height I doubt my plants will ever get too. 

Hippeastrum - Orange Flowers. I have quite a lot of these plants that are low maintenance and produce showy flowers. I will probably get some more of a different colour when I get the chance

Oxalis triangularis is a clover like plant just appeared and has lasted several of years. It produces small pink flowers. Unfortunately the plant does not seem multiply or spread as would like more of it. Eventually I dug it up and it now resides in a pot.

Dieffenbachia,  unknown cultivator. I put a few in a spot between large plants where other plants failed to grow. 

Foxtail Fern [asparagus densiflorus myers].  I was given this plant, it reminded me of a noxious weed, but its compact growth is different from what I have seen before. Based on my literature review it is probably not invasive, however I have put it in a location that will make it easier to remove if I find out otherwise. The location I put it in was not favourable and I nearly killed it. For certain this plant will be invasive in my garden, so put it in better spot.

Hemigraphis alternata. I was told at the Guiguinto plant outlet that this plant was Strobilanthes Dyerianus, however it is not, but I did think it was a ground cover and bought a few plants to try in a shaded and in a sunny spot in the garden. In both locations it is doing well as a ground cover, but did not know its name until months later. It produces small white flowers.

It is a lottery when going to Guiguinto, half the time the sellers are not around, botanical names are not known, if they have something you want and you see it and the seller is around then buy it, as it might not be there next trip.

At a small plant center the owner was calling this a "Surprise Plant" as its flower just appeared in a pot that was growing a chili plant, it is called  Scadoxus multiflorus. I hope that I can get it to multiply.

Syngonium Wendlandii [arrow head] is vine with green leaves and white spine, it is a ground cover for shady areas that will try to climb. The unknown plant with  whiter leaf is probably also an "arrow head". This white plant just appeared in the garden, but a very slow grower and has not changed much in more than 3 years.

Wrightia antidysenterica  with a local name of “White Angel”  is  spindly delicate looking plant with small leaves that seems to be flower all year round. Not a stunning plant, but it is attractive. My plants are about 1.8 meters tall at the moment

Iris - Belamcanda Chinensis [Blackberry Lilly / Iris domestica]. Quite a hardy plant with orchid like flowers. When the seedpods ripen, they split open revealing black seeds that resemble the fruit of a blackberry. I have yet to be very successful in growing them from seed as the small plants seem to disappear when I am not around.

Unknown shrub that is also a climber. Bought it because I was told it was a good climber and for the flowers, however it has been a disappointment as it does not climb much. It is a terminal flowering plant and not a prolific flowering one at that. Late 2019 I cut it down, the plant was in a position that it didnt deserve, now is survives in a couple of pots as cannot bear to loose it totally.

Sold as "Red Creeper" ground cover, but not really a ground creeper or cover, but it is not a shrub. Its botanical name Alternanthera Dentata, but not 100% sure.  The plants get leggy in the shady, dry area where I have them and not the ground cover I wanted or looking for when I bought several plants. Small round flowers that elongate into longer flowers. 

Asclepias curassavica Milk Weed,  looking forward to this plant attracting the butterfly's. It was grown from collected seed. I appears like a weed in various spots of the garden and can disappear quickly once the caterpillars start eating it.

Arundina graminifolia, Bamboo orchid. I have struggled with these plants, they  have not done as well as expected. Part of the problem is that they look a bit like a grass weed and have lost a couple of plant to over enthusiastic weeding.  Unfortunately in 2021 I lost the last plant

Unknown - This plant appeared like a weed in the lawn, for some reason it not removed and overtime, which was a couple of years the plant persisted and surprisingly flowered in 2019 with soft pink flowers hanging in a  pendant formation , then bulbous seed pods form replacing the flowers and the stem straightens up. I think it could be an orchid of some kind.

Unknown Plant. I stopped somewhere to eat lunch and there was a small shop area selling plants; the seller ask me if I knew the name; I did not, but after some research think it is possibly Pseuderanthemum Atropurpureum purple . 

I bought 20 of these small plants and put them in two areas in the garden. They are now more than 2 meters tall. This plant is also easy to propagate.