Trash and Treasure

All this time I was wanting to have a dried tree stump to mount my tillandsias and bromeliads. But it was hard to find one where I am. Despite that I keep looking and just last Friday I found a perfect looking dried tree in the dump near my home. Perhaps it was discarded because the previous owner had found it could not re-grow.
Here's my found.


The "tree" was perfectly trimmed. Moreover, there are several "crevices" on the trunk which will be ideal for planting.
I'm hoping to turn it into a beautiful mount for my plants. Indeed, if you keep searching, chances are you'll find it, whatever it is!

My "unsure" Hoya multiflora

It's unsure because up until now, many people can still not agree on its identification. Anyway, I'm ok with whatever name it gets.
I have two of this plant. I kept one in Dalat and one in Saigon. Eventually the one in Dalat died on me but the one in Saigon is still growing, although, as you can see in the photo here, one of the growing tips has died.


Despite that, it does bloom when its time come. And here is how it looks, today.




After this flush of blooms, I will repot it. I believe its dying tip could be due to being pot-bound. I hope I'm correct and that it will thrive after that.

Update on my succulent plantings

It has been several months since I last posted about my succulent plantings. We have been through the dry season and my succulent plants seemed to have halted growing.
This morning, it rained lightly - the very first rain of the wet season, perhaps. And here are some photos of my plants.
The "fountain" still looks good, though the "water" in the pool is "low".




Other mini-landscapes are looking fine. Most plants have turned reddish due to the sun.








Although I've learnt that succulents don't like it wet, I have found my plants grow better when it rains. Amazing!

Cross-pollination of Daylily Hyperon & Hippeastrum

I was asked by a young gardener if it would be possible to cross pollinate a daylily and a hippeastrum. Wow, what a brillian idea! So, I immediately carried out the task last Saturday April 10.
The stigma on a daylily doesn't look like it is ready for pollination, not as I have normally found on a hippi. But knowing that a daylily bloom only lasts for a day, I know at a certain time of the day the stigma must be ready.


So I just went ahead with my job and only 4 days later, there was already a seed pod on the daylily that I had pollinated. Wow, really fast in deed!


The hippeastrum stayed the same. Perhaps it is waiting for the bloom to wilt before seed pod can be formed.


It is very thrilling for, if I succeed in either case, I will have a new cultivar of either daylily or hippeastrum. But that won't be until at least 2 years from now!
Well, must be patient then!

UPDATE: I was told by friend on GW that it won't work! Sigh!

Emmy and Earth Hour

This year I couldn't take part in the Earth Hour because I was on vacation. But Emmy, our daughter's pet dog, took an active part in the movement.

You can see how "active" she was in the photo here.


It appears Emmy was "reviewing" the poster, wasn't she?
So cute, indeed.

Rangoon creeper season

All my rangoon creeper vines are in full bloom these days.
This is the one in Dalat.


And this is the one in Saigon.


When the blooms first open in the wee hours of the morning, they are white. But eventually when the sun reaches them, they turn a darker pink.


In the evening, rangoon creeper blooms give off a very pleasant smell. In early morning, the smell becomes milder but still very sweet.
Our morning coffees seems to be more delicious thanks to the fragrance of this blooming vine.

Untimely Christmas cactus

The Christmas cacti I have at TSV normally bloom twice a year, once around end of August and another around end of November.
This pot of cactus bloomed last year as usual, in August.


Right after that I sent it down to Can Tho to a friend because she could not make this kind of plant to bloom down there. After the first wave of blooms faded, she kept the plant for a few more months but nothing came. So she returned it to me.
Now, in April, it's budding up and about to bloom.


Should I say that this plant is compensating me with these blooms to make up for its absence last November?

Neos are blooming

My batch of neoregelias from Bangkok are starting to bloom. That means I will have pups to enlarge the collection. Great!
I noticed signs of approaching blooms several weeks ahead when the center leaves of the plants turned to look more elevated and solid in color.




After my vacation, here's what I've found on the plants.






I hope the mother plants will linger on for some time and give me more pups than one, like their cousin B. Pyramidalis!

Welcome back to Tuysonvien

I have been away for vacation the past three weeks so I didn't post.
Returned to Tuysonvien on Monday, I found these guys cheerfully greeted me.