Lagging behind

We have been travelling lately so I haven't been able to keep up with blogging. Also, perhaps like Kris a while back, I didn't feel "good enough" to blog for many a reasons!
Thank you for getting along with me this far, my dear blogger friends. I might need to take some time off.
By the way, I'd like to share my blooming dahlias and sunflowers.

I hope to be able to return to my normal posting schedule soon!

Meeting with friends at TSV

Some of my gardening friends came over for a visit at TSV. Since we have had very nice weather these days, I prepared dinner outside for us.

So out the tables and chairs and while one of the friends were setting up the tables, another friend and I fired the coal for roasting shrimps.

What can beat an alfresco dinner with good friends and tasty food right in your garden?!

Instant planting in a wine barrel

I bought a wine barrel (not really for wine, though) last week and let it lie around idlely because I haven't got enough potting mix for planting. But this morning I thought I could try making an "instant planting" in the barrel, using a few potted plants. This is how it turned out.

I got in there a pot of "grass" and ivy, a pot of rosemary and a pot of shrimp plant. Then I filled the empty spaces in-between the pots with plastic bags and covered on top with pine bark.

It looks natural enough, doesn't it?

Is this a honeysuckle?

I have this plant growing in my garden for a few months and now it has started to bloom.

I checked its leaves and blossom against photos on the net and believe it's a honeysuckle. However, I'm not sure. The blooms give off a sweet scent.

I'd appreciate if any readers can help me confirm.

A new Dahlia

I obtained a tuber of this dahlia last fall. After dormancy during the dry months, it has waken up and is now blooming in my garden.

So far this season, I have three dahlias bloom already.

I always love dahlia and am looking to increase my collection.

The day after

Today, the scadoxus has actually become a fire ball. Beautiful!

Scadoxus bloom

I have this scadoxus bulb for about 3 years now. The year before last it bloomed beautifully but last year it didn't due to my neglect. However, it continued to grow and multiply so much that it cracked the plastic pot it was in. I had to change the pot and divide its bulblets to share with friends. I just keep the mother bulb.

At the beginning of this week, I spotted a scape on the bulb.

Yesterday, the scape opened to reveal many healthy looking buds inside.

And finally, this morning, the "fireworks" exploded! 

Scadoxus is said to be a tropical bulb; it blooms on a yearly cycle and requires a dormancy period to do so. If grown in a hot country, like Vietnam, it will continue to grow throughout the year without going into dormancy and sometime bloom at its will when the rain season starts.
In my experience, when I disturb its roots, like up-rooting and re-planting, it will surely bloom for me provided that it hasn't bloomed previous to being disturbed. A blogger friend in Malaysia, James Missier, once tried to force scadoxus. Unfortunately, the process didn't work for him. Guess scadoxus doesn't like to be put into a refrigerator!

Change for the better

In a wish to make my blog look more interesting to you, I have changed the template and hope you like it.
Please give me some feedback on this.
Thank you very much for your comments.

A night party

My night blooming cereus never fails to appear on time when the rains start to come. And this season is no exception as two days ago, it opened its blossoms. Just in time for me to enjoy before I came back down to my city home.
Here're some photos to show off. Wish I could share also the fragrance, too. Really liked it when my small living was filled with the scent.

At 4.30 pm

At 6.30pm, the bloom opened a little

At 7.00 pm, the scent started to fill the air

At late at 10pm, the blooms still looked good

A pure, milky white

There was something unusual about this plant as, unlike the common "drooping" sight the morning-after, this was what I saw then - the two "faded" blooms looked like they would re-open the next evening.

Didn't look at all spent!

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be around then to confirm the fact.
Do you know of any species having this particular blooming/fading habit?

My daylilies

I'm so lag behind on my English page. This entry will be mostly photos of daylily blooms in my garden only. I promise I will write decently when I feel more settled.

Please bear with me and come back later.

Easter cactus / Schlumbergera gaertneri

I planted these cuttings last year sometime and never knew it was an Easter cactus. When other Holiday cacti were blooming during Christmas time, this plant showed nothing so I thought it was still young.
This morning, to my surprise, I've found a big bloom and two buds on the plant.

Clearly, it is an Easter cactus, and a beautiful pink one too.

It's so much the better because I haven't got an Easter cactus in my garden yet.

Phaius and other species orchids

In my trip to the north last month, I was able to visit some plant vendors in Hanoi and bought myself a Phaius orchid at a very reasonable price.

It's said that Phaius prefers cool weather so I hope it will grow well in my garden.

At this time of year, my species orchids are starting to bloom after their long nap during the dry season.

Unlike other hybrids that can bloom occasionally throughout the year, species orchids only bloom once, usually at the beginning of the rainy season here. Some of them are fragrant but some don't carry a scent.

I like them because they are not so fussy; I just hang them under the trees and they can manage themselves quite well.