My Cotton Plant-ation

 

I never knew cotton could grow in Singapore, nevermind my morning sun only balcony. But it did and thrived! Seeds obtained fr the community garden.

I started growing the seeds in October. It took a few tries and these three were the survivors. 

In late November, realising they needed more sun, I placed them next to the low railings of my balcony, careful to make sure the pot is big enough not to slip between the railings and become killer litter! And then I left them to fend for themselves in the sun, wind and rain. And they thrived! Oh my, they thrived.

 Here is the plant displaying all it's glory - a lovely poppy shaped flower (when fully opened) and a developing seed pod (looks like a Venus fly trap)

 The plants start here, from a pot at floor level.

 And climbs about 2 feet!

 

To sprout masses of leaves and flower! 

A thing to note for aspiring cotton growers - aphids like them:( 

2012 Oct - Our little garden

Kenny, Kenny, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
With Kenny as the water boy
And mommy and her toys ...
And pretty Ariel and
Shannon in the tow .....

I have always had a garden of some sorts in the balcony. It may sometimes contain only 1 pot but it's fortunes have (almost) mimicked my pregnancy cycles. OK, possibly in opposition to my pregnancy cycles. Abundant when I am Not pregnant and languishing through my first and second trimester and in the first few months of babyhood.
ANyway, to the present! I have always tended my little patch alone but lately I seem to have gotten a little water boy. OK, not that little since he's 10 but a budding gardener all the same. He wont's touch soil nor the spade but boy can he remember to water and spray. First thing in the morning and evening. And when the mood takes him, off he goes to spray the plants ......
So it's no wonder that my plants are thriving (sort of) under this overflowing care. Of note are the bromeliads - 1 a gift which have birthed 2 more pups and the other a CNY impulse buy which has finally (after 9 months) birthed a pup. I have tried to use unusual containers (see the snail shell and the bathing sponge) Am awaiting with baited breath to see if the pup in the sponge will survive.
I am still waiting for my desert rose to flower and my sunflowers to grow. the keembong is coming along. Perhaps it's all these seed grown plants that have attracted the attention of my little gardener. Or maybe it's the sight of the rosella fruit that had captured his imagination. The rosella plant, of course, fruited in the nursery and has yet to fruit in my balcony ...... one can only do so much.

2012 Ultraman!!!

Mid autumn festival is around the corner. This will be Shannon and Trevor’s first and of course what is mid autumn festival without the lanterns. I picked up a luminous orange, battery operated, musical Powerpuff Girl lantern for Non Non from the Chi Lung pasar malam. Its huge eyes and kick ass attitude reminds me of her. As I dangled it perilously close to her face, Non Non just stared. Then she reacted in the only way she knew how – grab some bits and did a taste test.

Ariel who incidentally is in the ‘Powerpuff’ group in her class, looked on longingly and in a feat of PR on the fly, I passed it to her for ‘safekeeping’ since Non Non is too young. So she is ‘in charge’ and the de facto ‘owner’ of the lantern. It doesn’t matter that she has 2 other battery operated, 2 glass paper and dozens of paper lanterns ….. all the above happened 2 weeks ago.

Yesterday, it occurred to me that maybe Koon and family may not know it’s mooncake festival soon. How can lil Trev be robbed of the experience of seeing a lantern burst into flames as the candle inside it falls on its side? The yelps! The shrieks! The adrenaline rush!

So I eagerly headed for the lantern stand and was faced with the sobering reality that most of the lanterns on sale are the battery operated variety. Hidden in a rack at the back of the stand are stacks of finally! Paper lanterns. The glass paper lanterns unfortunately, could not be found. Furthermore, it will probably not survive the trip to LA. Perhaps they have it in Chinatown? Anyway, as I scanned the rows and rows of garishly coloured lanterns, I spied an Ultraman lantern. Aha! Didn’t Koon used to like Ultraman? Woo Hoo! Wouldn’t she like to pass that tradition on to her little boy. Ultraman! Ultraman! The deal was sealed there and then. And it was sweetened by the fact that it came with it’s own little disco-light-in-place-of-candles. That blue-red flash is sure to induce migraine in my dear sis and delight in my nephew. Ultraman!!!!

Ultraman has been packaged with some paper lanterns (burn, baby, burn!) and sent yesterday. For the record, I did not include candles in the package. I trust that you have left over birthday candles to burn your own lantern;) I know, anything to keep the flame alive. Thank me later Koon;X

I do not want to play smath w Kenny anymore!

12x2=4x6




Hui boon