Yellow Iris and Purple Shamrock

At last..! My yellow iris is making its debut appearance in my garden, after 6 long months of waiting..
Thank God for that :)
I almost gave up on this plant. Glad I didn't. The flowers are so beautiful.

This is how it looked like on the first day.
It opened during the day and closed towards the evening. That was it. Dropped dead the next day.

Also known as the "Walking Iris" due to the bending over of the flowering stalks to the ground and take root from there. The iris appears to be "walking" as it propagates. A spectacular view once it fills the garden with graceful foliage and flowers. Since I'm planting them in a broad base round pot, I hope to see it do the  walking :)

Then comes the second bloom the very next day.
This photo was taken when the iris was curling up, retiring for the evening before dropping dead. Very short life, just for a day.

Here's also flowers which bloom everyday from my purple shamrock plant. Simply lovely flowers with lilac touch to it.

Commonly known as the 'Butterfly Plant' due to the shape of the leaves.

The Purple Shamrock plant

These flowers open during the day when the heat was intense and close up in the evening. The cycle repeats the next day on the same flower for a couple more days, unlike the yellow iris above which lasted only one day.

God works in mysterious ways, they say...so true :)

Scientific name is Oxalis Triangularis

See also my earlier write-up on purple foliage plants :)

Purple Foliage Plants...simply irresistible!

I was encouraged by Autumn Belle to start planting foliage plants to purify the surrounding air inside my garden. Remember, my garden was under pests attack a couple of months ago. So its time to start growing new plants, with caution, I would say. Never want to see the new plants being invaded by leftovers 'aliens' which I can't see in my garden.

Off I went to Sungai Buloh to check out foliage plants. Oh, there were so many of them but the ones that attract me most were the purple-colored foliage. Simply gorgeous and I fell in love just looking at them.

'Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum' 
commonly known as the Chinese fringe flower or Chinese Witch-hazel. The burgundy leaves and fuchsia flowers are gorgeous. Love it! Needs full sun.

This plant makes nice topiary. Shape it the way you want it, be it round or almost bonsai. Spectacular.

'Oxalis Triangularis'
fancy the butterfly-shaped leaves and its light purple flowers. Requires minimal light and survives pretty well under shade. The leaves open during the day and close at night. Impressive, just like butterfly wings! For more pictures of this beauty, click here


The above plants were from Scenic Tropical Garden at Lot 22. They have plenty of foliage plants and the price are comparatively cheap. Highly recommended nursery.

Not sure the name of this plant but I love the various shades of green in this plant alone. Very common plant in most home gardens in Malaysia. I bought it from Paling Horticulture at Lot 61. Many selections and the price ranges from RM38, RM48 to RM128 depending on its height and 'bonsai' shape.

The way this plant is 'bonsai-ed' is gorgeous!












These plants are still in their polybags. The houris will leave them to adapt to the garden surrounding for a couple of weeks before repotting them in appropriate and nice ceramic pots.


Updates as at 15 April 2012

Thanks to Autumn Belle's feedback on this post. Apparently, these plants do not purify the air. No wonder, the houris felt something not right after having them in the garden for a couple of days now. They look nice no doubt yet dainty and soft. Autumn Belle recommended me a link for a list of air-filtering plants as compiled by NASA. According to NASA, "most of the plants on the list evolved in tropical or subtropical environments. Due to their ability to flourish on reduced sunlight, their leaf composition allows them to photosynthesize well in household light". Looking at the air-filtering plants, they are the same common ones found in most offices and building. No wonder they are there.. for a reason! The houris felt good having one of the plants which she brought home from her office upon retirement. The plain old money plant. She will surely tend to it for abundance growth in her home.

Money plant 

The houris also came across a very good and highly recommended video on how to grow your own fresh air . Seriously?! Fresh and purified air from just having houseplants?! No need for artificial air freshener or expensive bulky ionizer, what have you. Time to observe a healthier you the nature's way. For family members who are suffering from asthma, do your bit to bring ease and comfort for them starting at home. You'll never regret it.