THE BOUGAINVILLEA SEASON IS BACK

The Bougainvillea plants in my front yard start to bloom simultaneously. One factor could be the extremely hot weather these days. The last time this happened was a long time ago, very long.

This was actually the result of the hard work after one month. The plants were earlier trimmed, the weeds in the flower pots removed, organic soil and fertilizer were added. Thanks to the assistant gardener for helping keep the plants in yard healthy again.

By next week, all the flowers will fall onto the ground. But the small and colourful petals have already been preserved here.

[my hibiscus collection]

THE RETIREMENT PRESENTS THAT WERE SENT BY THE COURIER MAN

10TH JANUARY 2024 ~ Two packages were sent by the courier man in the evening. They were the heaviest I had received so far. I was told beforehand by the messenger that he was delivering plants. I therefore had to quickly open the package for the fear that the plants would die because of the lack of oxygen after being kept in the boxes for a long time.

I was truly excited to see 4 bougainvillea plants that emerged from the boxes.

Right the very next morning, it was time to place the flowering plants into the pots. I was lucky in many ways: there was bright sunlight in the morning until afternoon [it had been raining for days before this], there were empty flower pots and I had a few sacks of organic soil.

By noon, mission was successfully accomplished. It is now my turn to pray the plants will grow up healthy.

It was a relief I found the note in one of the boxes so I did not have to guess or ask around who the sender was.

Thanks a lot Puan Sharon Taty Mokhtar, a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993, for the surprise retirement presents. Only Allah may repay your kindness.

MY COLLECTIBLES: POTTED BOUGAINVILLEA PLANTS

The weather is now quite hot actually and it should be the best time for my potted bougainvillae flowers to bloom at the same time.

In Malay, the flowers are called "Bunga Kertas" or paper flower if translated directly. It could be because of the texture and the thickness of the petals which are similar to a piece of thin paper.

The striking and multi-coloured display is something you could feast your eyes on. I even had strangers stopping by the roadside and stepping inside the house compound just to admire the myriad of colours longer. Unfortunately, the flowers would not last long and soon they would all drop off from the branches and I am so ready to sweep them away. 

So, enjoy the nature's gift while you still can. I do that every day without fail.

WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GETS A BIT TOO HIGH

When the temperature gets a bit too high, my bougainvillea plants start to burst bright and colourful flowers. Many people have actually noticed this when they refer to my house as the one with many big flower pots, or the house with a lot of flowering plants.

They might look just similar to each other but under close inspection, each plants bear flowers with distinct characteristics. I should have chosen agriculture, horticulture or landscaping for my first degree.

These flowers would soon fell off from the branches so this should be the best way to preserve them. The heat might get too extreme these few days but we should enjoy the blooms while they still last.