Tropical colours

Arrangement #150 ~ Tropical colour

Today's colours are warm, hot and tropical. From the garden I have collected the light brown bracts of the Calathea lutea. The yellow and deep orange colours of the parrot flower or Heliconia psittacorum matched well with the crimson colours of the Costus woodsonii. The golden colours of the yellow hibiscus add a heartening glow to the whole composition. Such warmth and vibrant colours are typical of tropical flowers. For that I call this composition...Tropical Colours.

Another view of the composition taken inside the house.

Two Hearts

Arrangement # 140

The south garden is shaping up well.  Today I made a cutting of the scarlet inflorescence of the Costus woodsonii ( see picture to the right).  The scarlet cones can last for a week or more and thus ideal as cut flowers.  Then I saw a blooming red rose.  It matched well with the scarlet colour of the costus.  Without thinking further I plunged both of them inside  yesterday's glass vase and thus recycled yesterday's variegated leaves of the Ctenanthe pilosa. It interesting to see the leaves still looking fresh today.  Such a simple and fast composition  deserves a rapid title I think.....Two Hearts 

Red Fountains in the Sunset

The various colours that are seen at the front garden is something to be admired. Hues of orange, red, yellow, white, brown and pink are in harmony with one another. Of special interest today is the deep brown colour of the fountain grass ( Pennisetum setaceum ). I've made some cuttings of its inflorescence from the front garden just now, and will marry it to cuttings of the spiral red flag ( Costus woodsonii ) , pink canna hybrid and the red lobster claw ( Heliconia stricta ).
It was just a few months ago that I started to plant the fountain grass in my garden mainly for its colour and of course its magnificent inflorescence's (resembling long fountain sprays) that are produced daily.

Arrangement # 137

The reddish brown colours of the fountain sprays, red lobster claws , scarlet cones of the spiral red flag and the pink canna petals seem to blush in a glowing atmosphere. The colours remind me of an evening sunset and therefore name today's composition ....Red Fountains in the Sunset....( Sounds familiar?)

At the south garden, closer to the fence I have also planted a small cluster of the fountain grass which is barely seen at the middle ground of the picture above.

Coleus, Pink Frangipani and Costus

This is the fifth variety of coleus that I have in my Kuching garden right now. Coleus plants with its very colourful leaves are a respite to the evergreeness of our tropical gardens and I think they are a must to be planted . Other species that can give the masses of colour to our Kambatik garden are like the caladium, cordyline, psederanthemum, irisine, pisonia and mussaenda among a few.

Arrangement # 125

Here three varieties of the coleus ( solenostemon scutellarioides ) are placed inside a glass vase which is hidden by the mini 'tambuk' . The red terminal bracts of the costus woodsonii are added in to add variety. Finally I add perfumery to the display by throwing in the flowers of the pink frangipani ( plumeria rubra).
Surprised at the rich variety of colours I name the composition....Magic Colours.

Variegated Cordyline

Arrangement # 67

Sunday (10/8) when I went hunting for plants at the Satok flower market, I came across an interesting cordyline hybrid.  It has pale cream leaves with green streaks and edged in red which was very much different from the more ubiquitious red variety ( Red Ti) used very often in today's landscaping for their strong red and sometimes light pink leaves.
To match the variegated cordyline leaves, I chose the bracts of costus woodsonii and heliconia psittacorum which has survived days after having been placed inside a container filled with water.
Being happy for a moment with the rather 'hot' colourful collection, I thought then of a flower that could define their beauty better in somewhat finer and milder colours. My choice is the pink hibiscus hybrid.
With an abstract painting as the backdrop, I placed the display on my dining table to add lure for this morning breafast.  For being such useful and lasting decorative foliage and bracts, I call the composition...Recyled Beauty.

Sarawak Delights Series

It is raining this morning here in Kuching. And today is memorable to start something new. Today the 2008 Olympics begins in Beijing, China. Therefore I will start a new series themed 'Sarawak Delights' in this weblog that will showcase Sarawak handicrafts that can be used in conjunction with floral displays.

View of my front garden in Kuching. To the right is a dense collection of wild bananas.  To the left are the broad leaves of calathea ( Calathea lutea)

Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia and it is one of the best lanscaped cities in Malaysia.  In my opinion, the whole Kuching city is just like one big oversized botanical garden.  But it is more than that.  Kuching is rich in cultural heritage that is based on the forest and ethnic diversity. In Kuching you can easily sample all the various handicrafts of the peoples in Sarawak by walking through its hundreds of handicrafts  and sovenier shops along the Kuching Waterfront.

In my collection at the moment is a piece of bamboo 'coin box', a bamboo weaved container and a 'rattan' woven mini 'tambuk' ( which is a Bidayuh term to mean a carrying basket). These will be used in today's presentation.

Arrangement # 62

I have placed the bracts of heliconia, costus and calathea inside a glass and then fit them inside the mini 'tambuk' ( which is sold in Kuching as a sovenier).  In the above example, I have removed the pink bracts of heliconia sassy pink to expose the beautiful green tips.

Arrangement # 63

Finally, I placed two Sarawak handicraft items, the bamboo 'coin box' and a bamboo woven container next to the 'tambuk'. I would like to name this composition....Sarawak by Design.

An Amazing Fascination

Today's Specialty:

• Bright red (scarlet) spikes - Costus woodsonii
• Golden yellow with green tips ( red bracts removed) - Heliconia latispatha
• Brown bracts ( unnamed species)
• Small circular disc cups ( unnamed species)

Presentation:
Display as table arrangement with abstract painting background and laid on a Sarawak bead table mat.

Storyline

Just the other day while at the Sarawak Regatta 2008 I bought a Sarawak bead piece ( like the one you see on the left of the picture) based on an Orang Ulu design. It is extremely colourful and intricately done. When I plan to produce today's composition, I was thinking of the bead piece and an abstract painting I did a long time ago ( still in my collection).Thus this composition explains it all.My fascination with Sarawak beads, heliconias and painting.

Arrangement # 60

Straight out, I couldn't think of any other title except....An Amazing Fascination.