Evening Glow

Arrangement # 152

 Today I was working at the front garden and noticed something inviting about the double petal red hibiscus. Against the late afternoon rays it seemed to glow. That captivated me to do a quick composition. The golden yellow leaves of the croton ( Codiaeum variegatum) would help set the scenery and the red hibiscus would represent the setting sun. In quick succession I cut a tiny branch of the croton and mixed it with a single bloom of the red hibiscus ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)In ten minutes I was inside the house re-arranging the display in a vase which I begin to like very much for its incredibly beautiful Sarawak design. When placed at a corner of the room next to an abacus lampshade, the ambiance of an evening sunset was created. Thus the title of today's composition...
Evening Glow.

                                             

Colourful Bracts

In Bintulu now. After spending a month in Kuching we miss the garden flowers here.  Thus early this morning I made cuttings of heliconias, alpinias and crotons.  They were a magnificient show.  Alpinias are ornamental gingers that like semi-shade and its roots love rich and moist soil conditions.  A favourite of mine is the Red Ginger ( Alpinia purpurata) due to its attractive red or scarlet bracts.  Today I saw one inflorescence with a number of plantlets from which I normally propagate the plant apart from the usual way of splitting the rhizomes from the mother plant to mutiply its numbers.

Then I noticed the new variety of heliconia which  I brought from Kuching a few months ago producing red and yellow bracts different from others in my collection so far.  I have yet to find the common name for this species ( see below).

Today I attempt to make a composition in three stages as illustrated below.

Arrangement # 141  ( in 3 stages)

After adding three varieties of heliconias to the single red ginger I find the display lacking in accent.  Thus I added the multi-coloured, variegated, curled and twisted leaves of the croton.

I am settled for this simple composition and glasly name it .... Brilliant Bracts.