Fire my soul

Arrangement #153 - "Fire my soul"

Stay @ Home composition.

Truly this lockdown is becoming more challenging to our soul. So I decided today to do a little gardening to keep my time occupied and my mind working. I cleared some unwanted bushes around the heliconia plants and collected some large fern leaves, green as well as dried ones from the garden . I feel its time for me to get back to daily cut flowers arrangements like what I used to do before since there is plenty of time at hand these days.

For today's composition I used two varieties of heliconia plants, the Red Lobster's Claw and the Heliconia latispatha variety. I name the arrangement " Fire my soul".
For more earlier compositions using heliconias, please check them out by following this link ...>>>

https://dailycutflowers.blogspot.com/search/label/Heliconia

Heliconia latispatha

Hail to the Heliconias

Today's pictures were taken in Bintulu and I'm posting them from Kuching. The reason being, I was too busy with preparations to go to Kuching that little time was available to prepare for this post in Bintulu.

Today ( 1st July) I'm back in Kuching after a month long stay in Bintulu.

Today's show comes in a progression. I have used three types of heliconias. Stage 1 - the yellow bracts of parrot flower is set against the green leaves of the lady's palm. Stage 2 - the green tips and orange colours of the Heliconia latispatha join the crowd. Stage 3 - the red 'Firecrackers' ( Heliconia rostrata) finally tops the show.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3 - as the final arrangement.....Arangement # 147.....Hail to the Heliconias.

In the Company of Heliconias et.al

Arrangement # 114

Is it something about the rain, that today I saw lots of blooms in the garden? This cold and wet November is something to be thankful , for the leaves and flowers seem to be flourishing in the garden today.

The showy bracts of heliconias are there forever stealing my attention. I collected just three samples of the parrot flowers ( heliconia psittacorum) in shades of golden yellow, bright orange and pastel red. Then I strolled for some stronger colours. Two blooms caught me stunned. One a fiery red ginger ( alpinia purpurata) and the climbing oleander ( strophantus gratus) with its pale rosy purple tint flowers.

Without much ado I placed all of them in a tall glass vase and had the long pendulous pink bracts of the heliconia 'sassy pink' twist around the strongly coloured company of heliconias,ginger and climbing oleander.

Rounding off this presentation I am glad to name it....Circle Game.

Gardenia augusta or Cape Jasmine

Arrangement # 111

Apparently my camera was not its normal self this afternoon. The picture above is possible after many editing attempts.Hah!. Anyway, my focus today is the white, large and fragrant flowers of the common gardenia( Gardenia augusta or Cape jasmine).

Even as late as 5.30 pm I could find fresh blooms at many a shrub around my chalet today.  Having gathered enough, I cut a few bracts of the calathea lutea and recycled yesterday's heliconia bracts to make today's presentation.

The interesting thing about the gardenia is that it is supposed to be originated from the Cape of Good Hope ( Africa) thus its name Cape Jasmine.  However it is also native to China and introduced to this part of the world, thus popularly known as 'Bunga Cina' in Malay, meaning Chinese Flower.

However for me from the many synonyms, my favourite is to refer this plant as the Cape Jasmine because in today's world of aroma theraphy the jasmine fragrance is always a better brand name.

Thus, my title for today's composition....My Jasmine.

Bunga Kenanga ( Canangium odorata )

Arrangement # 70

What an exciting moment when I discovered my perfume tree ( Canangium odorata /Cananga odorata ) producing its first cluster of fragrant yellow-green flowers. I thought it should have a focal point in today's composition.  Therefore I sandwitched it between the flowers of ixora and bracts of heliconia.  In Malaysia this tree is locally referred to as the ' kenanga '. 'Bunga Kenanga " means the flowers of kenanga. From the  distilled oil in the flowers , perfume is produced. In some literature, this tree is sometimes called the ' ylang ylang'.

An interesting feature of its flower is its long, twisted and drooping petals.

To add greenery to the composition, I placed a few leaves of draceana with its longitudinal yellowish stripes, thespider plant with its stiff grass like variegated white-green leaves and the lanceolate leaves of the mother-in-law's tongue .

For such a fragrant flower creating a huge perfume industry, I call today's composition.... A Perfumed Presence.

Bright and Lovely Sunday

Arrangement # 58

I am feeling super great this morning . I have recovered from the long trip to Kuching. And yesterday spent a lovely day at the Kuching waterfront watching long boats, jet skis , kayaks and sampans and lots and lots of people and food was everywhere. I am still feeling the air of festivities today as I wake up late to a lazy Sunday. As I was about in the garden outside, I picked up a spray of pink frangipani and few orange and light red bracts of heliconia. I thought a simple composition will do for a Sunday. So here goes my....Bright and Lovely Sunday.

Of Sea Cycas and Heliconia

I am extremely attracted to heliconias for the simple reason that their bracts are very colourful , firm and relatively lasting as cut flowers. Thus this morning I was hunting for heliconias in my garden for my first flower arrangement. Below is the result.


The green fronds are from the sea cycas plant or what locals here call 'pakis laut'. They have been given an extra cut to match the size of the glass container and the heliconias.