Hot on Heels

It was an interesting afternoon just now. I walked through my collection of heliconias at the Heliconia Valley area at my eco-farm here in Bintulu. The red hot 'lobster claws' (Heliconia stricta) sent an appealing look I couldn't resist. I had planted many varieties of heliconias here and many have established and attuned themselves to the environment that they are able to provide me with dozens of colourful bracts on daily basis. A respectful tropical garden should now have at least 10 species due to the fact that most varieties are easily obtainable from many nurseries or flower markets in Sarawak. The good point about the Heliconia stricta is that it has a long shelf-life. Secondly being heliconias they attract wildlife like the humming birds or the sun birds which sip their nectar or eat their tiny fruits.

Arrangement # 135

Today I was very occupied with work on my nexart exhibition. The strong colours of the Heliconia strictas stimulated me to express my eagerness and determination to make the show a success . I've less than 27 weeks to do so. In quick successive steps I plucked and make cuttings of the Red Hibiscus ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), Red Ginger ( Alpinia purpurata),Parrot Flower( Heliconia psittacorum) and lastly the striking Heliconia 'Sassy Pink'. My mind ran so fast that before I finished the composition, the title just kept on flashing my grey matter....Hot on Heels.

Pink flower plants

It has been a while, a long time really since I last posted in this blog. I am back at it again and this time around it gets restarted from Kuching. Our Kuching garden is shaping up slowly as can be seen from the images here. On the left the pink frangipani blooms
are a real treat to the eyes. This plant stock was taken from Bintulu when I first started to landscape the house garden here way back in 2007.

The red hibiscus and the sassy pink heliconia join to make a crowd. Since they are showing their best this morning, I'll make them the focus of today's show.

Arrangement # 131

Pinkgression 1 - the three pink sisters seem comfortable in the long glass vase. Just cut from the garden and looking fresh they all look pretty but there isn't the scent of a woman.


Pinkgression 2 - The fragrant pink frangipani blooms get introduced to the crowd. All seems to be part of the puzzle except one flower that takes a humble seat downstairs. For an excellent show in the pink of health I call this compsosition......Pretty Ladies in Pink.

CU of the composition from a bird's eye view.

A Vibrant New Year

Arrangement # 130

The general theme of today's show is red, produced by the somewhat vibrant reddish colours of the heliconia bracts and the fiery red ginger. Added as well is the yellow bract of heliconia 'lobster claw'. I find now that the very young leaves of the Red Ti ( cordyline terminalis) to be a useful if not a definitive foliage for tropical cut flowers. How I treat the heliconia sassy pink is easy these days. Its long pendulous inflorescences can just be coiled and sunk into the glass vase.
For a vibrant show, I call the above composition... A Vibrant New Year.

About Bracty Beauties

Arrangement # 122

The month of November is very wet in this part of the world. As a result many types of flowering shrubs will not be in their best. Thus it is good to have a mixture of plants that do well in the rainy months as well as the hot and sunny periods when the rains are less frequent. One such species is the heliconias. Today I did not see any good blooms except those of the heliconias. Therefore I scouted for the parrot flowers ( heliconia psittacorum) and found two varieties. One close relative , the heliconia latispatha with its green tips exhibited herself very well and I thought why not? I had the sassy pink twist around the rest of the orange and yellow bracts and finally let the sassy pink terminal bract come out straight from the glass vase while the rest of the company followed in unison. To add more lustre and warmth to the display, I added the Red Ti ( cordyline terminalis) leaves which I rolled back to give a certain artistry to the show. "Wait", cried the the banana terminal bracts of which I had two varieties. One in pink and the other in deep purple. They too joined today's composition as added interest. It is a day of bright colours and hues despite the gloomy overcast of November. Thus the title of today's composition.....Bracty Beauties.

Red Ginger, Red Ti , Sassy Pink and Seven Golden Candlesticks

Arrangement # 121

I like the glow of the Red Ginger,

The attractive leaf of Red Ti,

Orange bracts of Seven Candlesticks,

The pink of Sassy Heliconia,

Together in a posy,

With ripe colours of rambutan,

And the hot spicy chilli.

I name today's composition... Warm Feeling.

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.

The Fragrant Great Frangipani

Arrangement # 112

In ten minutes can you disappear and come back with a composition?

Well this afternoon I took that challenge. With the decisive secateur in hand and a mind that said "Yes, Can Do" I dashed into the garden outside. A nice bunch of plumeria blooms ( plumeria obtusa) and interchangeably referred to as the Great Frangipani became my first target. Quickly I remembered the many banana bracts around and thought one would do fine . To add just another sexy or sassy touch for that matter, a stalk of the heliconia 'sassy pink 'joins the merry party ( For me at least). That's it composition done. I've come back in ten miuntes as promised.

The title.......Sassy Fragrance.

P.S.

In Malaysia, remember not to present a dear friend with the Great Frangipani flower inspite of its marvellous fragrance and subtle qualities. The Malays call it 'Bunga Kemboja' and is grown mainly at temples, mosques or graveyard sites. Its connection to the metaphysics and spiritual world is most acknowledged. Lest your friend misinterpret your message, your gift of meaningful perfume might mean your desire for him or her to vaporise earlier than sooner to the spiritual world.

Heliconia 'sassy pink'

The heliconia sassy pink variety is my choice today. This variety grows abundantly in my garden of which I can making cuttings on daily basis. My special liking about it lies in its pastel pink bracts looking like lobsters claws, its pendulous dark pink to red stem and creamy white flowers with green tips. For this presentation I remove some bracts to expose its true flowers which are less significant than its showy bracts.

Below are variations of a common theme, the sassy pink against a seasoned piece of drift wood.

Arrangement # 107

(in three variations)

The long pendulous stem is very versatile and does not seem to break under pressure. Here it winds to a loop.

In the above example, the terminal bracts points downwards at 6 oclock.

Above, the terminal bracts points at 5 oclock. The rest of the long lobster claws are pointing in various directions, thus making the display more dynamic, eye-catching and dramatic.

When left hanging like a pendulum in its natural state, the sasy pink heliconia looks beautiful and majestic.

However when arranged in diverse angles, it displays much drama, excitement and surprises. Therefore I an inclined to name the above compositions as....Sassy Movements.

Batik on leaves

Arrangement  # 97

A late afternoon walk around my garden today revealed the gorgeous blooms of the ixora flowers.  I came across two shrubs of the species. One was the orangy variety and the other light yellow in colour.

When I was looking for some matching green foliage, my certain mind was moved or rather changed by a striking clump of a caladium hybrid  which has batik-like effects on its leaves. I mean the cracks and accidental lines and spots reminded  me of batik painting  technique. I wonder why Malaysians haven't name this after their batik craft. I for one would like to propose a common name for it..why not pink batik?.

The ixora coccinea, sometimes called jungle flame or jungle geranium, have tubular flowers. The yellow variety is also referred to as ixora lutea. Both grow abundantly in my garden.

Next I needed  a plant that will provide drama , movement and signature to the display. My choice ,if you have guessed it correctly is a string of heliconia sassy pink bracts which I made to circle around the perforated flower vase.

To promote the use of the caladium hybrid and the Malaysian batik art, I propose today's composition title ...Pink Batik. 

Golden net bush and hibiscus hybrids

Arrangement # 95

I stumbled upon the golden net bush plant late this afternoon around 6.00 pm. at my garden.   The evening rays heightened the yellow colour of its young leaves. The golden net bush or golden eranthemum ( Pseuderanthemum recticulatum) has golden stems and and bright yellow leaves  with a web of green veins. The flowers are white with spotted violet at its center.

How would I display its attractive blooms?

Without much thinking further, my eyes were caught by the soft colours of a hibiscus hybrid plant bearing light orange petals and brilliant red at its core. This variety is unique because the flowers seem to hang from slender stalks and they come in two tiers. These two flowers then became my choice of the day.

How would I display them?

Back at the chalet, I noticed the perforated green flower vase was empty. That's it. But before they go in there, I realised that I need a signature to the display.  Therefore I looked for the colourful stem of heliconia sassy pink, removed its bracts to expose it flowers and let them popped out of the perforated vase.

Finally I threw in a single red hibiscus bloom for good measure and lay it on a banana place mat. Done.

Now comes the hardest part. What should I name the composition?

Hibiscus flowers do not last long as  cut flowers. Probably a day at the most. That gives me an inkling for today's presentation. Why not call it...Just tonite, my darling.

Lovers at Heart

Arrangement # 92

Red is the colour of my true love's heart.  Wonderfully wild and passionate . Red as in the vibrant colours of the cordyline terminalis often times referred as Red Ti in Hawaii and elsewhere called as 'firebrand'.

Our hearts are plunged into the well of passionate desires and longing.  Of loving and craving.

When our hearts are entwined as lovers do, we felt no pain. 

Only hope that such a moment will come and never end.

No regrets. I call today's poetic presentation...Lovers at Heart.

Ebony, Scarlet and Sassy Senoritas

Arrangement # 91

The exotic bracts of calathea and heliconia sassy pink are joined by the fiery hot scarlet ginger ( Alpinia purpurata).

To provide interest and as conversational piece I  lay down the pendulous stem of the sassy pink on the calathea leaf place mat.  This kind of flower arrangement should last for a week as a table decoration. In many writings I do come across mention of heliconia sassy pink as 'sexy pink'. Between these two I still do not know the authoritative name. Either way both'sassy' and 'sexy' sound well and good. What about calling the above composition....S.S. ....to mean Sexy Senoritas ?

Calathea and Sassy Pink composition - 2

Arrangement # 90

My fascination with the brown calathea flower spikes and the long pendulous pink bracts of heliconia sassy pink continues. I grab hold of my good old rotten tree trunk, tested and seasoned over time, and plunge the terminal flower spikes into its gasping hole. Had one pendulous stem half circle the upper storey and another at ground zero. Thought that was easy.
With a bit of light effects and alakazam...a composition is born. Upon reflection, I call this composition simply.....Return to My Roots.

Calathea and Sassy Pink composition-1

This week we are busy at the farm clearing the initial young fruits of the oil palm, merely a cultural practice to encourage later fruits to be bigger and more even ripening. On one of those rounds I met across a clump of this calathea lutea. The broad leaves of this plant are used by the local people here especially the Kelabit to wrap rice when they go for day long journeys to neighbouring villages  mostly on foot. What is equally attractive about this plant are the terminal flower spikes where the brown bracts cover insignificant yellow flowers.

Arrangement # 89

In the above example the calthea leaf, some 60 cm wide and  80cm long , is used as place mat for the glass vase. Here I crowd the calathea spikes and let them arrange themselves in irregular upright form like in the wild.

To make the display wild and tropical and exotic I lay the pendulous stem of the heliconia sassy pink around the base of the vase. That seems easy.

Finally to create a signature to the composition, I remove some of the sassy pink bracts to expose the partly hidden flowers and circle it around the calathea spikes.

I thought that's looking good.  Therefore am pleased to give this name to the composition....That's Looking at You Kid.

Focus on the Plumeria Rubra

I have been observing the flowering stages of this pink frangipani for the last couple of days.  I anticipated  I would soon use it for the next cutting. Well today it was in relative full bloom. Therefore I rushed to get my secateurs and carefully made my priced cutting for the day.

Frangipanis normally refer to the pink variety of plumeria.  Scientifically this fragrant flowering species are called plumeria by mistake. That botanical name was given for the French botanist named P L U M I E R. But a mistake is a mistake. Instead "plumier" was spelled P L U M E R I A!.Thus to this day the name stays and is used to describe both the white variety ( Plumeria obtusa ) and the other colourful relatives like the sample above known as Plumeria rubra.

For today's presentation therefore the pink frangipani will assume center stage.

Arrangement # 86

Once my mind is decided to make the frangipani the center of appeal, it was easy to distribute its infectious beauty to the rest of the company. First goes the orangy red heliconia psittacorum, then the sassy pink heliconia. But to add freshness to the composition I threw a few young foliage  of a cordyline species. The freshness was accentuated by placing them against a banana leaf background like above.

Have you notice three tiny differences in the display above? Guess what, the background is ferro cement, the glass vase sits on an ordinary banana leaf unlike the first presentation where the wild banana leaves were used. Thirdly, the orangy heliconia has moved places. I did the above just for experimental reasons. ( sentimental me??) Having a perfumed presence as the central focus, I call this composition...A Fragrant Focus.

The Best is Yet to Come

Arrangement # 85

Two yellow bamboo culms. From yesterday's presentation is retained the caladium, sassy pink and heliconia psittacorum. I add the calathea lutea in the above display to give the feeling of equal achievement. Two man ( or woman)  standing tall.

As we look around us,do not feel proud of our achievements because others could be even better.  Be thankful that you can contribute to make the little difference in people's lives. And you can mutiply it by the billions of lives on earth. By promoting prosperity around us  we accept the fact that we are a child of the universe, in a big cycle of change and renewal.

If the call is made to us, rise to the occassion, play our role to the best of our capability

knowing that all's well that ends well. Thus feeling philosophical today, I

call the above composition...The Best is Yet to Come.

Bamboo Culm Compositions - 4

In earlier compositions I used only one bamboo culm. In the ensuing compositions, I will add another to make a company. In the example below the lily, ginger lily and caladium hybrid support the heliconia psittacorum which forms the top storey in the display.

Arrangement # 83

By adding another taller piece of bamboo culm, I have provided height to the arrangement. The cascading heliconia sassy pink suggests movement and drama to the show. For the drama in our life and our living is but a stage in time, I call this composition...A Theatretical Display.

Bamboo Culm Compositions - 3

Arrangement # 82

This will be the last display using a single bamboo culm. In the next few displays I will try to use two culms in the arrangement. Here I have endeavoured to make the culm more interesting by pulling out fine strips of the bamboo skin thus revealing some vertical lines on the culm. Just one short stalk of heliconia sassy pink and a couple of strong red and cream yellow bracts of heliconia psittacorum will be fine .
The presentation is made interesting with the banana leaf as background. giving it a rich tropical touch .
I like then to call this composition...Tropicana.

Bambo culm compositions - 2

My attempt today is to combine two species of heliconia inside a yellow bamboo culm. The upright orangy-red heliconia psittacorum and the cascading heliconia sassy pink. To balance the two contrasting movements I threw in four leaves of the pinkish caladium hybrid with green edges.

Now I am thinking of a beautiful young maiden, slender in form and her pink face blushes as she is teased.

The red hibiscus add much vigour and gushes of blood as she put on the sweetest smile a man will die for.

Arrangement # 81

For such a memorable moment in the life of the young maiden, I dedicate this composition to ....Blushing Maiden.

Heliconia sassy pink beauty

Arrangement # 78

From yesterday's composition I now add the fragrant blooms of gardenia and jasmine and finally the crowning beauty of the heliconia sassy pink bracts.

The jasmine(jasmine mutiflorum) is synonymous with sweet fragrance and many of today's refreshers ( car, home or office) make use of its essence for their fragrant flavours. And the gardenia too are chosen for its fragrant and pure white flowers.

The long pendulous stalk of heliconia sassy pink provides the balance to the composition i.e. to top heavy flowers are balanced by a strong pink long cascade of equivalent mass of bracts.

 Because the pink bracts stay outstanding infront of the brown jar,in an already rich arrangement, I would therefore name this composition...Pink Beauty.