AFTER THE RAIN

After work, I was sitting on my front yard enjoy so many fragrant  in my aromatic garden.

Refreshing time...

I put some kamboja flowers which were scattered on the ground.

I was collecting flowers for drying or just keep them on my bed room as a mosquito repellent. 

 

But the rain came suddenly.

I immediately ran into the house.

I left the flowers on the table, and let it rain.

I enjoyed the rain behind the window.

After the rain... all fresh...
My kamboja refreshed...

Wilted flowers... blossom again...

Fresh air... fresh flowers... fresh mind...

KENANGA

I have aromatic garden on the corner of my front yard.
There are so many aromatic plants.
There are rose, pandan (Pandanus sp), srigading (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), mondokaki (Tabernaemontana divaricata), kenanga (Cananga odorata), kamboja (Plumeria rubra), anggrek merpati (Dendrobium sp), angelonia, jasmine, citrus, sweet basil and also I get bonus from coffee plants.

I usually spent the time after work here.
Sitting on the garden bench....
Getting aromatic scents...
Relaxing time...
Refresh my soul...

This is my kenanga (Cananga odorata var fruticosa) or dwarft ylang ylang...
An aromatic flower...
It's well known as perfume tree or cananga tree.
This is a tropical tree which originates from South-east Asia and is valued for its perfume. 
The essential oil derived from the flowers is used in aromatherapy.

Kenanga is a fast-growing tree of the custard-apple family Annonaceae.
The evergreen leaves are smooth and glossy, oval, pointed and with wavy margins, and 13–20 cm long. 

The flower is drooping, long-stalked, with six narrow, greenish-yellow petals, rather like a sea star in appearance, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil.

This plant grows as small tree or compact shrub with highly scented flowers.

Mature flower

This essential oil well known as aromatherapy for relaxing, relieve high blood pressure, and to smoothing the skins.
In Indonesia, especially in Javanese tradition, this flowers always present on many traditional procession or ceremony.
This flower usually are spread on the bed of newlywed couples and as decoration on bride hairs.
In Java... it's really sacred flower.
Peoples believe that they have magical power.

Young flowers

Believe or not.... I just like the scent and its beautiful flower.
Can you catch the scent?

WEEKLY HARVEST - OCT 5

I had rain along this week.
Wet weather made many plants get late blight.
Downpour damaged so many plants on my beds.
Early harvesting was the best way for me to save my garden.

From my front yard, I got cabbages, green globular eggplants, bilimbi and purple eggplants. 

From my back yard I got sweet corn, green amaranth, leunca, kara bean, celery, tomatoes, three varieties of chili, red amaranth, kang kong, green onion, green chives, cauliflowers, ranti, cabbages and papaya leaves.

sweet corns

green amaranth

kang kong

tomatoes

ranti

From my terrace garden I got green chives, tomatoes, red lettuces, green lettuces, green onion, caisin flowers, carrots and cabbages.

green chives

Red lettuce

caisin flowers

From my front balcony, I got dewandaru or surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora) and acid oranges.

dewandaru

We all need rain to refresh our garden, but to much rain sometimes make our gardens became damaged.
I hope we all will have better weather to get better yield from our garden.

QUADRUPLET-SWEET CORN

We had rain along the night.
This morning my beds look so messy.
A big green amaranth is fallen, uprooted.
Worse... my sweet corn patch.

Almost of the corn plants were uprooted.
Finally I pulled up all of the plants.
Wow... I found something strange.
I got a quadruplets corncob.
This was the first time I see that.
Usually I find one or two corncobs on a leaf midrib, but I found four...

Actually the corncobs weren't growing optimally.
The seeds weren't fully formed.

Although they didn't give me sweet seeds, but they gave me something new that I haven't know before.
Always there's a worthwhile in any disaster.
How about you....

SLEEPING BEAUTIES....AWAKE

Rain...rain...rain...
Rainy season was began.
All fresh... all wet...
New life...
The dormancy was broken.
My 'sleeping beauties' were already awake.

Actually, my 'sleeping beauties' are Caladium species.
In Indonesia, they are called keladi or talas hias. 
I have six varieties of caladium.
I found  the three varieties of them were raising.

I planted them on my front yard.
They are wild varieties that we could find them grow wildly under the trees or road side.
They usually start the dormancy period at the end of the rainy season.
The dormancy usually will broken  at the end of dry season or in the early of rainy season. 

Here they are...

The first...

The second...

The third...

It's time to wake up...
Who next....

FLYING WITH THE DOVES

This is my lucky year in gardening.
Look... My 'anggrek merpati' or white dove orchids are blooming again.

 Actually this orchid usually blooms twice a year.
In the good condition they could bloom four time a year, but the plant only  shows a few of flowers. 
Usually I have to wait about  3- 4 months to find the blossom again.
Now I'm lucky...
The last time blossom of this orchid  in my garden were in September 25.
Today... they are blooming again!

So much flowers and so strong fragrant...
This is my fragrant day.
Today, we are getting this fragrant, but no more for tomorrow.
They only bloom and spread the fragrant only for one day.
As the name suggest ... 'one day orchids'.

This is a species orchid.
It is not easy to stimulate the flowering time.
Flowering time more influence by the weather.
The extreme weather between night and day will stimulate this orchid to emerge their flower buds.

Here they are the orchid on my front yard...

And this is on my back yard...

Do you still remember the bees nest?
Here they are...

Please you all enjoy the blossom and the fragrance from far away.
Have a fragrant day.

FRUIT OF THE WEEK - RANTI

I got 'black' berries this morning.
There were some ranti (Solanum nigrum) on my raised bed. 

rain droplets

Ranti is well known as Duscle, Garden Nightshade, Hound's Berry, Petty Morel, Wonder Berry, Small-fruited black nightshade or popolo.

fresh...

The ripe berries are usually eaten raw.
The taste ripe berry is sweet-sour.
They usually grow wildly, and  not cultivated for commercial use. 

finding the bunches

a bunch of fruits

Ranti is an annual plant.
Here, ranti usually grow wildly on the road side or farmland as weeds.
The plants can grow around the year. 
On the rainy season the vegetative growth would be so dominant.

  
Actually I have never plant ranti.
They grew on their own, ...wild plants.
But... I love it.

young fruits

partly mature fruits

The fruits are used to treat fever, dysentery, asthma, and tuberculosis. 
They also well known as tonic, laxative, diuretic and antipyretic.
In Indonesia this plant is well known as a source for traditional medicine.
Fruits that have black or dark purple color are believed contains high antioxidant.

'black berry'

In many area, the young leaves and shoots are used as greens and cooked for a soup.
The leaves sometimes tastes a bit bitter.
Sometimes the leaves are used as fodder.

Young plant

Shoot and young leaves for greens

Do you like it?