Raindrops On My Roses and Blog Rest

Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams.

~ Hosea Ballou

I love to photograph my flowers after the rain. To my naked eye, the raindrops that collect on the leaves and petals look like colourless crystals and pearls. But through the camera lens, they are transformed into magic mirrors from where I get a beautiful view of the world above.

Can you see the sun's rays on the raindrop?

“Raindrops On My Roses and Blog Rest”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 30th, 2011.

The Garden at Hotel Equatorial Bangi - Putrajaya Part 2

There is a beautifully landscaped or should I say award-winning garden at Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya. In Part 1 of my post, I have already featured the Japanese Koi Pond cum Rock Garden. Here in Part 2, we shall take a stroll along the meandering pathways of lush tropical greenery.

This looks like the perfect setting for a wedding reception and photography session.

Some of the features here include:

• Well manicured lawns, trimmed hedges and tall swaying palms.
• Beautifully designed arbors decked in luxuriant green foliage 
• Lovely blooms of the everflowering Bauhinia kockiana intertwined with Tristellateia australasiae
• A pergola lined a whole walkway beside the Japanese styled koi pond and it leads to the entrance of a free-form swimming pool where one can watch beautiful, romantic sunsets in the evenings.
• The sounds of running water from the bubbling fountains and mini waterfalls soothes and calm the soul.

“The Garden at Hotel Equatorial Bang-Putrajaya Part 2”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 24th, 2011.

The Japanese Koi Pond at Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya Part 1

1 - Calm and Tranquil

I love to watch these koi fishes swimming gracefully beside the man-made waterfall.  This Japanese Koi pond belongs to Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya.

While I was there during lunch after a meeting, I had the opportunity to take some shots.

The purpose of the first picture is to capture the cool, 'carefree' serenity of the pond as a contrast to the second picture. Because I used the normal mode, you can see the silky blur motion of water splashing onto the pond.

Spanish Needles Bidens pilosa for Wildflower Wednesday

At the rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama, there is a planter box filled to the brim with flowers that looked like wild daisies. These Bidens pilosa flowers attracted many bees and butterflies, the beneficial insects.

At first I thought they were the more beautiful and bigger version of Tridax procumbens, a weed which we can find everywhere by the roadsides in Malaysia.

“Spanish Needles Bidens pilosa for Wildflower Wednesday”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 23rd, 2011.

GBBD June 2011

1. My Nong Nooch Vine (Petraeovited wolfei)

- Creamy white blooms protruding out of the yellow bracts.

It was love at first sight when I first saw the Wolfei vine at the Secret Garden of 1-Utama. I waited almost 2 years before I found the sapling at a nursery in Sg Buloh. It is a native plant of Malaysia.

My 2009 post about this plant is here. 

“GBBD June 2011, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 15th, 2011.

Aeschynanthus parvifolius - The Lipstick Plant

With a fanciful botanical name that is a mouthful to pronounce, I just love its common name, the 'Lipstick Plant'. I'm sure you'd understand too. As you can see here, the bright red flower buds protrude out from dark maroon calyses like lipsticks emerging from their cases.

Quite often, lipstick colours are named after plants e.g cherry red, strawberry pink, etc. but this plant is named after the lipstick!

“Aeschynanthes parvifolius - The Lipstick Plant”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 12th, 2011.

Skywatch from the Rooftop

I saw this unusual arrangement of hibiscus flowers at the rooftop Secret Garden of 1-Utama last month. It looks like they are parading in an arch. At that time, there were dark nimbus clouds above, as though it was going to rain soon. What I like most about the hibiscus is the unique way in which the stigma and stamens are beautifull arranged along the style. In the photo above, a light breeze had caused them to sway in different directions.  

I often have this feeling of being on 'Top of the World' when I am here at the rooftop. At other times, I  have a weird feeling -  Can you imagine there are traffic jams and people busy working, shopping, dining or watching movies below my feet ?

“Skywatch from the rooftop”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 10th, 2011.

This is my entry for Skywatch Friday, Season 4 Episode 48 and the link is here.

Cassia fistula - The Golden Shower Tree (Wordless Wednesday)

1 - Kayu Rajah (wood King) in Malay

“Cassia fistula - The Golden Shower Tree (Wordless Wednesday)”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 8th, 2011

Bauhinia x blakeana - The Hong Kong Orchid Tree

A Hong Kong beauty in Malaysia!

Just to let you know, this is not a repeat of my previous post. Bauhinia blakeana flowers do look like B. purpurea flowers but they are not the same species!

The Bauhinia blakeana is the floral emblem of Hong Kong. It is depicted as white in the Hong Kong SAR flag.  B. blakeana is thought to be the natural hybrid of B. purpurea and B. variegata.

'Blakeana' is named in honour of Sir Henry Blake, the British Governor of Hong Kong from 1898-1903. The tree was discovered around 1880 by French missionaries who found a singer tree growing near the ruins of a house in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. They took cuttings of the original plant and the cuttings rooting successfully. A speciman was given to the Hong Kong Botanic Gardens.

This plant is only known in cultivation and all cultivted trees are thought to have originated from the one at the HK Botanic Gardens.

“Bauhinia blakeana - The Hong Kong Orchid Tree”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 5th, 2011.

Bauhinia purpurea - The Butterfly Tree

The Bauhinia purpurea is an ornamental tree that is grown for its beautiful orchid like flowers and butterfly shaped leaves. The flowers are fragrant.

Although it is commonly called the Hong Kong Orchid Tree, this is not the flower depicted in the Hong Kong flag. The emblem flower of Hong Kong is the Bauhinia blakeana, which is a natural hybrid of B. purpurea and B. variegata.

The genus 'Bauhinia' is named in honour of the Bauhin brothers who were Swiss-French botanists.

“Bauhinia purpurea”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 3rd 2011.

Bauhinia acuminata - The Snowy Orchid Tree

Thanks to your clues, smart observations and comments on my previous post "UFO on UFO", the flower and the bug has been identified.

The flower is Bauhinia acuminata while the bug is Amata huebneri. Both the flower and the bug are natives here.

The flowers of the Bauhinia acuminata is about 3 inches in diameter. Each flower has 5 petals which are a bright white in colour. When in bloom, they look like snowflakes on the branches and they also exude a nice fragrance with a hint of the scent of roses.  You can use them as cut flowers.

The leaves are shaped like ox-hooves.

“Bauhinia acuminata”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on June 1st, 2011.