Common Materials for Flower Arrangements

The tropics has the richness of resources not only of the living plants, but also of indigenous materials for use in landscape designs and flower arrangements. Whether these are gathered for the actual purpose or by-products of other original uses, we have lots of them. 

Top and bottom photos are made of  reeds or tall weeds woven to look like walls or dividers, and provide clean backgrounds for some ornamentals. Above is Tillandsia usneoides, while below are indigenous ferns.

Driftwood or dried tree branches make common mounting materials for orchids, whether as attachment materials during growth of orchid plants or for landscaping designs.

Bamboos are abundant in the tropics and they make into a lot of beautiful designs, whether just cut to pieces or woven into baskets and containers. 

another style of weaving the shortly-cut bamboos of equal length provide lovely container for these 

group of profusely growing cattleya

a box on the wall can either be made of metal, wood or thick cartons. A Philodendron and some water plants provide a lovely diorama on the wall.

the above is made of wood frames and mounted on the wall, planted with cactus and succulents

used tires instead of discarding to the garbage bins can be made into containers of hanging plants

Another creative use of our bamboos, done patiently in a tedious but artistic way, is making archs like the above in entrances of major festive activities. Sometimes these are also laced with plants and flowers. The above is the entrance to the commercial booths during the Philippine Orchid Society Show 2012. Another entrance to the landscape design exhibits was posted earlier.

 

The common and the unusual

I can't seem to find anything to post today, much more so with the title for it. If you are from the temperate climes, even our common plants might however be unusual also to you. If you are from the tropics, we have the same standards of knowledge for them. My familiariy for these plants is just based on the frequency of seeing them.  But at least I know their requirements and propagation. Also as a word of caution, i post spontaneously using only what comes out from memory. So in case of mistakes or false information, I apologize! I just am too irresponsible today to be searching from the net. Yet, i am still very eager and enthusiastic to post something for you, my dear friends and followers. In any case, please tell me any mistake, and i will definitely try to change them. Thank you.



Portulaca oleraceae - very sun-loving, withstand hot climates, very easy to propagate by cuttings, hate too much water and oversoaking; however if neglected can be invasive in the tropics

Bougainvillea glabra - needs bright full sun and flower the whole year in equatorial countries. The very many colors we can see today are mostly varieties out of breeding 3 species (though there are 18 species), or from normal mutations. Do you know that the resulting plant from these variegated cultivar depends on which twig you will propagate? Since the red color is more genetically dominant, planting twig with dominantly red will produce both red and white, as in the one above. However, planting twig with only the white will give you very seldom red in the resulting flowers or none at all.

A purely whitish-yellow flowered variety. Bougainvillea flowers are those small yellowish corrugated structures at the middle. The papery structures surrounding the flowers are called bracts. Have you seen a bougainvillea fruit? I also haven't seen one, but they say it has small fruit. Of course they must have fruits, or how else can breeding succeed!

Since i've put the very common ones, this type now is the unusual. It looks like an epiphyte or a plant which gets food from the air, but it anchors on a tree trunk to multiply and might probably kill it. If its roots dig on its bark getting its food, which eventually kills the tree, then it is a stem parasite. I took this photos from a mangrove forest. It also has some very minute reddish flowers, which my camera cannot get well. I don't know this plant, but maybe this can also be grown in hanging baskets.  

P.S.

My appreciation and gratitude for Rico of Philippine Native Forest Trees in leading me to the ID of this last plant, Dischida spp. He suggested D. platyphylla, but i will be more content with putting only Dischida spp., as there are at least 80 species known and the exact species identification is a tricky business, which i better leave for the taxonomists. 

Please visit other Fertilizer Friday posts by Tootsie

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Garden Show in the Tropics

I am happy that a few souls are already looking at my blogs. My blog started only as a venue for my everyday grumblings, musings, complains, once-in-a-while experiences, hopes, dreams, adventures...and sometimes about other consciousness. In jest, it was just a record of thoughts and events.

When i stumbled on the group about gardening, i was enthused to post more and often, especially when some newfound friends helped me untiringly along the way. That was Autumn Belle of My Nice Garden, who painstakingly taught me things to do, even put my links in her site way before Jodi of Blooming Writer sprouted the idea of Blog Adoption. Moreover, i took time really to comment on most blogs, not necessarily for them to know me but i was really fascinated by their posts and photos. Plants from other climes inspired me especially because most of my favorites are temperate plants. I am the horticulturist whose knowledge has been shelved in the convolutions of my brain to accomodate more timely concerns. Horticulture includes not only ornamental plants but fruits, vegetables, industrial crops, but these blogging inspired the ornamental sector in my brain. Those years of learning just come out handy in times of need. I realized i miss the ornamental group most of all.

So, i will be posting some landscapes in garden shows from my photo files.  This is also to inform everyone around the world that there are two distinct Garden Shows in Manila every year. Other places have annual garden shows also, but the most famous is the University of the Philippines Los Banos weekly garden show every October. In these activities awards are also given not only to distinct ornamental cultivars but also to the best landscape designs. Best and recent hybrids are on display, as well as some endemic botanicals for the collectors and as potential parent materials. Lectures are also conducted by distinguished authorities, for example 'Embryo culture of orchids', New commercial varieties', 'Pest and disease control in ornamental nursery', to name a few.

You can certainly identify the plants included here: a few-marigolds along the walk, colors of Hydrangeas middle, petunias between the rocks right side, different hanging plants on the trellis.

Here: L-R: White Phalaenopsis, ground orchids bottom left, Aerides orchids on the right, few Paphiopedillums and endemics on the basin, endemic botanicals hanging on the tree at right. Accents on Aerides plants are mostly Schefflera and Dieffenbachia, and more.

L:R: Mostly Phalaenopsis of different colors on left, White and yellow Dendrobium on right plus yellow ground orchids, plus fern accents

At left top are Epidendrum with orange Cattleya in front, middle are Rhenanthera species, while those on right are mostly Dendrobium species.

Now, you are familiar with most of these, expanded also below. There are also Cycas at the back and different ferns.

Note: Can you see the cut photo of a pet on the mid-right? I am sorry to have cut it, just see it now!

Here: how many plants can you identify? If you can name half you are not just masterish gardener but a doctorish gardener, haha! Are you curious of the snakey vines embrasing the tree?

Oh this is easy!

Another easy identification. I can give prizes for the highest number of identified species. lol

I noticed that it might already be very heavy for this post, i still have some few landscapes but the site is already complaining. Maybe a Part II is needed for convenience. Happy viewing, Blogger Friends! Take your time and take care!

If your visit here will coincide with these garden shows, i will personally guide your Garden Tour. I can also be your personal photographer.