Colours of Christmas

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I’m always glad when we have some sort of red colour amidst our plants when the yuletide season arrives, because red and green are colours of Christmas, to me. The source of red this year, though, came on its own.

Nice red chillies!

Nice red chillies!

Our chilli plant that has been lost in the middle of miscellaneous plants surprised me with the number of fruits dangling like Christmas ornaments (I’m used to just one or two – there are six now). In all honesty, I haven’t done anything for this plant in months apart from trying to suppress the number of plants growing around it. So, to see this number of chillis was like getting a present.

We've got abundant mulberries, too!

We’ve got abundant mulberries, too!

I’ve also been in a bit of envy of Novice Gardener’s mulberry plants, particularly her post in the beginning of the month showing the multitude of berries growing in their garden. Well, our big plant has also gone into a fruit-producing phase, and is also adorned with bunches of mulberries! ‘Tis the season for them, I guess!

Another picture just because I have to show them closer... :)

Another picture just because I have to show them closer… :)

Wherever you are in the world, and however you celebrate the season, I wish you peace and abundance for now and the coming year.

© 2014 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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The wayward rooster

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The rooster in the curry leaf tree.

The rooster in the curry leaf tree.

Someone in our neighbourhood keeps chickens. I’ve come to this conclusion because we can hear chicken noises somewhere in the distance. Last weekend, though, crowing was heard very close by, and we were surprised to find – not a partridge in a pear tree, but a rooster in the curry leaf tree!

It arrived in the morning, and sat up in the tree for a couple of hours before daringly moving lower to the remains of our kaffir lime plant. It was a good thing that our dogs were used to the crowing around the neighbourhood, otherwise they would have gone to investigate the sounds from the rooster, which kept crowing sporadically and clucking occasionally. Unfortunately, the dogs have a good sense of smell, and the rooster had to fly off quickly when they discovered its presence.

Look at the lovely feathers on this rooster!

Look at the lovely feathers on this rooster!

This feathered beauty took refuge on our neighbour’s roof for a while before flying elsewhere. We could hear it but not see it. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Rocky the flying rooster from the movie Chicken Run, whose character liked to roam free. I guess the animators from that film got their inspiration from real roosters.

The rooster is still roaming around. It can be heard in different areas of the neighbourhood every day. It was nice to actually see it, though.

© 2014 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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Return of the Blue-winged Pitta

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The Blue-winged Pitta is an amazingly colourful bird!

The Blue-winged Pitta is an amazingly colourful bird!

It’s that time of year when birds are migrating around the region, and we’ve spotted the Blue-winged Pitta in our garden once again! The last time we saw it was back in 2010, and you can read more about that here.

I’ve taken on my bird-paparazzi role again and am going to stalk it with my camera until I get decent photos of this beauty. Here’s a pretty decent video I managed to take today:

© 2014 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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All-weather Keng Hwas

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It's always nicer when these flowers bloom together, rather than singly.

It’s always nicer when these flowers bloom together, rather than singly.

There was a beautiful full moon last night, and as luck would have it, a pair of our favourite night-blooming Keng Hwa flowers graced us with their presence.

Just look at this close up of the flower. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Just look at this close up of the flower. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at these beauties. Their petals are pristine white, as are the pollen-bearing anthers, and the yellow stigma and red style are in startling contrast with them.

Last night's full moon - the camera doesn't do it justice at all.

Last night’s full moon – the camera doesn’t do it justice at all.

The flowers looked gorgeous in the bright moonlight (which of course isn’t reflected well in the photos), but the last one that bloomed tonight looked just as pretty even though it was raining lightly.

Tonight's flower on its way to blooming fully. It was in the rain, so I couldn't catch it in full bloom without getting the camera wet.

Tonight’s flower on its way to blooming fully. It was in the rain, so I couldn’t catch it in full bloom without getting the camera wet.

The Keng Hwa or Night-blooming Cereus flower remains one of our favourites!

© 2014 curiousgardener.com All rights reserved.


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