The Malaysian garden defined

View of Kuching Kambatik garden looking north-east
25 March'15

Long purple
sprays of
Congea velutina

 The side garden is attaining the image of the Kambatik garden now.  The cascading network of long violet or purple sprays of the Congea velutina is a crowning glory to the Malaysian garden.  This plant has been trained to climb the tall 'Lumok' tree with its leaves providing broad shapes in the garden landscape canvas.  The flowers are actually small but it is the four petal-like bracts of the Congea velutina that provides the colour.  The garden too is a grove of various palms and columns of trees with attractive colours when in flower.  Striking foliage colours provide permanent colours to the garden in many hues from  pale yellow  to red .  The thick greenery around the house is home to a growing list of many nesting birds and fruiting trees.  It provides an inviting passageway to visiting birds, butterflies and many other representatives of the insect world by day.  This is the garden character that is definitive of the Malaysian garden which I have researched over a decade and defined as the Kambatik garden.  It is a garden sanctuary of wildlife, a micro world of the original forest once gone, a place in the sun where shade creates a micro-climate conducive to many passive and active recreation under the tropical sun and a source of edible fruits and medicinal herbs within an arm's length.  What more could Malaysians ask?
For those interested to know the full list of plants suitable for the Kambatik garden can check the plants lists which I have shared online in the following blogs shown below:-
( Note: The page views indicated below are as at 26 March'15.)
All the plants (4th Ed.)  -  10,608 page views
All the Plants (3rd Ed.)  -  203,442 page views
All the Plants (2nd Ed.) -   30,913 page views
All the plants (1st Ed.)   -  54,258 page views

Groove of palm trees makes the garden tropical and exotic.
View of side garden, looking north.

Garden in the morning

Congea tomentosa

 Checking out the garden early this morning to see what we have missed. The showy bracts of the Congea tomentosa in colours of mauve pink immediately attracted my attention when I looked up at the bamboo clump.  It was trained to climb the broad-leaved Lumok tree ( Artocarpus odoratissimus) and did a good job of it, seemingly to scramble the bamboo clump next.   Of the palm trees I saw three that produce fruits.  They are the Pinang tree (Arecha catechu) or Betel-nut palm,  (from which came the name 'Penang' island), The Yellow Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) and the Carpentaria Palm (Carpentaria acuminata).  Then, there were  the grasshopper, a pipit bird  and a friendly neighbour's cat that made the morning alive with wildlife...

Areca catechu

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens

Carpentaria acuminata,

Grasshopper

A Pipit bird

A neighbour's cat enjoying the lawn

Tropical and lush greenery at the front garden

Yellow Palm, Carpentaria Palm and Red Sealing-wax Palm at the front garden

 The front garden is looking luxuriously tropical with its many varieties of palm trees.  Colour is provided by the Eugenia oleina tree, flowers of the Drunken Sailor, fruits of the Carpentaria palm and crown sheaths of the Red Sealing-wax palm.  The yellowish feather-like leaves of the Yellow Palm is also attractive in its on way.  Interestingly the Drunken Sailor has managed to hold on to the tall Carpentaria Palm.  Finally I think I have achieved what I wanted to create at the front garden.  A composition of luxury, evergreen and colourful nature to be enjoyed every day throughout the year.

Drunken Sailor (Quisqualis indica) scrambling over the Eugenia oleina tree

CU of the Drunken Sailor flowers

The Drunken Sailor at last managed to creep on to the tall Carpentaria Palm.

Mussaenda 'Calcutta'

 Next to the inflorescences of the Pinang tree ( Areca catechu) or commonly called as Betel nut palm is a flowering stand of the Mussaenda hybrid called "Calcutta" which is showing off its best colours right now.  The Mussaendas are attractive largely because of their colourful 'calyx blades', resulting from the enlargement of the sepals around the flower.  In this case the tiny flower is a deep yellow.  Other mussaenda hybrids suitable for the Kambatik garden are the Mussaenda 'Queen Sirikit', Mussaenda philippica 'Dona Aurora', Mussaenda flava and Mussaenda erythrophylla...(try google these names)

Mussaenda 'Calcutta'
Family : Rubiaceae - Coffee family