The Kambatik garden in Pink Deluxe

Front garden

 It is indeed a pleasure and beauty to the eyes to watch the Ixora coccinea  bush flowering  well at the front garden.  There are many varieties or cultivars of this species.  There are hardy flowering plants for the Laman Kambatik or the Malaysian garden.  The ixoras belong to the Coffee family (Rubiaceae) and they produce lots of berries.  The best thing a gardener could do is to just let the plant grow naturally without too much pruning or 'shaping' or 'boxing' it.  One species that should be grown in the Kambatik garden is the Ixora javanica because this species like the open sun, grows to a moderate human height and having brilliant orange as well as red flowers.  It is also easy to propagate from cuttings.  Check out more plants for the Kambatik garden belonging to the Coffee family here.

Ixora javanica 'Pink Deluxe'
Family - Rubiaceae - Coffee family

Pleasant welcome from Mussaenda Calcutta

Mussaenda Calcutta and Red Ti leaves provided a cheerful welcome to visitors of the gaarden.

Mussaenda Calcutta

 What a pleasant welcome to the garden on this 51st trip to Kuching.  The multi-coloured Mussaenda 'Calcutta' greeted us the morning after.  There are other plants of interest of which I'll blog in days later.  We are missing our Kuching garden greatly and I'm hoping to do lots more of maintenance works to the garden this time around in order to prime it up. The greenery was a real attraction and it seemed the mussaenda shrub had brightened the front side garden with its pastel yellow and mild orange colours.  The Red Ti (Cordyline terminalis) leaves were an attractive addition to the lively mood of the garden too....  So happy to be back in Kuching!

Front side garden - lots of greenery and colour

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