Saturday 9 January 2010

The Tropical Greens

I like the temperature climate of Melbourne and the plants and flowers. But tropical Malaysia with the benefits of constant rain, sun grows anything you like to grow with less effort.

The oleander bonsai style (if this is indeed an oleander) is a current favourite amongst the residents.

Small bright flowers on small ground cover bushes with waxed leaves are flora du jour as well.

This one’s a firm favourite for the small crumpled trumpets. Sis says they smell lovely.

I recognise the shape of these trumpets – our neighbour in Melbourne has the larger variety, red that bursts into a Rosseau like profusion. This one is smaller, yellow.

Red Hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia. Now there are so many different varieties.

Ah Hun Ee has this gorgeous green coloured spiky grass shrub.

Ladies Fingers (Okra) is nice to eat as well as decorative.

Daun Kadok has so many lovely green colours and textures. It adds a special taste to our nonya steamed Otak Otak.

I love my four angled bean, the Kachang Botol. We can get some variety from the Springvale Vietnamese shops but they’re lighter green and the flavour isn’t as intense. I can eat them raw just like one would munch fresh snow peas off the vine. As a child, I used to grow them at every house we stayed in. The nurturing time was mainly over the seedling phase, once they grabbed root, maintenance free of pesticides, fertilisers – just sun, rain, nearly any soil.

I’m unfamiliar with these variegations. They are nice, anyway.

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