Garden in M'sia (Day 179: 11/03/2018)
Bizarre looking mushrooms. Cyathus sp., known as bird's nest fungi, are just one of many species of fungi that are integral to a healthy ecosystem.
Previously
Lush, colourful natural growth, the result of plentiful water balanced by copious sunlight, was the view I was rewarded with when I first set foot in the Malaysian Garden on the 179th day since its inception. Some might call it overgrown and messy, but the abandoned facade of the garden has its own charisma: an olden plot of land shrouded in a mysterious air which beckons to my inquisitive and wandering mind.
Above & below: The rather wild looking garden, pardon the umbrellas which serve as temporary 'mulch' and source of shade to reduce water loss and prevent the scorching heat from incinerating the more fragile plants.
Laden with 'weeds' such as Kyllinga nemoralis, Eclipta prostrata and Praxelis clematidea, the garden was indeed looking reclaimed by Mother Nature. The basil (Ocimum basilicum) and Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) were behaving like weeds too, conquering much of the land with their rapid self-seeding. The garden has seen lusher times (the Vigna 'era'), but this has been the lushest it has been in a while. And blooms were everywhere, the Zinnia, butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), mung beans (Vigna radiata), black-eyed peas (Vigna unguiculata), marigolds (Tagetes sp.), wishbone flowers (Torenia fournieri), Indian snakeweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) corn (Zea mays), basil, coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides), plumed cockscomb (Celosia argentea) and even the recovering mulberry (Morus sp.) were contributing to the colourful appearance of the garden. That's discounting the Praxelis clematidea, a pretty noxious weed with pretty little flowers and a distinct smell when wounded.
Above & below: Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri) blooms, beautiful and delicate.
Above: Flowering mulberry (Morus sp.). Glad to see the plant slowly recovering.
Below: A gorgeous sunflower (Helianthus annuus) bloom, one of almost a dozen sunflower blooms.
About 4-5 Drumstick tree saplings (Moringa oleifera) had grown, hopefully the start of moderately-sized trees that would provide light to medium shade for other plants when it gets too hot. The tamarinds (Tamrindus indica) have been growing rather slowly, while the neem (Azadirachta indica) is growing pretty steadily, having its lower stem showing signs of lignification.
Above: A young Drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera). A must-have in every tropical garden!
Millipedes and worms were plentiful, as usual in moist soil, as were spiders and centipedes. A tiny ant mantis (Odontomantis planiceps) greeted me with its curious, cautious stare, and bolted under a mung bean leaf upon deeming me a potential threat. Fungi were making their presence known with fruiting bodies (more commonly known as mushrooms by the layman). As soon as the hot afternoon sun presented itself, butterflies fluttered their way in, basking in the sun while sipping nectar.
My dad also decided to install a drip irrigation system, which should be immensely helpful for the plants, especially the newer or younger plants.
I shall let the pictures do the talking now:
Above: Indian snakeweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) finally blooming.
Below: An old 'face'. The flower of the black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata).
Above: Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica).
Below: The radiating heat should be less of a problem with the umbrellas and drip irrigation in place.
Above: Ulam raja (Cosmos caudatus) coming along nicely.
Below: Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens) surprised me with their (one in the kitchen plot and one in the main plot; picture below is of the one in the kitchen plot) rather healthy growth.
Above & below: An assortment of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) is a dream-come-true.
Above: The sunflower blooms.
Below: False daisy (Eclipta prostrata), a 'weed' that, like many other 'weeds' have medicinal value that is often understudied and thus understandably underused.
Above: The Zinnia are sun lovers, happily self-seeding and blooming in the baking sun.
Overall, I'm quite happy about what I saw, and my interest in the future of the garden has remained piqued.
Above: Stunning.