Plant Exchange

So remember how I said last week I finally met the elderly gardeners of the community garden downstairs? I was telling them that I had an edible cactus upstairs aka the former Mr Bunny Ears, which had grown erratically ever since I moved him to a bigger pot outdoors.

I said I would break a ear off for them, and did that.  I was watering my plants when I saw the tell tale garden hose from upstairs so I rushed downstairs to pass it to them.

In return the uncle gave me this plant. Usually I don't like plants that do not have flowers or are not edible, but can't stare a gift horse in the mouth you know? So I brought the little guy home. I am guessing he is either a yucca or agave variety *shrug*?

Mystery of the shattered little blue egg

When I came home one day, I saw this along the corridor while watering plants. Such a pretty blue egg shattered on the concrete floor, so sad. I was puzzled why anyone would come to my house and throw an egg on the floor?

Bobo suggested that maybe the stupid mynah birds (irritating winged pests that do take out from my plants, now resulting in my scaling back of edible plants only to find them pecking at the rest of the plants for their nests *^&%$#) stole an egg from another bird's nest to eat but dropped it accidentally.

But I remembered that there was also a mynah nest on the roof, so I went to check online. This was a mynah egg.

[foto source] besgroup

Now that I know that it belonged to my irritating neighbor, I am sort of torn between feeling pity for the bird and thinking "good riddance".

Patience is rewarded

I moved to my new place three years ago. Bought it secondhand, it is in an old neighborhood with a community garden literally within spitting distance (right downstairs haha). I walked past the garden often after work, but never saw anyone inside.

Recently I was meeting Miss Bear downstairs before we made our way to the gelato shop only to realize that the garden had a pot of brilliant fuschia roses. I must confess that I was so tempted to snip off a little bit! But I was reminded of how angry I was when people stole my plants, I decided against it. 

Instead on the same day that I failed miserably in grabbing the Share-a-Plant at Bishan park, I asked Bobo to drive me to World Farm (which now has an android app, which is just a regurgitation of its website so I deleted it), and bought two pots of roses for the house (I have that three pots in office). 

Bobo dropped me downstairs because the pots were heavy and I had bought some vegetables at the packing cum hydroponic farm nearby. So imagine I was lugging all that stuff, and I discovered the gate was open!!!!

I saw an old man cropping some leaves and called out to him to see if I could come in (and ask for rose cuttings) to have a look in the garden. For some weird ass reason, he was extremely suspicious and ignored me! Then another old man appeared and asked me what I wanted, I asked again if I could come in. He gave me a cynical look too, but said ok. I said great, I will drop my stuff off and come over.

So I ran upstairs dumped my stuff and ran downstairs again. The uncle must have realized his behavior was confusing so explained his suspicion was due to (1) complaints from neighbors for mosquitoes *oh please people* (2) he thought I was here to stomp them or something (I forgot I was carrying my camera).  He asked me what I wanted again, I repeated that I wanted to visit the garden since it was always locked and also if I could have some cuttings please?

He said no problem on that, so he invited me to come in and explore, and he was so generous, he cut for me the rose cutting I wanted and unhesitatingly gave me cuttings from another two rose plants, 1 mini and 1 with vermillion rose petals. We then visited in the garden.

Rose cuttings from community garden

Rose Garten in the office

Admittedly I have murdered many thriving pots of roses since I started my gardening adventure. I ruefully have to agree that the indoor balcony is not conducive to growing roses. Neither is growing them outside which subjects them to thieving hands and winged pests.

So after お母さん's rose bush died shortly after she gave me a cutting and I made one cutting myself, my cutting survived (the one she gave me hasn't bloody grown roots and it has been 7 months!) to grow roots and all. I replanted it and gave it to お母さん again, saying that she should keep it and just give me the next viable cutting. She said, no she was trying to cut down on her garden in the office, and so she regifted it to me again.

I went around my floor looking for a good location, and asked one of the bigger bosses to let my rose hang out at her window seat (I am a windowless cubicle minion). She said ok, even though she is not into gardening.

Mr Bear knows of my obsession with roses (god knows, I moaned enough about them online and offline) and so one day while he was at Cheers (a 24-hour convenience store), he called me to ask if I still wanted roses. I asked how much, he said the smaller ones were S$6 a piece, so I asked for two pots. 

The extremely opportunistic me immediately brought them to the big boss again and asked if these pots can hang out at her window too. She said ok, but I think I should practise restraint now :D. Other than the weekends where the aircon is not switched on and no one is around to water them (one of them nearly perished after a long weekend of 4 days but managed to recover in time), the sunlight pouring through the windows are helping my roses bloom very well! Haven't killed any so far yet.

I brought this rose bud home from the office to show case my office rose, but it hasn't survived the trip in my bag. oops.

Splitting Blue Daze

Blue Daze

Blue Daze is one of my most favorite flowers, especially because the stupid winged pests don't eat it. So far they have chewed through a few of my edible leaves and ivy to make their nests or dinner. 

I have attempted several means of propagation for Blue Daze, such as layering and stem cuttings. The best method turns out to be splitting, as shown above.