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Do you have a place where you can say you are home? A place that you have not seen for a year but yet, you know exactly, you are home?
The view from my dining room.
I am home in my tropical garden again. I am happy to be here around my beautiful plants and flowers but sad to say, our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog Angus who lived in the Philippines since 2011) passed away a few hours after my hubby and I arrived to our second home Philippines, from our long journey from Germany.
The graveyard of our beloved Angus. He will be missed forever.
Angus just waited for us to come back to our Philippines home. He used to greet us with wagging tail and hugged us when we came back home from Germany. He was so sick and was confined to our city Vet clinic the day my hubby and I started our travel. When we arrived at the airport of our destination, we immediately collected him from the clinic and brought him home. Angus wagged his tail when he recognised my voice. I saw that he was happy seeing me but tears came both from our eyes. Angus and I knew, we had a few hours to say goodbye to each other. It was supposed to be a happy day but it was not. He reached the age of 11 years old. We buried Angus in my beautiful garden just in front of our veranda, surrounded by many flowering plants where he used to pee before.
Mussaenda Dona Sirikit flowers from my garden.
My tropical garden is getting wild. It looks like a mini forest now. I know, I can't trim the plants in a day. I need time and a helper who can climb. Our mango tree should be trimmed too but there are still fruits hanging in it. I have to wait that all fruits are gone, harvested in any way. Mind you, I am happy when it is windy because the ripe mango fruits just fall down on the ground. The pomelo tree and carambola/star fruits are bearing plenty of fruits as well. The fruits should be all harvested before the fruit trees will be trimmed. There is one fruit tree that bears fruits for the first time. The rambutan fruit tree of my late father. The fruits are still green and I am hoping that I could taste the fruits before going back home to Germany.
Here are some new photos of my beautiful flowers 🌺
Bougainvillea plants.
Palm tree, pomelo, banana and guava trees.
Bougainvillea, banana and other plants.
My Tropical Garden video.
Water spinach under the wax apple tree and pomelo tree on the side besides Oleander flowers.
Bougainvillea swaying back and fort with the pink Mussaenda Dona Sirikit besides other plants under the pomelo tree.
I am still looking for the name of this plant. Very easy plant to take care of.
Crotons or as we called it Parpagayo in the Philippines.
Hibiscus flowers side by side with Oleander.
Birds of Paradise
Mussaenda Dona Cory with its stunning yellow color.
Stunning bougainvillea with Mothers Tongue and other plants around.
I could post more of my plants but I think it is enough for now. I don't know the names of some of my flowers in my garden. If you like, you can comment the names of the plants you know. It would be very much appreciated. I have not written on my blogs for more than 2 months. Didn't really feel into writing. I am still mourning, you know. I miss Angus roaming around my plants and just sitting silently on my lap.
Kalabo is a Philippine oregano. Also called origanom vulgare, Suganda in Tagalog language and coleus aromaticus, its scientific name. The Philippines oregano plant can grow up to 90 cm (from my tropical garden) tall and the leaves can grow as big as a baby hand. The leaves are in heart form and a bit hairy. Kalabo is a perennial herbal medicine which is not only used by the local people in healing their coughs and colds but also using the leaves in their cooking. The leaves are very aromatic and they have balsamic flavor.
My Kalabo Plant
I was in my home country for a few months last year. The weather was so hot and humid. I think I was no longer used to the tropical weather that I thought my childhood asthma was coming back. There were days when I was okay and there were nights that I kept on "barking". It usually happened in the middle of my sleep. Water was always nearby to consume. One evening when I was attacked by my coughing, I remembered my herbalist late grandmother. She had always chopped herbs packed in wilted banana leaves just in case one of her children and grandchildren got sick. The packed herbs were then roasted in an open fire in our "dirty kitchen". We cooked with coconut firewood and charcoal at that time. No electricity yet.
Kalabo, Philippine Oregano
How my grandma made Kalabo / Oregano tea:
I remembered how my grandmother made Kalabo / Oregano tea. She prepared every afternoon wrapped Kalabo/Oregano in a piece of wilted banana leaves for emergency purposes.
1. She got a handful of Kalabo or Oregano from her packed herbs, washed them and put them in a mug.
2. Then she poured boiled hot water from the thermos in the mug.
3. Left the Kalabo leaves in the mug for around 15 minutes.
4. Remove the leaves from the mug.
5. She then added brown sugar from sugar cane she bought from the market.
6. Then she gave the Kalabo tea to me and I had to drink it.
After that drink, I was able to sleep well. It reduced my coughing and it was very calming to me that I could rest the whole night. Kalabo was and still is the best organic plant remedy for my coughs and colds.
Remembering the sleepless night when I had an asthma attack, I saw my grandmother in me now, collecting Oregano leaves in our backyard. How I wish she is still here beside me. I have a lot of herbal questions to ask.
My YouTube Channel
P.S.
Some parts of this post were published before on Niume site in 2016, which is now gone forever.
Here are some beautiful plants in my tropical garden:
Yes, it is. That was what I have read online when I was searching information about the beautiful plant in my tropical garden. There were many pieces of information I got from reading and I was thinking, "shall I keep this plant in my garden or not?". I have to think about it for sure as we have dogs and small children at home. Well, before I have to continue blabbering on here, I have to tell you and show you the fragrant flower in our tropical garden.
Oleander which is called Nerium in other countries or Adelfa in the Philippines is a beautiful, showy and fragrant flower. It is easy to care shrub which can grow tall as high as 6 meters and the stems are straight where the flowers are on top of the stems. The flowers are in clusters and the leaves are in light green colors. They are in white, pink, yellow and in red variations.This plant is very common in my home country Philippines as well as in other Southeast Asian countries and in the subtropical countries.
Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.
Oleander is indeed a showy stunning plant but sad to say that it is a toxic plant one should be aware of especially if you have small children and pets at home. All parts of this plant are toxic due to the chemical ingredients oleandrin and digitoxigenin in Oleander. These chemical components are related to a heart medicine digitalis.
Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.
If you already have Oleander in your garden and you have no small kids and pets at home, I understand if you don´t get rid of this plant. Knowing that it is toxic, please wear gloves when you cut or trim Oleander because it can cause skin irritation and skin allergy. Don´t put the Oleander cuttings on fire as the smoke is toxic too. You might collapse after smelling the smoke or having a hallucination.
Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.
I have Oleander in my tropical garden and I am thinking of getting rid of this after reading my research about this plant but I have other thoughts not to destroy it because I know what to do to keep away from danger. I have planted this a few years ago and I just watered it and when I pruned the Oleander, I just threw them in my compost bin and nothing happened. It is just a few days ago that I know much about this plant that I am careful. My relatives who live nearby are informed about this plant. I know that Oleander is not the only toxic plant in my garden. As long as my relatives and I know about the plants in my garden, they are safe.
Oleander / Nerium / Adelfa in my tropical garden.
Anyway, here are the signs of Oleander poisoning:
nausea
stomachache
dizziness
blood in the stool
heart problems If ever this happens, bring the poisoned person to a doctor immediately. Tips:
Always use gloves in cutting the Oleander plants.
Don´t use the Oleander plants as firewood in cooking.
Don´t use the Oleander cuttings in stirring your food while cooking and don´t use this as a stick for your barbeque or making Schaslik.
Don´t burn it as the smoke will poison you.
Tell your kids the danger of this plant and not to play with this plant.
Thank you very much for reading this blog. If you have anything to say about Oleander, please comment below. Have a great day! Please comment, like, pin, tweet and share this blog on your social media sites. Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts
Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell is a common flowering plant in the Philippines. The local people called this flower Yellow Bell as it looks like a bell before it fully opens the blossom. Golden Trumpet has many names. Besides being called Yellow Bell in my home country, it is called Butter Cup, Golden Cup and Yellow Trumpet Vine. Its scientific name is Allamanda, after the name of Frederic Louis Allamand, a Swiss physician and botanist. (Source: Wikipedia) Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell is a tropical vine plant which climbs up to 8 meters or more if it is not trimmed. The flowers are fragrant. They are shaped into trumpets while the long leaves are glossy and green. It is a perennial plant.
Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell in our garden climbing the pomelo tree.
A few years ago, I was only admiring Yellow Bell flowers every time I passed by in those houses in our town, with those flowers climbing on their fences, vibrant looking. I knew that I had to plant one of those flowers. I envied those people who had those stunning beauty in their yards. One day, a friend of mine gave me cuttings of her Yellow Bell. I was happy. At last, I owned some cuttings to plant in my tropical garden.
Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell climbing our pomelo tree.
It was easy planting the Golden Trumpet. The lower end of the cutting was cut into a slant. Then after digging a hole in my front yard, I dug the cutting in it. Watered it every day when it was not raining. I have planted many cuttings in my front yard but only those I have planted directly to the sunlight were growing.
Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell climbing the fence of our neighbours' house.
What I learned about planting Allamanda / Golden Trumpet / Yellow Bell:
This flower loves the sun.
It needs a lot of water.
It needs a very good and rich soil and should have a hole in the pot to avoid being soggy.
It grows only in a humid temperature.
It can be trained by putting a trellis or plant this near a fence.
Cutting back an old stem would encourage the flower to grow more and give more beautiful golden buds.
Thanks for reading my garden blog. I hope you know now the name of the flower you might have in your garden. For more information about my tropical plants, please visit
I do love orchids. Different kinds of orchids. Some of my late mothers´ inheritance are the orchids in my tropical garden. Taking care of her orchids while I am in my home country means being near to her, spiritually.
My late mothers´ Dancing Ladies
The striking yellow dancing lady orchids below were her flowers. These orchids were once hanging on a palm tree but the palm tree died as well and what was left was the trunk of that tree. The trunk was divided into two and the lower part of the trunk was carrying the bougainvillea flowers while the upper one showed in that photo below.
I am a lucky person. I have a friend at home who is taking care of my plants while I am away. She sent me these 2 photos of dancing ladies a few days ago. Here is a link to Orchid Care Gift box, a complete set for taking care of an orchid.
Dancing Ladies, taken at night time when my friend took this photo.
Dancing Lady orchids are called Oncidium orchids. They are called dancing ladies or dancing doll ladies because the flowers look like the stunning dancing ladies. There are many varieties of dancing ladies, some you can hang on a tree and some just on the ground or in a pot. Orchids are very common in the Philippines and so I can buy them in the open market or ask my friends for some orchids rhizomes they have in their yards.
My new Ground orchids.
How I planted my Ground Orchids: One day one of my aunts came to visit me at my Philippines home. I have not seen her for a few years and so I was delighted to see her. I was more delighted when I saw a plastic bag full of orchid rhizomes. She said those were the rhizomes of her orchids. After her visit, I planted the rhizomes on the ground near my aloe vera plants and ferns. I did not know that they were ground orchids rhizomes until they bloomed.
Philippines Ground orchids (near Aloe Vera and fern) from the rhizomes my aunt has given.
Anyway, I planted the orchids in the soil. Watered them every day just enough to get wet. Like aloe vera plants, they didn´t (and still don´t) need a lot of water. They were best planted in a well-drained soil and received a lot of sunshine. After 2 weeks, one of the Ground orchids that I have planted blossomed.
Ground orchids from the rhizomes my aunt has given.
The last 5 photos were the photos I took last May before going back to Germany. They were the orchids I have planted before I left.
Isn´t it beautiful?
Thank you very much for dropping by. Please feel free to comment or share my blog to your social media sites. Have a blessed day.
Yellow Philippines Ground orchids
Here are some links to my garden and orchids articles, please come and visit. Thanks again! https://hubpages.com/living/My-Beautiful-Orchids https://hubpages.com/living/How-To-Take-Care-Of-Potted-Orchids UPDATE: I have found out that the orchids that I have planted which grow in the soil are called in the Philippines, Ground orchids. Another variety of Orchids. These orchids grow in the soil maybe because of bark chips that were still in the soil in my land, the remnants of coconut trees. I have found out too that there are plenty of Ground orchids not only with yellow but also with red and white blossoms. BTW, I have changed the title of this blog but the URL has not changed. Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts
Oxalis Triangularis is one of the flowers I have in pots in my tropical garden. It is an easy to plant flower, so easy that I didn't know where I got it in the first place. As what I have mentioned before, I used to get plant cuttings and seeds of flowers and other plants from my friends in the Philippines.
Oxalis Triangularis is also called False Shamrock which was adopted from an Irish shamrock with 3 or 4 leaves clover. The difference is, the color of Oxalis Triangularis is purple with pink tiny flowers while the Irish shamrock is green with white, pink or yellow small flowers. During the day, oxalis open its leaves and closes them during night time.
How To Take Care of Oxalis Triangularis:
It is best planted in a flower pot or container.
It is best situated in a shady place as the sun can easily burn this plant.
Don´t over water oxalis as the bulbs don´t like it. Better wait until the soil is dry.
When the foliage of the oxalis withered and dies out, don´t throw the plant as some bulbs will still grow after a few weeks.
Replanting oxalis is very easy. Just transfer the nursery plant bulbs in a well drain soil and water a bit. Remember, don´t over water it.
Gardening is one of my hobbies but I can only do this hobby when I am in my home country Philippines. When I am not there in my tropical garden, but here in my 2nd home Germany, I write about my plants and my experiences with them.
Thanks for dropping by and I hope you will visit my garden online. Take care and God bless us all. Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Alberts
Torenia flowers are annual plants that are easy to plant. Torenia is also called Wishbone flower as the anther arch form inside the bloom when it is open resembles a wishbone. This wishbone is broken by the bees when pollinating. Torenias are in white, pink, blue and purple color. They are good planted in the pots. They don't like hardy dry soil. They should be in a shady or half shady place in the garden, terrace or any where you want them to plant as long as they are not in direct sunlight the whole day.
Blue Torenia with white throat.
How I discovered Torenia flowers
I was traveling with my friends in Davao City, Philippines. We visited one of the tourist spots which was Eden Nature Park and Resort. It was located at the foot of Mt. Apo and in the middle of the forest. The park had a lot of beautiful flowers including Torenias.
Those are the pink with white throat and dark blue with light throat torenias planted in a pot in the terrace of my tropical home, Philippines. They are near the "Butterfly" plants and succulent.
How To Plant Torenia From The Seeds
It is very easy. You just have to open the seeds pod (which is under the Torenia flower) and spread them in a moisty but not soggy soil. Cover them lightly with the soil. If you live in a tropical country, you can let the seeds germinate outside but if you have a cold weather country or you will plant the seeds in Spring time, better germinate them indoors.
One of the Torenia flower pots I have.
How To Take Care Of Torenia Plants:
Keep Torenia pots moist but not soggy.
It is best planted in the shady but bright place.
Fertilise once a month.
Cut off the dead seed pods.
A Torenia pot with roses and other beautiful plants.
Thanks for reading and I hope you you liked what you have read. Please feel free to comment and share this to your social media sites.
I planted this violet with white throat Torenia in the pot together with roses. Actually I just spread Torenia seeds on the soil of this rose pot and the seeds grew into beautiful flowers.
Hello Guys! It has been a few months since I have written about my garden here in this site. Sorry about that. Anyway I am here now and I want to show you the beautiful torch ginger flowers in my garden. Well, my torch ginger plant has spread so widely. The one piece I have planted a few years ago has multiplied. They are plenty now and have a lot of blossoms these few days. I am happy about it and I want them to share with you.
As you can see in this photo below, some blooms got brown already. The beauty they have shared has passed. Some of them have just started to bloom.
When I took this photo, I have chosen the fully bloomed torch gingers. They were so beautiful but I had to harvest them for bringing them to my late mothers' grave.
Is it not pretty? The beginning of an awesome flower. I have read online that this un-bloom torch ginger can be cook into curries. I still have not tried it but I will, soon.
This photo below is in the heights of its beauty. Amazing how a piece of torch ginger root I have planted can produced a stunning and gorgeous flower.
Thanks for reading. Here are some torch ginger blogs to check:
Hibiscus is a beautiful flowering plants in many colors. They are in red, pink, yellow and white. This plant is not only for decorative purposes at home and in my garden, it has also medicinal purposes. Hibiscus is also called Gumamela in the Philippines. Hibiscus is native to many countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, China and of course in my home country Philippines. I was planting hibiscus again in my garden as I have found a vacant place to plant them. I have planted 4 different colors of hibiscus cuttings in a hole. Dark red, red, pink and a mixture of pink and peach color. I wonder how they will look like in a few months from now when they bear flowers. There are 4 hibiscus plants in my front yard and two of them are getting huge that they almost reach the electric wire. They have plenty of flowers, too. I have heard about hibiscus tea. In fact, I have seen hibiscus tea in some supermarkets and drugstores in Germany.
My sundried Hibiscus/Gumamela.
Thinking about it and feeling thirsty, I decided to make my own hibiscus tea for the first time in my life. Well before I did it, I researched about this plant and its health benefits. I have found out that drinking hibiscus tea is good in lowering blood pressure, strengthening the immune system, lowering cholesterol, helps aid menstrual pains, satiates thirst and other some health benefits. Decided to make my own hibiscus tea, I harvested the red and pink hibiscus flowers. Some of those flowers were closing their petals already as they have bloomed for that day. I decided to harvest them as well before they landed on the ground and dried them under the heat of the sun.
Fresh harvested Hibiscus
Red Hibiscus in a pot.
Red Hibiscus poured with boiling water.
How I made the hibiscus tea:
I have washed 6 red hibiscus flowers to get off the dust.
Put them on a kettle.
I boiled 1 liter of water in the water cooker.
Then added the boiling water in the kettle with hibiscus flowers.
I let the mixture stayed for 5 minutes.
Then drink a glas of this warm tea with a bit of sugar and calamansi juice.
I have put the remaining hibiscus tea in a thermos.
Don't wonder when the hibiscus flowers becomes violet when poured with boiling water. It will still turn red when added with lemon or calamansi juice.
Hibiscus / Gumamela tea.
Tips:
You can put more hibiscus in a liter of boiling water if you want a stronger taste.
You can put the hibiscus tea in the fridge when you want to drink it cold but wait until the tea has cooled off.
You can add lemon or lime instead of calamansi juice. For every glas, at least half a teaspoon of this juice I mentioned.
If you want it sweet, you can add sugar or honey.
Only red and pink Hibiscus are good for making tea.
How did I like the selfmade hibiscus tea? Yummy😀 It has a tangy refreshing taste. I am drinking it every day now but only 2 mugs a day to boost my immune system.
NOTE: If you are taking any medicine, please check with your doctor if you are allowed to drink Hibiscus tea. Hibiscus tea is dangerous for pregnant women. It can cause abortion.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved by Thelma Aberts
