Prettiest Dendrobium nobile flowers

I have few collections of Dendrobium nobile orchids. Sometime last year I saw they were sold at Gardenworld, small in tiny pots. I bought few as they were quite cheap but only this one is having flowers right now. They do have name tags, but unfortunately I lost this one. Only a couple of blooms are growing on a bare stem. They are the largest compare to the others that I have, and the combination of colours are just too pretty to describe.

African Violet Fruit

African Violet (Saintpaulia) is a pretty little indoor plant. Very easy and versatile to grow if you know what to do. It does not like to be watered from the top and hate to have the fuzzy leaves wet. They also love a position near a bright window. I sit mine on a plastic tray and I water it by filling the tray passed the drainage holes. I just leave it like this until the water inside the tray dry and the plant needs to be watered again. I used African Violet fertiliser half strength about once a month.

Few days ago when I tended my few collection, I noticed that one of them had a small fruit. It was the first time that I knew African Violet could develop fruits. Kind of nice surprise. I will leave the fruit to see what happened when it is ripe.

African violets tend to grow suckers that make the plant overcrowded. The suckers or others call them the babies can be separated from the mother plant and regrown in different pots. I have to do mine very soon.

Warburton Redwood Forest

Few months ago we went to Warburton, a small country town about 90 minutes drive from Melbourne, Australia. The forest was not much known until quite recently in the last few years. That morning was very cloudy, we almost cancelled the trip, but half heartedly we went via Maroondah hwy. In Lilydale we turned right toward Warburton hwy. The road was easy to drive and enjoyable. Only a bit of delay because of roadworks somewhere. To our surprise, the sun started to appear and it was sunny and bright the rest of the day.

To go to the Redwood Forest we had to reach the town of Warburton and turn left to Cement Creek road. There was not really a clear sign where the turn, so GPS would surely help to find the way.

Dracaena marginata

Most people grow Dracaena marginata in a pot indoor. Commonly called Dragon Tree, it can also be grown outside in the garden in warmer climate like here in Melbourne, Australia. Dracaena marginata grows in multiple trunks and branches. The sword-like leaves are stiffer compared to Corn plant. Some foliage has colour margin around the edges, but some are all green like ours.

Dracaena fragrans 2024

I cut our tall and lanky Dracaena fragrans into 3 parts and replanted them in January 2013. One pot with top cutting with foliage. Another pot with 2 cuttings, rootless leafless middle cutting and the bottom cutting with root. It took about 9 months for the plants to grow new leaves.

This photo is the plants after they had grown new leaves back in October 2013:

Since then I have moved house and took only one pot with me, the one with 2 plants in it. Now it enjoys better location in a brighter room. Still not growing too tall, only around one meter high.

Cacti and Succulents

Some of the cacti are flowering right now. One of them I am sure what it is, but the other two I am not sure what varieties they are. The Agave attenuata plants grow along the driveway. All of these are from our new place.

Mammilaria hahniana :

Marine Fossil

I found this rock in my front yard. At first I thought it was some kind of sea shell, but looking closely it seems like a marine fossil. A strange formation of what looked like some kind of sea shells. Anyone know what kind of rock is this? If it is a fossil, is it a marine one???

Cymbidium Orchids 2023

Here are few of the best flowering Cymbidiums this year:

Cymbidium Mem. Marvin Gaye ‘Royale’

Cymbidium Mary Green ‘Copper Pot’

Cymbidium Lowio-grandiflorum

LC Wakayama ‘White Wedding Song’

It bloomed two spikes each with a couple of flowers this year. The blooms only lasted around 4 weeks. Our living room has two large windows facing east and west so it is always bright and the orchid loves it.

Alocasia ‘Pink Dragon’

The bloom is quite small compared to the size of the foliage. At first I thought it was a new leaf growing, to my delight it turned to be a cute little flower. Another flower bud is growing near it, another surprise.

I keep this Alocasia ‘Pink Dragon’ indoor near a bright west facing window. It gets a lot of sunshine in the afternoon. Once in a while it gets light seaweed fertilizer.