Saving the plants

Two of my very close friends have been spreading rumours that I'm a plant killer! Yes, they are unfortunately still my good friends:) Anyway some of it is true - both have expressed horror and shock when they heard my curry leaf plant died. The infamous story they will tell is that only plants that know how to source for their own water will survive in this house. True..... as the three case studies from my past will testify to.

So when I started to introduce new plants to the balcony, one accused me of being a phoney - "where is the real Gaya?!!" while the other is still waging her bets that my new comers are going to be short-lived (her variegata plant is so much more livelier than mine though we got it at the same time!)

But I aim to change:) so I've bought myself a book called: Houseplants: The Green Thumb Guide to Easy Indoor Gardening, but the one that caught my eye was a little blurb on the top cover - Never Kill another houseplant Again! I was connected to it immediately! Its a very interesting and useful book, so will be setting myself to some experiments and to redeem myself:)

I should put on record the survivors on the balcony just in case:)
1993/1994
I first got one cactus plant (as in one only) back in 1993/1994 as a gift from a friend. I was studying in USM Penang then. When it was time for me to move out of Penang, I left the small pot in my aunt's place in Butterworth. Some years later, they moved to Petaling Jaya and with them came the cactus plant which had bred quite actively, I think there were 3-4 pots of many cacti plants. I transplanted them into 2 of my own pots sometime in 2001, these spread even more. But I've kept two with me. Its the 21st century family of a 1993 single plant!


2000

This aloe vera was taken from one of the houses we stayed in PJ in 2000. When I moved out of there, I took with me one pot and it has been around since then. There's another one with some young leaves(?) but this needs to be re-potted, you can see its a bit chaotic!

2005

This is a Euphorbia Trigona or also known as the African Milk. I bought the plant from Cameron Highlands in 2005 and it has been growing steadily. I keep it in the balcony because I read somewhere that you get good colours when it has enough light. Its now about 1metre high and you can't see it here but the stem and leaves are a bit reddish at the top.

I know many people would say that its easy to keep cactus and succulents, and which is true. But I'm quite proud of these resilient ones, especially when they know I've been pretty bad at caring for the plants:)






Some new ones are the hibiscus and two others waiting to be identified (I have this plan of growing trees on the balcony!) and some herbs. Not too successful yet in the herbs departmet but several experiments are ongoing, like assuring the mint that they should survive in the soil and not in the water only! And tomorrow I'm hoping to get a few more plants, so wish me luck!