Progress of front porch garden in May, 2020.

 Under lockdown in Kuching since 18 March, I have lots of time to clean up the garden in preparation for the Hari Raya.
The front garden is becoming one of my favourite spots now.
The plants that needed to be pruned are the Drunken Sailor and the ferns that grow on the Carpentaria palms.
I like to sweep the bamboo leaves that are littered on the garden floor right in front of the house entrance.
Sweeping the fallen leaves have been a regular chore that I love because of its  therapeutic effects.
The yellow crotons are doing fine and so is the bamboo clump.

Yellow crotons are doing well.

View as at 25 May'20.

Chestnut Munia are abuzz

Chestnut Munia  roosting atop the Yellow Bamboo clump near the front porch.

  They zoom in and out of the bamboo clump next to the front porch hurriedly.  I noticed a small group of about 5 - 6 birds are currently busy building nests in the safety of the bamboo clump. These Chestnut Munia birds year in and  year out have found three such bamboo clumps in the garden as natural habitat for their nests.  I love these birds for their black hoods and well-groomed feathers.  Their deep brown body is very delightful to watch for the colour resembles tasty chocolates. Their stout, short and strong beaks are a great contrast to its black hood.  The beaks are apparently made for eating grass seeds.  These birds has been a permanent feature of the garden.

A garden oasis at home.

The Kambatik garden is an oasis of love and care, heritage and survival.
View of back garden, Kuching, 21/3/17.

 Columns of greenery. Colourful foliages. Flowers of all shapes and colours.  These are the characteristics of a Malaysian garden.  Bonuses come in the form of edible fruits, wildlife, shade, and many exercise.  There's unending agenda of change and renovation to be carried out as the garden grows.  What I love about the garden now is its maturity.  All the previous efforts culminate in today's joy, the pleasure of cool comfort, the natural touch of leaves, trunks and branches, inspirational and quality time working or walking in the garden. The Malaysian garden is a living oasis of love and care, heritage and survival.  Every Malaysian can do it as I have done.  Remember the word "IMPOSSIBLE" ? No, but....I'm Possible.

The Cassia alata shrub at the foreground.  Behind is the Carpentaria palm.

Front garden - Colours from flowers, trunks and leaves

Front garden, 21 March, 2017.

Front Garden Surprises

The front garden at Kuching surprises me today with lovely flowers of the canna , ixora and the 'Drunken Sailor'.
I have now more or less achieved what I wanted for the front garden. The idea of multiple colours that can be enjoyed regularly has been achieved. Today's blossoms are testimony to my concept of the
'Laman Kambatik' or the Kambatik Garden= Malaysian Garden. In our tropical garden a riotous gaiety is I think a most welcome sign to our paradise. This is how it should be . Today you get to enjoy the reds, tomorrow yellows and perhaps a week's time pink and lavender colours.

( Note:  This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link ....>>>>http://myussop.blogspot.my/2009/07/front-garden-surprises.html )

Kuching Garden Update

I have been staying in Kuching for slightly more than a month now. TheKuching garden is shaping up beautifully. For one thing our presence in Kuching enables us to water and carry out general maintenance of the plants on daily basis, the latter being critical in times of drought that Kuching faces in July and now continuing to August. On the left (inset) is a LS view of the side garden of which the planting has now obscured the fencing. Below is a medium shot picture of the side garden showing the many varieties of plant materials used to colour the garden. Generally I am quite pleased with the result thus far, though further improvements are possible.

The front garden at Kuching surprises me today with lovely flowers of the canna , ixora and the 'Drunken Sailor'.
I have now more or less achieved what I wanted for the front garden. The idea of multiple colours that can be enjoyed regularly has been achieved. Today's blossoms are testimony to my concept of the
'Laman Kambatik' or the Kambatik Garden= Malaysian Garden. In our tropical garden a riotous gaiety is I think a most welcome sign to our paradise. This is how it should be . Today you get to enjoy the reds, tomorrow yellows and perhaps a week's time pink and lavender colours.

(Note : This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link...>>>>http://myussop.blogspot.my/2009/08/kuching-garden-update.html )

Tropical and lush greenery at the front garden

Yellow Palm, Carpentaria Palm and Red Sealing-wax Palm at the front garden

 The front garden is looking luxuriously tropical with its many varieties of palm trees.  Colour is provided by the Eugenia oleina tree, flowers of the Drunken Sailor, fruits of the Carpentaria palm and crown sheaths of the Red Sealing-wax palm.  The yellowish feather-like leaves of the Yellow Palm is also attractive in its on way.  Interestingly the Drunken Sailor has managed to hold on to the tall Carpentaria Palm.  Finally I think I have achieved what I wanted to create at the front garden.  A composition of luxury, evergreen and colourful nature to be enjoyed every day throughout the year.

Drunken Sailor (Quisqualis indica) scrambling over the Eugenia oleina tree

( Note: This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link ....>>>http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.my/2014/08/tropical-and-lush-greenery-at-front.html )

Kuching garden progress

20 April'09

Our front garden in Kuching is now about 1 year 4 months old. The planting progress photographs are shown below. Up to this point my initial design concept is more or less achieved. Just this month I added one cordyline plant, variegated yellow in colour for that golden sparkle to the garden. Now every morning I'll take a brief excercise at the front porch and then go for a bicycle ride around the neighbourhood. It's good for the health.

( Note: This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link ....>>>>http://mykambatikworld.blogspot.my/2009/04/kuching-garden-progress.html )

The Kambatik garden in Pink Deluxe

Front gardenThe Kambatik garden in pink deluxe

 It is indeed a pleasure and beauty to the eyes to watch theIxora coccinea  bush flowering  well at the front garden.  There are many varieties or cultivars of this species.  There are hardy flowering plants for the Laman Kambatik or the Malaysian garden.  The ixoras belong to the Coffee family (Rubiaceae) and they produce lots of berries.  The best thing a gardener could do is to just let the plant grow naturally without too much pruning or 'shaping' or 'boxing' it.  One species that should be grown in the Kambatik garden is the Ixora javanica because this species like the open sun, grows to a moderate human height and having brilliant orange as well as red flowers.  It is also easy to propagate from cuttings.  Check out more plants for the Kambatik garden belonging to the Coffee family here.

( Note: This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link ...>>>http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.my/search/label/Kuching%20escapade%20-%20Mar%202016 )

Front garden update - July '09

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At the front garden , a species of our local orchid seemed to be doing very well after being planted in early June just before we left for Bintulu.

To the right of the front garden, the Drunken Sailor ( Quisqualis indica) meets the Blood Banana ( Musa zebrina). It appears now that the Drunken Sailor vine has twined itself to the banana stem. Interesting move.

( Note: This is a re-posting.  For full story and images, please follow this link ...>>>http://mygardeningprojects.blogspot.my/2009/07/front-garden-update-july09.html )