Wednesday, September 01, 2010

The Awapuhi-ula-ula in my garden...

When I first got this plant which is already flowering, I thought that it would not be easy to grow and multiply it to get more plants and flowers. I did not even know what this plant is call but love the flower anyway. I posted an image of the flower in my blog. A friend who is now living in Bali read the posting and wrote to me saying that this flower is native to Hawaii and that it is call Awapuhi-ula-ula. Since the weather here is somewhat like that of Hawaii except for the humidity, the plant seem to grow well and blooming all the time, giving us that gorgeous flower as seen in this posting.

As usual with me after the first flower wilted and what left are some new shoots I decided to plant the new shoots and nurture it with care. One thing that I had learned in gardening is that one must nurture the plant with loving care. It is that extra loving care that would later on translate into a gorgeous bloom for one to enjoy. While it grows I just enjoy the green of this plant and was hoping that it would eventually blossom. And after a few months I began to see the center of the plant turn from the usual green color to a light red color. It does not look like a flower but just an extension of the leaves. So I kept nurturing it and at the same time feed it with the normal fertilizer that I had used for the other plants. Eventually after months of waiting it blossomed into a flower red in color as seen in the image above. It continues to grow and it stayed a healthy flower for months at time.

With that first experience I decided to plant more of the shoots, one in each pot. Over times I began to have more and more pots of this plant at various stages of growth. What is interesting about this plant is that the flower never seems to fades away and it lasted for two to three months. So by staggering planting the young shoots I managed to get to see the flower blooming all the year around. So now it is common to see this flower bloom all the time in my little garden. On the left are the smaller plant that is still growing and yet to flower. During this period of its growth it kept the surrounding always green; a refreshing looks indeed.

Have a nice day. [Please click image to enlarge]

12 comments:

  1. Pak Idrus,
    The plant looks very nice and healthy. That shows how much care you take to look after them.

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  2. Salam Pak Idrus,
    I think thisplant is a bromeliad. Yes, it loves our humid weather back home. The healthy look of the plant is testimony to your loving care.Thanks for sharing with us, its always a treat to see beautiful plants.

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  3. I saw this plant in ane of thepots tended by my other half. One day it bloomed and I commented to her,totally ignorant on botanical matters," Dah keluar bunga kantan." I heard a kind of laugh or was it a sneer coming from her. I I normally skipped entries on flowers for the above reson, and you are a true expert.

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  4. Salam, Pak Idrus! Your Awapuhi-ula-ula is gorgeous. It looks like something that would grow on the rim of a volcano crater! I guess if we were to ask a makcik kampung to pronounce the name, he would utter it as "Awak pergi ular-ular"! ;o)

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  5. Pak Zawi, thanks for the visit and the good words on my kind of gardening.

    Yes if took loving care of the plants, it would reward you with a gorgeous flowers always. Every living species need love and it is that sprinkle of love that made the differences. I am glad you too enjoy this virtual image of this plant and its flowers.

    Have a nice day.

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  6. Yati Harvey, thanks for the visit and the good words on this posting. As well sharing your thoughts on this plant. Yes indeed it is a Bromeliads and this one is less hardy and of a rather soft kind.

    I love gardening. It give be peace of mind when doing things with plants. At time mesmerized when looking at the beauty of the plants and the way it take its time to grow. At time even seeing the process of growing give me joy.

    I am indeed glad that you enjoy that virtual plant and its flower.

    Have a nice day.

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  7. Al-Manar, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on the subject of this posting. Well, it must be a Bromelieds and she must have enjoyed planting it and seeing the flowers.

    It is not that difficult to plant it, but it must be nurtured with love to get it to flower all the time. Like our species plants does need love too. I believe your other half enjoy gardening and it would became an issue if one made an unwanted comments. Lucky for us at this age although both are sensitive, wisdom always wins the day.

    Have a nice day.

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  8. ~Covert_Operations'78, Ee Lynn thanks for the visit and the good words on this posting.

    Yes it must have started growing along the crater in Haiwai and migrated to the other parts of the island. A gorgeous flower indeed and I am glad that you love it too.

    Well, as for the Makcik pronunciation, it might should like you said. Interesting eh!

    Have a nice day.

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  9. Idrus, of course it will grow without much problem here...it's a Bomeliad (Pineapple family. Just that it prefers a slightly shady environment....and a little light to flower.Haha, all flowering plants need that, right? The red flower against a lush green background is so lovely.As I am a stickler at identification, this variety is the Guzman lingulata which has a long-lasting flower head:)

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  10. From healthy garden come healthy mind. Wonders sometime happen in a garden for us to keep pondering & think.

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  11. MANDALAY, Azimah thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on the subject of this posting.

    Yes it is a Bomeliads alright but when I first got it I did not know what is the name of this plant. It just look like some plastic plant with flowers but as I kept nurturing it the flower stayed for months and at the same time shoots began to appears around it. I just let it grow since I do not really know what to do with the shoots. As months goes by the shoots too began to bloom, when I saw the transformation from leave to flower. I was indeed delighted when it bloom into a beautiful flower with the old flower still there but no longer radiate. I cut off the old flower when it get darker and wilted. From there I learn of how to grow it. In handling this plant one must be patient and wait for it to bloom. In the meantime just enjoy the greenness of the bomeliads.


    Thanks for letting me know of the biological name of this plant. I am now wiser with all these input, thanks to folks like you.

    Have a nice day.

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  12. sot, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on the subject of this posting.

    Yes, agreed that the garden does affect our lives and that is one reason I love gardening. My little garden is an Ecosystem by itself where I could see not only the plants that I had planted but I do get other visitors as well, like that elusive squirrel that come and go and birds that chirp from branch to branch. There are also the other small animals and insects that made my garden its home too. Indeed sometime wonders happen there too.

    Tending my garden kept me alert and happy, thus contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

    Have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete