Shell Ginger

Ilang-Ilang is probably the most fragrant flower on earth. It’s the secret ingredient in most signature perfumes especially Chanel, I learned. Ilang-Ilang or Cananga odorata is a tropical tree indigenous to the Philippines. It grows tall to about 40 ft. in height. In the forests where they grow well is acidic in nature so they…

Poinsettia is well known as a Christmas plant maybe because it changes color during the Christmas Holidays or winter. This poinsettia was from last year’s Christmas and I just took care of it up to now and I noticed the leaves are changing color. I did not do anything special really. Basically watering it diligently…

Heleconia is a tropical plant that has about 89 species and about 350 varieties which 98 percent is native to the tropical Americas. The plants can be dwarf and grows to 1 1/2 foot, and some are tree like and grows up to 30 foot high. Here in Hawaii most heleconia grow wild and invasive…

I was successful enough to grow this vanilla plant and made it flower hoping I will get the vanilla beans that comes after flowering. But unfortunately, no matter how I tried to pollinate the flowers, no luck with the beans. I guess, I have to look for the bee that does the job properly.

Once in a while I go out looking for something beautiful to capture with my camera in the neighborhood. I saw this climbing vine full of white flowers but this vine is actually considered weed in the garden. They are prolific and hard to control sometimes. They could climb trees like the meyer lemon tree…

I like this Lily Flower particularly because it reminds me of my childhood in the Philippines. In our elementary school, the flag pole is surrounded with plants but I don’t know what type of plants they are. Anyway, I just recently find out that it is in the Lily family. The flower is also especially…