A Foxy Tale

Since I have begun to feature palm trees, I find that there are actually so many interesting varieties here in my town itself. This one is a Foxtail Palm. There are many tales about the Fox Tail...

The trunk is self-cleaning and has a smooth appearance.

Tale # 1
The botanical world didn't know about the foxtail palm until 1978 when a man named Wodyeti brought it to the attention of Australian botanists.


Tale # 2
The palm was given the genus name Wodyetia after Wodyeti, an Aboriginal man.

It got its common name, Foxtail Palm, from the shape of the foliage.

Tale # 3
It was classed as a rare palm in Queensland.

Tale # 4

After it became known to the world, these palms became so sought after that a blackmarket trade formed for selling the seeds of the foxtail palm. Today. it is the world's most popular palm.

The flowers are produced when the palms are mature at 12 years of age!

Stalks of white flowers grow from the base of the crownshaft.

If you look close enough, you can see a yellow bird taking cover from my prying eyes. Too bad it didn't peek out at me...that would have been the perfect shot! This particular tree is about 20 feet high; Foxtails can grow up to a height of 30 feet.

The large, oval-shaped, green fruits turn orange-red when ripe.

Linked to:

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Macro Monday

Mosaic Monday

A Different Rose

My Desert Rose



Like the camel...






she defies the desert sun...



emerging triumphant....





after the drought....





only to be brought to her knees...



by torrential rains...




My Desert Rose



For Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, click on the link below:

http://www.maydreamsgardens.com

A Haphazard Arrangement of Happy Flowers

I couldn't forego a week of  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, or Mosaic Monday, or Today's Flowers, or Fertilizer Friday,or ABC Wednesday so no matter how busy I was, I stole some time to present this collage of what is in my garden today. With this collage count me in for all the memes I mentioned above.

Mosaic Monday
This happy mix of photos taken in my garden is as busy as the photographer-gardener-blogger they belong to.  However, there's great harmony in this thematic presentation of a happy garden.


Today's Flowers
For you, I offer my pale petunias, my pink and red dianthus, my deep red hydrangeas, my vermillion gerberas, my creamy yellow water-lilies, my lilac hydrangeas, my ripe, orange kumquats, and my deep purple water-lilies. I an not doing justice to each of these flowers I have mentioned, but I promise to feature them one at a time in the following weeks.

Fertilizer Friday
A tribute to the magic of fertilizing our plants...all of these flowers are in peak performance mode, thanks to the tender loving care provided by the mulching, the organic fertilizers and the watering...brought to you by yours truly, the galloping gardener. I practically had to pick up speed to Mach 5 to get all these chores done for the garden to look great for the festive season.

ABC Wednesday
Now how am I going to convert my happy mix of flowers for the letter D? With disdain for the game, and not dutifully sticking to the rules? No, that would be disgaceful. D it is for this Wednesday. D for the apparent disorder of  my photographs. Yes, let's debate on this...is a collage representative of  Disorder or Delight? I speak for Delight! This collage is definitely a delight for the beholder. When the eyes get tired of the details of macro images, they can turn to a collage . Let our sense of sight drift in delectable delight over the pictures. There's a surprising discovery at every turn, never a dull moment  when we study a collage. Do not be deceived, there is design in the apparent disorder.


Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
Here in Malaysia, around this time of the year, there are more blooms than ever because it is the festive season. I have new plants which provide more gaiety to the Lunar New Year celebrations, and old plants that have felt obliged to put on a grand show...so that is why my garden is really abundant with blooms now.Hope you enjoy the collage of festive blooms.

So there, I've done it...I have made it, all with one collage. 
Do click on the links of ABC Wednesday, Today's Flowers,  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Fertilizer Friday, Mosaic Monday...you know where to find them-at the bottom of the page, of course.
Happy travels from blog to blog, everyone.