PSEUDOBOMBAX ELLIPTICUM

The Pseudobombax at the Hub is growing well and has put out lots of new leaves and I cannot wait to see it grow into a big spreading tree. Unlike the Bombax with big prominent petals, the petals of the flowers of this species are very much reduced and the stamens are characteristic of this tree.

PORTLANDIA GRANDIFLORA

I just updated the post in Oct 12 on the identity of this amazing plant. Known as Bell Flower, Glorious Flower of Cuba etc, this small tree up to about 5 m tall was named after the Duchess of Portland and is known to grow well in alkaline soils. The fragrance of the flowers has been described as a warm, creamy chocolate scent. 

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness today but this isn't the reason why I am so excited that I must post about this today. 

I saw the trailer for the new Superman movie starring Henry Cavill and I feel it is rather promising and seems quite dark compared to the earlier movie starring Brandon Routh, who has a very clean cut image. This Superman did not seem to have it too easy and appeared to have gone through a lot and in fact, seemed to harbour a lot more secrets. Well, this is just my interpretation based on the trailer alone.

Back to the movie I watched today, the newer Star Trek hit the screen in 2009 and this sequel came 4 years later. Starring the same actors Chris Pine as James Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, this latest movie continues the adventures of Captain Kirk and Spock's as they explore the galaxy although I won't go into the details.

Alright, the new Superman movie will be screening in about a week's time and I am so looking forward to it.

DOOR LOCK

I never imagined that I would be talking about my door lock but here I am, showing a photo of it.

On last Friday, I was locked out of the house because of a jammed door lock and had no choice but to call in a locksmith to help. After some drilling, the locksmith managed to remove the door knob portion of the lock. Following that, he spent quite a bit of time to remove the remaining parts which caused the jam. He said it wasn't an easy task when it came to my door lock because a bar snapped and got lodged in the opening.

Anyway, after about an hour, I finally managed to get into the house. Although the locksmith commented that the Nelon brand is not good, the door lock still lasted about 7 years. I shall see how long the new Yale door lock will last. 

PETREA VOLUBILIS

It is not often that one gets to see the Sandpaper Vine/Purple Wreath in Singapore. Other than HortPark, the other place with an abundance of Petrea is the Indian Garden at Gardens by the Bay.

The leaves may be leathery with a sandpaper feel to it, but the bluish flowers are extraordinary since blue is an uncommon colour for flowers in the plant kingdom. When the inflorescences drooped over the trellis, as seen in the photos, they remind me of the Wisteria, which we cannot grow here in our tropical climate.

TULIPMANIA IN FLOWER DOME AND CLOUD FOREST

The Tulipmania will be coming to an end soon. Meanwhile, I am posting the second series of photos of the beautiful Tulips and Hyacinths, whose fragrance saturated the air in the Flower Dome.

In this post are also the other amazing plants such as Pyrostegia  venusta, Lonicera cultivar, tulips-look-a-like orchid, which mimic a true Tulip, in the conservatory as well as a new toy train set and other interesting plants, mainly orchids, in the Cloud Forest.