Still Blooming

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Unfolding #2

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Unfolding #1

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Spring Blooms

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Backyard Banana Tree

It’s great that the weather in California is warm enough for the banana plant to thrive.

I was very pleased when I noticed that the banana tree in the backyard was bearing fruits. We did have banana trees in my childhood home in Asia, but I never really bothered to see how the fruit grew.

So this time around, it was very interesting to watch the process. The cone-shaped piece at the bottom of the bunch of bananas is actually a delicacy in Malay cooking. It is know as jantung pisang, literally means the heart of the banana. It is usually cooked in a coconut milk based curry/gravy.

The ripened fruit has a firmer texture and a creamier flavor than the store-bought ones.

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Spring Colors

While walking in the garden center, I came across these plants and thought that they would make good companions.

The one with the bigger, bold flowers is purple sun osteospermum. It is said to attract butterflies and bees. The one with smaller flowers has a lovely name: sea pink. I found out that sea pink thrives in coastal areas where few other plants can grow well. Thus, its name.

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Dainty Pinks

Dianthus is a hardy plant, flowering in all the seasons.

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Timeless

The rose is the birth flower for the month of June.

“There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Orange Tree #2

Added a fun touch to the tree: two feathered creatures from the crafts store.

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Orange Tree #1

The backyard orange trees harvest is a little early this year.

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