Bloom Day at Jogja Garden

I think the idea of bloom day is very good. So, I decided to post my bloom day post. I hope you can enjoy it...

This is my jasmine. It is a fragrant flower. The buds of jasmine is used to adorning traditional Javanese wedding dress and the bride's hair (for picture, visit http://users.skynet.be/dvran/inhoud_id.htm, click on Foto Pengantin)

My ixora or West Indian Jasmine is blooming too. When I was a kid I used to pick the flowers and suck the nectar from the root of the flowers.

This is Zodia plant. It is a fragrant plant which is used to repelling mosquitos. The strong fragrance of this plant can make you dizzy.

My Marasi plant shows its flowers again. The fruit of this plant is similar to miracle fruit. It gives you a sweet taste for a while though you have eaten bitter or sour foods. My mother brought home this plant when she had joined a field trip to Sukabumi. Unfortunately, it never gave me fruits since I have had it.

I found a ladybug in my garden three days ago. This bug is very rare now. Sorry, the picture is blur. It was hard to take pictures of this ladybug because the bug was very active.

More Fruits in Rainy Season

I have told you about rainy season in Indonesia, actually in Jakarta, in my last posting. But, it has positive impact to my plants. Some plants grow faster than usual. My Brucea javanica and Averrhoa bilimbi produce more fruits.

Brucea javanica

Averrhoa bilimbi

My fig tree is fruiting for the second time. Unfortunately, it only gave me a fruit last fruiting. I have added organic fertilizer. So, I hope I can get more fruits this time.

I have the same plant 'the clover leaves weed' that Rusty in Miami had, with smaller leaves in my garden. People in East Java usually eats them as vegetable. The dish called 'pecel daun semanggi'.

This is my Aglaonema 'Dona Carmen'. It needs shady place to live. So, I put it inside my house.

My Euphorbia is blooming. It's not common. Euphorbia used to bloom in dry season.

What should I do? ....

We have two seasons in Indonesia which are dry and rainy season. Rainy season used to come from September to March. But, because of climate change, rainy season comes late. This year, rainy season comes in December. The problem is that rain falls irregular.

Rainy season has worried citizens of Jakarta which are threatened by flood. Heavy rain caused floods in Jakarta last year. This caused many of my plants died. Heavy rain caused my Desert Roses (Adenium) rotten last December.

How about this year? My garden was flooded because rain had fallen heavily two weeks ago. Fortunately, flood only took for a day. My plants was safe. But, rainy season is still continued for the next 2 or 3 months.

What should I do? I can save some plants only by moving them to shady area of my house. I can't save all of my plants. I hope God saves Jakarta in general and my plants in particular.

My First Plants

I am really grateful that I live in a tropical country. I can grow my plants all year round without having to worry about winter season.

Gardening is my hobby. I grow all of my plants in my front garden, although it is small. I have fruit trees, ornamental plants, spice plants and herbs. My first plants were herbs, which were Mahkota Dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa), Daun Dewa (Gynura pseudochina), Sambung Nyawa (Gynura procumbens), and Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata). I had not known their medicinal uses when I bought them at a flora fair in Yogyakarta.

Phaleria macrocarpa: leaves (left), fruit (right)

Gynura pseudochina

Gynura procumbens

Andrographis paniculata: leaves (left), flower (right)

I have read books about medicinal herbs which were Tanaman Berkhasiat Obat di Indonesia 1-4 (Medicinal Herbs in Indonesia 1-4), Mahkota Dewa: Budidaya & Pemanfaatan untuk Obat (Phaleria macrocarpa: Cultivation & Medicinal Uses), Sambung Nyawa: Budidaya & Pemanfaatan untuk Obat (Gynura procumbens: Cultivation & Medicinal Uses), and Daun Dewa: Budidaya & Pemanfaatan untuk Obat (Gynura pseudochina: Cultivation & Medicinal Uses). Based on books above, Phaleria macrocarpa has been used in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, kidney problem, and arthritis. Gynura pseudochina has been used in the treatment of stroke, arthritis, and cancer. Gynura procumbens has been used in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, cough, and cholesterol. Andrographis paniculata is valued for its medicinal properties as an antidote to snake bites and has been used in the treatment of bronchitis, diabetes, hypertension, influenza, and tuberculosis. Herbs, traditionally, help to cure or prevent deseases in Indonesia.