The Berry Plants That I Have Found in the first 10 days in Brussels

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I took this Rowan berry picture while walking to the grocery! - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Welcome back to Ichi's Garden! How have you been, it's been a while! I hope all of you are in good safe. Today I am going to share with all of you what I have found for the first 10 days after moving to Brussels. What? In Belgium?🤔

If you are following my blogs; Ichi's Garden, Ichi's Fusion Recipes, The Journey of Ichi Family, and Ichikraft Give and Care, You have noticed that I have decided to reduce or you could say, " I stop to write." The reason, I had been preparing myself for my further studies. Even I closed my online small business. Now you know that I chose to study in Belgium; as a Master's student at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

I have been amazed since I arrived in Brussels as my first place to visit was my campus. There is a greeny view around my campus. Moreover, I have alway enjoyed my walk maybe going to the grocery store, buying food, or anything else because I have discovered flowers and trees that I have never seen before. Therefore, these are those plants!😉

1. Rowan Berry

While walking to the grocery nearby, I was fascinated by the abundance of red berries in front of me. Of course, those berries were planted on the side street; actually in the residence area. I was curious and googling for it then figured out the name of this certain berry; it is called Rowan Berry plant/ tree. You can see the picture that I took above!🙂

2. Hawthorn Berry

Hawthorn Berry; I took this picture just around my campus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

The second berry is still red berry! The name of it is the Hawthorn Berry tree/ plant. The first time saw it was around my campus. We can identify it by the shape of its leaf and the fruit. It is very tempting to pick them, isn't it? 😁

3. Spindle Berry

Spindle Berry that I discovered around my campus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I saw this little cute berry near one of the VUB gates. At first,  I was captivated by the red leaf there. It was a small tree and I bet It was just planted. Then when I got closer, WOW! it has a small flower I thought, but then it looked like a berry yet the shape was unusual. Curious...I have tried to find its name; the name is Spindle Berry!😎

4. Crab Apple

Crab Apple; I took this picture near my student housing! - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Wait a minute, is it apples? Yes and no, apple but Crab Apple!🤔 There are a lot of crabapple trees near my student housing. I wondered what kind of apple it that. They appear similar to apples yet small. Can we eat this kind of apple? You can try it if you want, however, I cannot guarantee the taste is as good as your favorite apple. These trees are planted on the street side just a few steps from my student housing. Therefore, during summer I could enjoy this view!😎

5. Elder Tree

Elder Berry! Sorry for the unclear picture; it was breezy and I found it hard to take a good picture - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Elder Berry - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I have always been curious whenever I see trees, or flowers that I have never seen before. That is the reason why I enjoyed during the walk and looked around me especially the trees and flowers that I have passed by. Even a tiny flower makes me excited including this black tiny berry!🤩 I took this picture near my campus. A lot of them, however, that time was windy so I was unable to take proper pictures. Moreover, the fruit was hanging above me. 

Of course, I saw another redberry; 

Another berry - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I bet there are still many kinds of berries in Belgium. I love to learn something new and one of them is to learn plants and flowers that I have never seen before. This is a good experience for me! 👍

Thank you for reading my article, I hope I have a little time to write on my blogs again. Have a nice weekend and take care!✋🤗

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

Growing Devil's Pumpkin to Attract Birds

 

Ichi's Garden: Devil's Pumpkin - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Some people might think that this plant is an invasive weed and useless. However, from my personal perspective, I have different thoughts about this vine plant. Instead of pulling them from my flower pot, I am willing to grow them to attract birds coming to my mini garden. 

The story of the Devil's pumpkin in my garden has begun when Yellow-vented Bulbul often visits my greeny space. As result, the bird brought the Devil's pumpkin seeds inside their poop. The bird's poop fell directly on the soil of the flower pot. Without warning, the seed just pops up from the ground. I was curious, and I decided to take care of the baby plant as I wanted to know what kind of plant it could be. One thing is for sure, it must be one of the Yellow-vented Bulbul diets!😉

Ichi's Garden: a couple Yellow-vented Bulbul perched - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I did not remember how many weeks the plant had to become mature and produce the fruits. However, I took some pictures since the Devil's Pumpkin started producing fruits in November last year. Today I have 2 pots of this berry and they are producing fruit right now. If you recognize Passionflower, this berry has a flower that is exactly the same as Passionflower but it is tiny with green color. The fruit's color is green and turns dark purple when it ripens. And the birds such as Yellow-vented Bulbul and Myna love the ripe one.

As it is wild fruit, this plant is low maintenance which is good news for me!👊 However, as the berry has grown in a pot, it needs water almost every day. Otherwise, they will die. How about soil, it is able to grow in hard soil for example low nutrient soil or common soil. What does common soil mean? The common soil is the soil that same in our yard. In another word, Devil's Pumpkin is easy to grow everywhere whenever the birds drop the poop. Of course, the bird's poop itself is the fertilizer for the seed to grow. No wonder, when I walk, it is easy to notice this kind of berry on the side street climbing the big trees or bushes. 

Ichi's Garden: Devil's Pumpkin fruit - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

As far as I know, Devil's Pumpkin attracts not only birds as I mentioned above, but also pollinators for instance bees and butterflies. I have seen the bees come and circle the flower of this plant. If we are talking about bees, the leafcutter bees also visited my garden last year as they were interested in one of my Hibiscus flower leaves. Another bee was the one that collected nectar from my Pedilanthus or Devil's Backbone flower or Pink bird flower. Seriously, am I  collecting Devil's plants in my garden?😅

Now, sometimes I do collect the seeds from the bird's poop and then put them in the empty pot. The result is amazing as some seeds sprouted from the ground and it is not only one but several. One of them is the Curry plant. Yes, another Yellow-vented Bulbul diet is a berry that produces from the Curry plant. The bird picks the black or ripe one. Meanwhile, for the others, I haven't discovered the plants' names yet. I do still remember when I picked the Curry plant's seed. That day I saw the bird drop poop with something with green color like jumped.🤣😅 Then at late noon I came out and collected that green thing and put it on the soil bed. Surprisingly, a few days later it sprouted!🤩 That is intriguing, right. If I want to know about the Yellow-vented Bulbul diet, I need to collect more seeds from its poop.😄

Ichi's Garden: the seeds that I collected from bird's poop were sprouting. This picture was taken on January 28th, 2023 - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Since my Devil's Pumpkin produces fruits, my garden is more lively. Myna bird is the one that frequently checks the fruit whether they are ripened or not. Whereas the Yellow-vented Bulbul sometimes eats the Devil's berry as they come for the banana that I place under my Kaffir Lime tree. If you are following Ichi's Garden, you have already known that the Bulbul bird helps me to eradicate the caterpillar on my Lime leaves. Therefore, I send my gratitude for their hard work by providing a little banana. Moreover, I have seen Dove as well. Not sure what they ate. It looks the Dove picked the Sweet William flower seeds or Oxalis seeds or seeds from Bulbul's poop.

Amazing, is not it? By growing wild plants such as Devil's Pumpkin, we can create an ecosystem in our garden. I am fascinated to do this thing to support wildlife in the urban area. It sounds small act, but when you see the result, you can see how big our role is to keep wildlife surviving in the modern world where many green spaces have declined drastically because of city development. If we ignore it, someday that wildlife is just a history, which means they are extinct. And I do not want it to happen. Therefore, this is my small contribution to creating a better world. 

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• o not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

The Benefits of Growing Betel Plant in Our Garden

 

Betel plant at Ichi's Garden - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Talking about the Betel plant, are you excited? I have believed not many of you realize the benefits of growing it in our garden. Therefore in this article, I would like to tell you what are the benefits we get by having this certain plant in our lovely garden. It is not only good for the environment but also good for our health.

I have mentioned a story when the doctor diagnosed me that I had tonsilitis. And because my father could not afford the routine check-up and eventually hospital surgery, I took traditional herbs to heal myself from tonsilitis. As a result, since my first year in high school, every day I drank a glass of Betel leaf water. Believe me, if I had opted at the time, I would not do it as the taste made me nauseous. However, I endured this hard time for about 3 years!👊Only after I studied at a university that was far away from my hometown, I stopped to drink this awful taste of water. A year later, I tried to eat deep-fried snacks and cool drinks again. Surprisingly, I did not have any symptoms like fever and swelling, in another word, I was amazingly FINE! My success had been spread by a local doctor in my hometown so that any children in my village who had tonsilitis issues could follow in my footstep to drink Betel leaf daily. Of course, I was so proud of myself as I was able to give inspiration to others even though just a small thing. Indeed, as far as I know, the research about it has not been conducted yet so it is literally no proof that Betel leaf can eradicate tonsilitis, and this is just based on my experience. Whether you believe it or not, it is up to you!😉

From what I had experienced in the past, I have to value the Betel plant and grow it in my garden. Compared to other people I know, some of them look down on and underestimate this particular plant. The reason is that this is just "kampoeng" (kampoeng means village) vegetation. As many people in my birthplace only care about status in society for instance collecting expensive plants or flowers to be acknowledged as a wealthy family. From my perspective, every single floral in this world has a purpose, moreover, they give benefits to us as human beings where we have to live and coexist side by side. If we value any flowers, we will notice that all of those trees, bushes, and even plants with thorns on it, all of them are valuable to living things. 

By growing the Betel plant in our garden we will get some benefits. Firstly, because of the shiny green leaves make the garden looks radiant. We can enjoy the green view. I do remember the time when my father grew this foliage plant. He planted it outside the bathroom wall where wasted water from household bass by. This plant had grown bigger and nice to see as some ducks we had frequently swam under the shrub. In addition, my grandma did not have to buy Betel leaves, whenever she needed them, just grabbed them from the garden which was a fresh and naturally growing plant. At the time, many elderly women used to chew Betel leaf at least third times a day. They believed by chewing it made their teeth long-lasting. Another benefit we get is to make it remedies for health issues such as tonsilitis. Furthermore, I boil some Betel leaves and use the water to solve my discharge problem by using this water as an intimate wash. This traditional method reduces the discharge issue and eventually we, women, will be free from this annoying problem. Again, there is no research for it to prove that Betel leaf is able to address this particular women's issue.

So, in a nutshell, the Betel leaf has benefits for us if we grow it in our garden. Sometimes, people see a plant or flower based on its price to elevate status social in the community. Each plant on this planet has its own purpose, that is what I have believed. Therefore, do not see floral by their prices on the market, but consider what the advancements are if we grow them. 

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

 

Apartment Gardening tips for the beginner

 

Ichi's Garden: growing Hibiscus Flower to create Sunbird's habitat in the urban area - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Indeed in this article, I am going to talk about gardening tips for the beginner as I wrote my project Sunbird to create a habitat for sunbirds in the urban area before. Therefore the focus is on what should someone do if it is the first time walking into gardening activities.

I am trying to propagate my Oxalis - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

1. Trying to grow 1 or 2 plants 

I fully understand that when you see your family member, relatives and neighbors fill their life with gardening, some of you might feel want to do the same thing because of the greeny views and colorful flowers hanging around their houses looks tranquil. However, you have to retain your excitement before buying a bulk of plants and flowers along with gardening materials. Why? Firstly, gardening needs lots of work which draws our energy; are you ready to devote some of your time to it? A beginner might think it is easy peasy to plant and grow vegetables for example after watching YouTube, reading gardening books, or seeing your neighbors. The fact is that after a week, and months, starting feel tired and frustrated because one by one the plants struggle and then die eventually. Therefore, if we are new to the garden work, let's try to grow one or two plants first and see how it works out for you. Especially when we reside in an apartment. At this point, we do not have to lose a mount of money, in this case, when gardening is pricy. Another thing is that planting only one or two plants for trial, will measure our capability to handle plants; including time as I mentioned above. Sometimes some people do not realize that gardening needs a mountain of work since maintenance is necessary to keep the plant healthy. Hence, I have always said that this particular activity is not a hobby but a work. 

2. Choosing a native plant or flower 

Whatever your desire, the first step if you are a beginner in the garden work, the next step is to pick native plants before extending them to a wide range variety of vegetation. The reason is that I presume that native plants are suitable for the environment and temperature where we live, in another word, much easier to take care of as those are familiar. This step is good to prepare ourselves for the garden's work. Compared if we buy non-residential flora, it could discourage you, for instance, I choose to plant the Gerbera flower without considering that I live in a humid and hot weather country. In this case, I should grow native flowers such as Jasmine, or Hibiscus flowers. Why do I recommend this step on your gardening journey? Well, I think everyone wants smooth sailing throughout this journey, isn't it😉 So, residential flowers could better work for the beginner at this point.

3. Learn the sun's position

If we live in an apartment, learning about the sun's position is a crucial point as every plant needs sunlight despite how much they need; some obtain morning sunlight, and others might be suffering without direct sunlight et cetera. Once we decide where our gardening spot would be, we have to know the sun's position in this particular place. Fortune for you if morning direct sunlight bath the garden's space because the choice of a variety of plants could stretch longer. Conversely, only specific flowers and plants would survive in partial light, or without direct sunlight. While growing one or two native floras, we can make an assessment of the garden's spot with the sun's position. After learning this step, we are able to choose which plants that could survive in the garden area. Why this is important? It is definitely to save your energy and money as well. Picking the wrong flowers could consume our time because we need to replace the dying plants. Besides, often buying new flowers for the replacement purpose will drain out our pocket, isn't it? That's my concern. You bet, gardening in Singapore is expensive, for example, good quality potting soil is about $ 4 and above. So, we have to be careful.

4. Pick the right plants

Based on my experiences, making the right choice of what kind of floras we want to grow is a crucial part of the gardening activity in an apartment. Some issues may occur if we grow the wrong vegetation. For instance, the plants or flowers won't grow, capture a disease, and eventually die. Some of you might think, "well, it is fine, I can buy another plant" but how long you would do the same mistake? Besides, it is tiresome as we want to see the flowers bloom, or we can enjoy a little greeny view from our window. Therefore, what is the point of keeping the same mistake; buying the wrong plant or flower then they die in the end? When we will be able to relish our garden work? Observe the florist or flower and plant shop nearby, which the plant and flowers that are suitable for your garden's space requisites. Sometimes, the florist doesn't care about the customer's concern as what they need is to sell as much as flowers and plants in their shop to gain more profit. Therefore, this is your task as a gardener!🤞😉 Remember, gardening is not a hobby. I have believed if we treat this kind of activity as a hobby, we may end up collecting only particular plants. For instance, captivating only Begonias that are not able to grow in your garden space condition in a hot sunny climate with the sun soaring above 30 Degrees at noon. The aim is to create a green view at home, isn't it? For that reason, we must choose the right plants for some benefits, it could be to make a shade from the sun, a beautiful scene because of the flowers we grow, or attract small birds. 

5. Keep Learning

In order to obtain gardening skills, we must keep learning during the process. Indeed, it would take some time, however, the result may surpass your expectation which is great, right!🤗 Imagine, at first you only want to grow Portulaca flowers; while trying to plant them, you study these cute flowers. As a result, you are able to propagate Portulaca and when to replant them, knowing the soil condition that is perfect for them, and soon. The knowledge that we can gain from gardening activities is amazing, right? By doing so, we are able to extend a wide variety of plants in the garden space we have at home, of course, with some consideration on how much time we do have to take care of the plant at home. 

I have had this Aglaonmema since 2015!😊 - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Some of my neighbors said that my plants are quite good, others think that I have always bought a new one because my plant looks pretty and healthy. But the key is that I did 5 things that we discuss in this article. Therefore, if you are a beginner in this work, especially living in an apartment, make sure to know how much time you have to maintain the plants because gardening consumes time. Another pertinent thing is that start 1 or 2 plants by choosing native floral to figure out how it works for you. Then learn whether the sun hit your garden room to pick the right vegetation that suits the condition. Lastly, do not get bored learning while doing the garden activities. Happy gardening!👍😁

Growing this Epiphyllum from a single leaf that I found on the street - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Read one of my stories that I resume on the Rising From The Ashes: Quiet and Outdated Girl Yet Popular and Become A Role Model here https://ichi-journey.blogspot.com/2022/07/risng-from-ashes-quiet-and-outdated.html

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

Project Sunbird

 

A male Olive-backed Sunbird on the Raintree behind our laundry room - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

My first impression about the Olive-backed Sunbird is how adorable this bird🥰 I had never thought to make a special project for them before until a year ago I decided to create their habitat in a small space that I have in front of my front door. What is the reason behind this project and what are the benefits I have received?

I know, for some people my act might be crazy, but I guess I have always executed crazy things since many years ago one example decided to leave my hometown to study at a university that was far away from my father's house. In this case, in a tiny space and want to make a comfortable environment for the tiny bird-like Sunbird;  It is enough to make people laugh. Yeah, just go laud of laugh and just watch what I have done because I execute my plan to support Olive-backed Sunbird.😉 Doing something that no one wants to do and no one can do; that's typically me🌞

I recognized Olive-backed Sunbird a few years ago before we moved to this flat where we have been living for about 4 years. Back then I had always wondered what kind of tiny bird visited my "garden" and hang out for a while. Back then my cat, Ichi, was alive; she loved to sit tight in front of our window or front door to watch some birds that came to our dense "garden." From Dove, Starling, and Olive-backed Sunbird, those birds perched on my plants regularly and made my cat extremely happy!🤗 Talking about this makes me miss Ichi!😭 Thanks to Ichi, because of her I was concerned and wanted to know more about tiny birds, Olive-backed Sunbird. 

After moving into a flat that we live in today, I bought Hibiscus plants, two actually; orange and yellow color. I had noticed the tiny bird, the Olive-backed Sunbird, had always come whenever the Hibiscus bloomed. It was the first time I found out that the Hibiscus flower is one of its bird diets. I also reckon that another flowering plant that I saw in my neighbor's garden back then was also its diet. The plant's name is Pedilanthus. Since then, I had tried to find this plant at a florist or flower shop nearby. Fortunately, it was hard to find this specific plant. Until someday, I found in the hypermarket; maybe in 2020 (I have forgotten the exact time). I was extremely joyous as this is a precious plant to support Sunbird's habitat.

Pedilanthus plant or Pink Bird Flower at Ichi's Garden - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Some people might think why I chose a kampoeng (village) flower such as Hibiscus. Hibiscus is a common plant in my hometown and does not get appreciation from some residents as it is no value and benefits for them. One example, some people that I know from my village, they bought plants that give them status social in the society, basically expensive ones which represent how wealthy they are. It sounds strange, isn't it? Meanwhile for me, choosing a plant or flower to create Sunbird's habitat to support their survival in the urban area aka bustling city. Therefore, I had looked for those Sunbird diets. Heliconia, Fire Cracker plant, I do not have them. But my guess is that planting more than 5 pots of Hibiscus is enough to make Sunbird have a feeding spot. Nowadays I have kept 8 pots of Hibiscus flowers, plus one is still growing. Yeah, a few months ago I cultivated Hibiscus from its stem. One of those blooms and more buds coming. Meanwhile, another one hasn't matured yet. Adding one pot of Pedilanthus, in total is 10 plants in Ichi's garden in order to create a Sunbird habitat. 

I have been working on this project, project Sunbird since March 2021. Yeah, this is my own work, and I am happy doing this. The reason is to support the survival of this tiny bird in the urban area. It must be hard for specific wild birds to survive in the residential area because their diet is specific and the city expansion where many trees have been chopped down. Unlike pigeon or Javan Myna birds, they could eat anything they find. But nectarine-bird, Sunbird, need nectarine flower plants to keep them alive. In my view, our world would be great and beautiful if we coexist side by side with nature even though we live in a bustling city. My second reason is to preserve the Hibiscus flower. If some or many people do not appreciate this plant, sooner or later it might be extinct for sure. For this reason, I want to keep this beautiful flower around me and show how wonderful they are because it is a food source for Sunbird, a tiny cute bird.

Recently, my Hibiscus plants blooms one to another, and the Pink Bird flower (Pedilanthus) as well. Nowadays, after a year have been trying to grow Hibiscus, I can see the result in front of my eyes. For the first time, I saw Juvenile Olive-backed Sunbird yesterday. It means the breeding season this year succeeded! The success of Sunbird's next generation is also our responsibility too as we, humans, have taken soo much from nature, now it is our turn to help nature. 

If you are following Ichi's Garden, it is easy for you to find out how easy to grow the Hibiscus plant as I wrote about it before.  Easy to grow and low maintenance, moreover, support Sunbird's habitat, that is something worthy to planting this flower, isn't it? I mentioned in another article that the soil surface supports the growth of tiny snails that attracts other birds such as a sparrow. Correct, recently I saw and hear sparrows visit my "garden." Another time I also saw Swinehoe's white-eye bird come perching on my Hibiscus plant. Maybe they follow Sunbird to find food sources or perhaps feel comfortable with the dense vegetation that I create. Whatever the reason, the green environment attracts some living creatures, especially tiny wild birds. 

Meanwhile for me, personally, I am happy to support tiny wildlife such as the Olive-backed Sunbird. When they brought their chick to my "garden" I was tears of joy. The same feeling when Yellow-vented Bulbul came with their chick. All of those mean that my project is a success. I wished I could introduce my project to the community if, only IF, the authority where I live approves "the community gardening project." Yeah, last year, one of the residents in our block proposed to create a gardening activity for the residents of our block as many of us love gardening. There is plenty of gardening project that has been held by residents around us in other blocks that occupy some of the empty space nearby their block. They grow vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, and many others. It sounds great activity for the residents to know each other, my guess. Sadly, not on our block. My only worry right now is that when I move to another place, who will support this tiny bird?

Besides, a beautiful home is one that is surrounded by flowers and plants. I used to live at a landed house with dense vegetation. Therefore, I can't live without flowers around me. In this case, looking through my window, it is a fresh green view (even though on small scale) complete with the wildlife one example Sunbird. Hearing their chirping daily makes me smile and relive my life pressure. Especially in the early morning, when I do watering my plants, the air is smell good and fresh because of the scent of the leaves. I think these are the benefits of working on the project Sunbird. 

Supporting wildlife is something that we can start from home by doing gardening. Creating Sunbird's habitat motivates me to do more to help nature. Although project Sunbird is a little act yet this is a big hope for our future, yes? That is what I have believed, humans and nature coexist side by side and live together in order to create a great and beautiful world in the future.🌞✨

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

Support the Yellow-vented Bulbul to Survive in The Urban Area

 

Juvenile Yellow-vented Bulbul at Ichi's Garden - Photographed by RDZ

Look at the picture above, it is an adorable juvenile Yellow-vented Bulbul!🌞🥰 Who knows, gardening at home would attract birds and as a result, this act supports the next generation of the birds that live around us which creates a beautiful world for us, humans, and nature!👊🌞

First of all, let's celebrate a couple Yellow-vented Bulbul's success in bringing up their chick; the chick is growing and healthy!✌😊 Wait a minute, how am I able to have this precious moment? Starting from December 2021 or early January 2022 (I am unsure), after frequently I saw Yellow-vented Bulbul cames to my "garden" I put some a little banana under my lime tree that I have grown in a pot for about 6 or 7 years. Actually, May 2021, was the first time we captured the first video on how a Yellow-vented Bulbul hunted the caterpillar on my lime tree and devour a big green swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. Yes, my kaffir lime tree has been attacked by the caterpillar time by time and I could not spray any pesticide to repel the caterpillar as I am used to adding kaffir lime leaves on some of my recipes. The culprit is the Swallowtail butterfly. This butterfly loves to lay its egg on my kaffir lime leaves which makes my lime lose its leaves; no leaves left when the Swallowtail caterpillar shows up! To be honest, although I love butterflies yet this is an irritating event. That caterpillar is similar to an eating machine only in a short time, my lime leaves are gone... I presume the Yellow-vented Bulbul comes to my "garden" is because found its food. When there is no caterpillar have found on my lime tree, they just hang out for a couple minutes by perching on my plants, sometimes singing for a while. After encountering some or several times sawing this particular Bulbul at my "garden" I wanted to give them a reward as they have kept the caterpillar at bay by offering some a little banana (sometimes papaya) to them. This is what I call mutual symbiosis, both of us get the benefit; for me, my lime has big and green shiny leaves, meanwhile, for this bird, their belly is full! That is what I had heard in my biology class since I was in primary school. Do you remember what you had learned in Biology class? If not, quick fast googling what is mutual symbiosis!😉

We have never noticed before until last Saturday (19 March 2022) at 5 PM a couple Yellow-vented Bulbul came to my "garden" and brought their chick. On a regular day, we have already known that Yellow-vented Bulbul visits my lime tree and eats the banana that I place. However, I have never expected this small act would help them to survive. I presume this couple Bulbul fed their chick with the banana that I offered for their hard-working to kick the caterpillar. Some people think that feeding wild birds is wrong, however, in contrast, it supports the success of The Yellow-vented Bulbul next generation to thrive and survive in an urban area since we live in a bustling city where I have seen many trees have been cutting down by authority to expand the city landscape. Moreover, avoid them from extinction so that our next generation will be able to see Yellow-vented Bulbul. You may already hear that if habitants lose their habitat, their chance to survive is small, their young generation won't survive either. In this case, we, humans, must lend our hands to help them, just a little a bit, it would help; such as birds in this article, to live and thrive. For me, giving Yellow-vented Bulbul a little banana is not a big deal. It is only a small chunk for us, and I have always cleaned it in the evening (at 5 PM or 6 PM) daily which means it is fresh banana every morning. I won't let any leftover trash in the corridor. People might be concerned if someone feeding wild birds could affect the human environment one example the corridor looks dirty because of the banana leftover. However, when I make this action there is have always the responsibility that comes along; I must clean up in the evening even in the early morning before I do the activity, after watering my plants I wash the corridor floor where my "garden" is placed. If you see the corridor in front of our home, there are no objects like empty bottles, empty pots, pot soil, a bicycle, cardboard, a shopping cart, rack shoes, clothes ( some resident drying their wet clothes, rug, mat, in the corridor) et cetera. When you visit my "garden" where I put a little banana for Bulbul under my lime tree, your eyes only see foliage plants and flower plants. Therefore, in my view, giving Bulbul food is actually to assist them to survive as you may know Yellow-vented Bulbul has a requirement in its diet. Unlike Javan Myna and Pigeon, these birds are able to eat anything. 

Some other people also think that supporting wild birds (Yellow-vented Bulbul in this article), is just to bait them so that I am able to capture their picture. Here is the thing, I have been doing gardening since I was a child where my father grew and planted many flowers and fruit trees in our garden and yards. Because of the dense vegetation in my father's garden, it attracted lots of wildlife to come and became a shelter for some species which was called "home." Nowadays, although I am far away from the place I come from, gardening is still something that I want to preserve and pass down to my next generation as this is not only to give wildlife food and home but also the way to keep my father alive in my life. I mentioned in another article that gardening is not just planting plants, this activity is actually to keep the soil fertile so that little creatures such as worms can live happily. Besides, the plants and the flowers themselves are the food sources and shelter for other species like bees, small birds, butterflies, et cetera. Moreover, gardening is one of my way to share happiness; when my plants produce flowers, my neighbors feel happy to see them. In the past, my father let one of my father's neighbors pick his flowers and sold them in the market when the flowers bloomed; and my father had never asked for money. So, by gardening we are able to help others; it is true!✨😊 That is why I have always said that gardening is not a hobby because if you treat this activity as a hobby you will end up becoming a collector of pricey flowers and plants based on what I have seen in some people that I know. 

If you are following Ichi's Garden, you may notice that I have tried to create Sunbird's habitat since March 2021 by planting Hibiscus flowers. Same as Sunbird, I guess planting lime tree (any kind of lime family) would help Yellow-vented Bulbul to survive since butterflies love laying its egg on the lime's leaves. Curry plant berry, Lantana flower plant berry, is also loved by this particular Bulbul. There is another plant, unfortunately, I do not know the plant's name until these days. Those are the plants that I have learned during observing Yellow-vented Bulbul for the past 3 months. Besides the Yellow-vented Bulbul diet, we also discovered their behavior, for instance how the male Yellow-vented Bulbul greeted its mate, the greeting mom's Yellow-vented Bulbul to its chick, distinct call to their mate (they recognize their mate by the distinct call). We were also found out and witnessed how protected the male of this particular bird when it comes to its territory of the food source and protects his family (becoming a guard for the nest). We were also lucky that we captured the moment when the male Yellow-vented Bulbul sang. How I do know all these behavior? Because we both my husband and I observe them and analyze the videos or footage we have. For me, it is intriguing to know the deep about nature around us. So, we do not have to keep Yellow-vented Bulbul or any kind of birds in the cage, let them free, and support them to survive!👊🌞

Supporting the success of the Yellow-vented Bulbul to survive in the urban area is an interesting activity as we can learn their habit and behavior. Furthermore, in an urban area like where we are today, it is crucial to think about wildlife habitat because the lost habitat will lead to the extinction of those habitants. In this case, is Yellow-vented Bulbul. Therefore, we, humans, must lend our hands to support them so that the Yellow-vented Bulbul success to bring up the next generation and they survive. Humans and nature coexist side by side, it is a great and beautiful world we must create for our next generation.🤩👍

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by RDZ
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not use this photograph anywhere else without permission

 

Support The Wildlife By Gardening

Yellow-vented Bulbul visited Ichi's garden - Photographed by RDZ

Do you agree that the activity of gardening would support the wildlife?🤔 Personally, for me, gardening is not only planting flowers and plants but the gardening activities have impacted the wildlife and our environment as well. All of those are connected by the fact that each element needs each other to support the circle of life.

I have an unforgettable memory of when I was a child. At that time in my hometown, we had no electricity. One night my father took me and my brother to walk outside the house and brought a flashlight. My father pointed out something directly to the bushy medium trees that had been growing only 1,5 meters from our side right house. These trees had fruit that we could use for cooking. The leaves themselves, I think it was edible. The trees were only 2 meters with lots of small branches; that is why looked bushy. What I saw was 3 tiny owl perched on one of the branches of that particular tree. I do not know whether they were baby owls or small owls. I can't forget that moment until these days. Besides becoming a sanctuary for owl, my father's yards was also home to varieties of wildlife; from nectarine bird, insect bird, dragonfly, butterfly, lizard, bats, termites, et cetera even snake! The last one (snake) was the most wildlife that I do not like. Inspired by my father, I filled a small pond (1-meter x 50 cm, less than 50 cm deep) with apple snails that I picked for free from the irrigation nearby. And the result was the frog made this pond their home too. One thing that I have always admired about my father was that although he was a busy career man at that time yet he made a contribution to preserving nature. He designed the garden landscape by himself, planting flowers, plants, and fruit trees, at the weekend or when took a leave. He had worked on this (gardening) for years to create dense vegetation around our house that become a shelter for many living things. 

A male Olive-backed Sunbird at Ichi's garden - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

How did my father's gardening activity affect our life? Of course, we enjoyed fruits, birds chirping every day without keeping them in the cage, our home cool because of the shade from the trees, earthworms made the soil healthy since we kept the fallen leaves on one small section of my father's garden, and we did not suffer much during the dry season. Our well was the last one dry among villagers. It was almost rain season come when the water dissipated from our well. The trees around my father's house helped us to keep the water a little longer during the dry season. Some people wondered why, but I knew the answer as I had learned this in the science subject in primary school. Besides all those benefits we got, I think is that by looking at the greeny view, reduced the stressful life. Leaving home at 5.30 AM and arriving at home at almost 6 PM sometimes 8PM or 10 PM on the weekday, that was my father's routine when he dedicated his knowledge for a big company. To release the pressure at work, I think he picked gardening since he loved pretty flowers.

By reading the 2 paragraphs above, you get the hint of why I do love gardening. Yeah, it is because I have been familiar with gardening since I was a child. I have found out that gardening is fascinating and fun as well. As I mentioned in my previous article the pollinator such as little bees had been attracted by my Hibiscus that I grew recently. The caterpillar is also attracting Yellow-vented Bulbul and as the result, I offer them bananas and papaya to keep the caterpillar at bay. Recently, a Dove comes to my "garden." Maybe checking up for the nesting site or perhaps looking for a snack as I have abundant tiny snails on my potting soil surface. Furthermore, I have been working on the project Sunbird since March 2021. Yeah, this is my project with my own effort and I have done this just because I want to preserve the Hibiscus flower and Sunbird. That's it!🤗

 A dove visited Ichi's garden - Photographed by RDZ

For me, gardening has lots of meaning in my life. The first is to keep my father's alive in my life (my grandma as well). The second is to support the wildlife just like what my father did in the past. Gardening is not collecting pricey plants like some people do, in my opinion, gardening is to support wild living things from small creatures such as earthworms, bees, birds, butterflies, and...by the end of the day it affects humans too as we would get a healthy environment. Everything is connected because we need each other.

Doing gardening even at the small place as I have done, would give support to wildlife, especially small birds. We can create a little habitat and make them coexist side by side with us, humans. The advantages of doing soo are that we can hear their chirping regularly without keeping them in the cage, keeping the caterpillar in check, reducing my stress level, and making our home fresh because of the greeny view. Therefore, let's start to preserve nature by doing gardening at home!👊🌞😊

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti and RDZ
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

Growing Rose of Sharon from Seeds

 

My rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus) - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Really, in Singapore? As we all know that hot weather is our daily temperature and the sun hits soo bright!  Whereas this type of flower loves low temperature and somehow is not suit in our environment. However, I would like to try with the advantage maybe Sunbird will approve and love it. 

Ichi's Garden: small Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I do not remember when the exact time bought Hibiscus Syriacus. When did weekly grocery shopping, I was captivated by the seeds called Hibiscus? On the cover, they did not say what kind of Hibiscus that was. Something on my mind was willing to grow these seeds as I have been working on Project Sunbird. If this plant could produce such kind of flower that Sunbirds love, then this would be a further step to finding another Sunbird diet besides the common Hibiscus flower, Pedilanthus Little Bird flower that I have grown in my "garden." 

The bud of my special Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

A few days after buying that particular Hibiscus seeds, I started putting some seeds on the regular pot with potting soil. I placed it on the ledge in our laundry room where the morning sun hits the space. Not long to wait, the seeds sprouted and I gave it sprinkles water daily. Day by day, my sprout had not grown much until I moved the pot outside (in my "garden"). Since then, they have been growing stronger and taller than before with healthy leaves. Only 8 survived and I separated them into 3 different pots and gave them organic fertilizer. About 30 cm tall or less than 50 cm, they have produced flowers! My guess is the last week of January 2022, was when my rose of Sharon was full-bloomed! Nowadays, only one pot is left because others plants in another pot had been attacked by mealybugs and I cut and thrown them away. Meanwhile, the only one survived, I trimmed them so they will prepare to bloom again, hopefully!🤞🙂

My special Hibiscus, small yet pretty!🥰 - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

How long I had been waiting until full bloom? To be honest I do not remember. Maybe 4 months because at first I got some obstacles where they won't grow and looked weak.  What I can say is that it is worth to try growing this pretty Hibiscus. my neighbors admire this type of Hibiscus as they are small yet pretty enough to make our day smile and feel great. Every morning I have seen small pollinators flying around this flower when it bloomed. And you know what? I am quite happy because I succeed to create nature and attract some birds and pollinators. Today, not only does Sunbird visit my "garden" but Yellow-vented Bulbul also comes daily. In a rare case, sometimes Dove suddenly appears on my plant and eats tiny snails that are abundant on my potting soil surface as I have always picked up yellow leaves and put them on my potting soil surface. So, these tiny snails decompose the leaves to give nutrients to my plants, then the bird eats the tiny snails. In a specific event like a thunderstorm, many worms come out from the soil and somehow they just disappear; my guess might be the Bulbul bird eats them. For me, lots of worms grow in the potting soil which means these creatures help my plants to grow healthy. Sometimes my neighbor mentions that my plants look pretty and healthy despite the fact they grow in small pots. How?🌞✌

My pretty Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Although this kind of Hibiscus is typically hard to grow in our environment yet I managed to keep them in my best what can I do and bloomed 3 weeks ago. Maybe the last pot of rose of Sharon won't survive, however, I am satisfied with the result that I have working on it. Unfortunately, Sunbird did not approve of this Hibiscus as one of their diets. But, it doesn't matter since some of my Hibiscus plants have started to bloom so they still feel happy by visiting my "garden" daily to suck the Hibiscus flowers nectar!

My small Hibiscus bloomed about 3 weeks ago - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Growing Hibiscus Syriacus in a small space like the apartment? Why not! Maybe the result is not so great like we grow them in the ground. However, at least by doing this activity, we can create a habitat for some creatures one example birds, in a bustling city. We, humans, have taken soo much from nature, and now it is time for us to give back to mother nature, coexist side by side with nature.🌞🤗

Read my new article on Ichi's Fusion Recipes, link is here https://ichi-recipes.blogspot.com/2022/02/warming-sweet-skinless-boneless-chicken.html

Thank you for reading my article, see ya!🖐🌞

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission

Easy ways To Keep The Hibiscus Flowers Growing Well and Healthy

 

One of my Hibiscus flowers - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Is that easy to grow Hibiscus in a pot, especially when we live in an apartment? I would say yes if you know what you are doing with your Hibiscus, otherwise, your darling Hibiscus won't grow and the ultimate thing is they die sooner. So, what are the easy ways to keep the Hibiscus flowers growing well and healthy?

Take a look at the picture above or the first picture in this article. I have had this "Orange" Hibiscus for about 3 years now. Read the article associated with this particular Hibiscus here https://ichi-garden.blogspot.com/2021/06/how-to-make-hibiscus-bloom-continuously.html You see at first it was dying but we figured out how to make it bloom again, moreover, grow well and healthy. You can say what I am going to write in this article is based on my experiences years, not a day or a month with more fails. It takes some time to understand how my plant grows by observing them. Of course, it isn't easy as we live in an apartment which means more obstacles I would encounter while growing my greenery in my corridor. One example is where the morning sun hits because what kind of flowers and plants I choose will depend on it. The good thing is that the Hibiscus plant works incredibly awesome in my "garden." I am quite delighted about it!🌞

My Hibiscus plants - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

One day I told one of my neighbors that taking care of Hibiscus is easy and effortless compared to others. She was surprised since for her it needs more maintenance that won't go a piece of cake. She also thought that my Orange Hibiscus with flowers is a new plant that I just bought. Look at the second picture, one of them has grown in a small pot yet has green shiny leaves and big flowers. Seriously, growing potentially become a big plant in a small pot? It sounds unusual and I think that what was going on in my neighbor's mind on how this plant is literally healthy. What have I done to keep them tremendously extraordinary as we concern it has planted in small pot?

Ichi's Garden: my yellow Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

1. Change the soil if necessary

After buying the Hibiscus plant at a florist or plant & flower shop, check the soil. Because sometimes I find out the red soil has been used in the commercial flowers. Red soil does not provide good support for any plant, at least in my opinion. Therefore, we must change the soil. For me, it doesn't need to contain 100%  compost soil, I need to mix it with common soil about 60%, and 30 % compost soil. Interestingly, we can actually use red soil for the base only to cover 10 % since it is heavy in weight compared to compost soil or common soil and I think it is good for the pot support.

Basically, common soil is the same soil in our yard, meanwhile, compost soil is made from plants mainly, that is what I know. Mixing them will create a good environment for the plants and also living things such as worms. Only compost soil, it doesn't work for me because of its texture that can not support my plant and is easy to dry out when the sun hits hard. Moreover, it is too light that makes the plant has a weak root. Additionally, when the wind blows this pot will easy to fall apart. The best way is to mix both common and compost soil.

Ichi's Garden: I call this one Long trunk Creamy Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

2. Don't overwater

Back then when I lived at my father's house, twice a day; in the morning and evening or late noon to water my father's flowers that had been planted in pots as we considered we were under the scorching sun most of the year. However, I had learned it depends on the position of the plants we place them. For instance, Pigeon orchid, my father planted under the shady and cooling a cotton tree. As result, we only water it once a day. What kind of plant we grow is also able to determine how many times we give it water. 

In this case, growing flowers and plants in an apartment are challenging. For decades, I have been trying to understand my circumstances wherever I want to buy flowers. Not only what kind of plants would suit my "garden" but also my watering habits. The reason is that if the sun hits my "garden" badly all day long then I need to water my plant twice. So make sure, once you buy flowers, you know their background. Otherwise, you need to read its flower information while you are trying to grow them.

Specific for Hibiscus, it is definitely a tropical flower. Growing Hibiscus on the ground is soo much easier compared to a pot. We do not need a particular schedule to water them, and we do not have to give it fertilizer either. On the ground, believe me, Hibiscus would be happy without maintenances. However, when in a pot, it comes a different story. Once a day, it's enough to give Hibiscus water. But in the hottest weather, my Hibiscus asks twice a day for water. Once again, this depends on the plant's position.

Ichi's garden: My yellow Hibiscus buds - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

3. Fertilizer regularly

If you have read my other article (link above) you would easy to figure out how to make Hibiscus happy and as result, they produce more flowers. I mentioned fertilizer for blooms, and I think this is important to encourage Hibiscus blooms. Every two weeks give this plant fertilizer for bloom. Besides treating Hibiscus with bloom fertilizer, every 3 weeks I add organic fertilizer for them so that they grow healthy by showing shinning leaves. Read the instructions on how much fertilizer our plant need. Usually, it depends on how big our plants are.

Ichi's garden: I call this lollypop Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

4. Trimming 

I have done to give it fertilizer, but it is far below the expectation where the Hibiscus only shows off their greeny shine leaves and no flower at all...🤔 It is time to trim the Hibiscus, cut some branches. I would say I keep my Hibiscus short ( not towering) since I grow them in a pot; small pots. This trimming will simulate new leaves, new branches that bring buds! At this time, if we give them the correct amount of fertilizer, the leaves would appear green and shiny, and big as well.

Ichi's Garden: I call this Pinkies Hibiscus flower - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Here the thing, Hibiscus flower is typically ground plant where they can grow big and higher. If we want to keep them in a pot (small pot), do not give them what they desire. You change to a bigger pot, a few months later they grow bigger and want a bigger pot than before, again and again...

Now the question is when we know the Hibiscus needs some trimming? After the bloom reaches the peak season, fewer and fewer buds have been produced by our Hibiscus flower. Sometimes we can see a small and abnormal flower, the leaves appear to become small. If you see those signs, be better to trim your Hibiscus. 

Ichi's Garden: I call this Long trunk Blood Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

5. Giving Hibiscus the touch of sun

I have an issue with direct sunlight, especially, morning sunlight. However, the direct sunlight hits some of my plants after midday. In my case, after trimming the Hibiscus, I place them in the spot where direct sunlight touches them even though a noon light. After some time, when they are ready to flower, I move my Hibiscus in a place where only light touches them. If this is not your case, better place them in the morning direct sunlight. Morning direct sunlight is unbeatable to give support for flowers and plants.

Ichi's Garden: I call this one is Pleated Red Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

6. Do not throw fall leaves

What does it mean? Well, what do you do when you see yellow leaves on the branches, or when the leaves fall? Me, I pluck yellow leaves and pick leaves that have fallen then put them on the potting soil surface. My idea is to give additional nutrients to my plants from organic material that comes from their own. Furthermore, it would create a natural environment where other living things can grow or live such as small snails and of course worms as well. 

That's what I have done to my Hibiscus plants. If you see my Hibiscus, you might wonder how come grows in a small pot yet has green big shiny leaves, and big flowers as well. The answer is that I give them the maintenances above. 

Of course, during this experiment, I had lost some of my Hibiscus flowers. However, on the bright side, all of that negative events are turn out amazing and I am happy!🤩🌞

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission