Salam from Malaysia

[selina.street9]

Assalamualaikum members!

I am a freelance translator from Malaysia. Semi retired and wants to garden more seriously now that I have more free time.

Here, there are groups that promote eco-tourism, plant a tree, clean our rivers, etc. As for me, I want to make Malaysians be aware of their native plants.

Hoya I thought was an imported exotic but upon reading, is actually a native plant found in the rain-forest. Foreigners that do research in Malaysia on ID missions gather them and have been cultivating this plant for decades. It has only made an appearance a few years ago in nurseries!

Tacca - most Malaysians have never seen this plant. It grows wild under large trees near my parent's house but no one took a second look because it is not showy and probably considered as a weed. The Australians actually took species of this plant and made huge commercial nurseries there - I found it on youtube.

Gloriosa lily. I have only seen this plant twice, in a mini forest once, took some cuttings but it did not grow (next time - research first!). Most Malaysian have never seen it either and does not know of such plant.

So, here I am trying to source for my own national heritage here, sniff, sniff. I am resorting to gardening groups because tubers of gloriosa ordered via e-bay arrived badly crushed and useless. Reasonably-priced tubers from US companies - don't deliver to Malaysia. I hope that I can find what I'm looking for here. Most of all, I want to know the tricks of how to grow flowering plants and vegetables in the tropics. Can wisteria and roses actually survive in Lahore's hot summer? How is it done? Have to live on hills for the cooler temperatures? I hope to find answers here and have a garden better than next door's, LOL!

I enclose a couple of pictures of an Australian weed, a native of Malaysia and India trained to climb over my porch's roof.

Thank you Farhan for accepting me though I had registering problems.

[Farhan Ahmed]

Welcome Aboard

[Izhar]

Welcome to the forum

[selina.street9]

Thank you Farhan and Izhar.

I look forward to finding more specimens for my garden.

[aykhan]

Welcome