Ohana Nite Out - Gardener's Gathering

 It is one of the few gardener's gatherings which I would treasure greatly...
(Actually. I would treasure all of them)

The fact is gardening can be lonely sometimes,
when you know that you are surrounded by people
physically who don't understand you completely.
I hear (often hear) rather I hear always all the time..
A sound of ridicule when it comes to passion - when no one indeed understands that..
But a group of passionate people come together and that makes all the great difference.

Who cares what other people says..
You are now at Home.
The real people who are as passionate just as you are..
And the greater factor of truth:
Nothing surpasses that great feeling that you are one with your own kind.

And so the magic happened that night..
When all the Fairies and the Guardians are to wear something green..
I wore stones and lime..

It was a difficult night to go out anywhere that day
as many were travelling out of the city at the Eve of the 3-day holiday.
There were roadblocks, massive jams and it was also about to rain.
To avoid all the setbacks:
I had decided to travel by bike - easier to cut through the jam.
And truly enough,
fetching my wife after work and getting there was as early as an hour.

I would definitely reached there infinitely late, crawling and cursing...
if I had drove from where we are working - at the heart of the city.

Our Hearty, Joyful meal:
Cream of potato and leek soup
Australian Lamb Loin chop
and Boca Chica (Desert)

My spouse and I
It was an eye opener to her that she realised that
when the group of passionate gardener's meet - you need to talk just like them.

We care not to shy when we are with plants..
I'm holding a Fire Cracker Plant with Zeen Lim, another passionate gardener.

There were 22 of us with 2 table setting.
The volume and riot - priceless.

Plant giveaways..
There were so many plants that had been exchanged
that it goes beyond record of who received which.
I for one - just did the best I could in making sure someone got something from me.

Picture below:
3 bags of various plant give-aways:
Jewel of Opar, Caladiums, Purple Potato Ivy and some mixes of variegated plants

Many asked the 3 Varigated plants I passed,
something that the common name escape my mind.
If you really must know, they are:

1) Pseuderanthum reticulatum
2) Graptophyllum pictum aurea variegata
3) Gandarus var.

I must also thank the plants that I had received from many of these gardener's.
These are the few that I have received from them.

Some of the gardener's had managed to plant the cuttings till 5am in the morning,
continuing gardening after the late night meeting.
Talk about passion.

Thankfully mine came with pots - and so, I had just settle few planting them
later in the morning (after I had wake-up)

The irony of this is that I brought 3 bags thinking that what could top that..
Only to find that I got 6 bags to take back home and more I had graciously decline
as I do not have space to take them back as I was travelling by bike.

It was a memorable night..
Something that definitely increase the life's essence of any gardener.
You will only understand that when you meet up with other fellow gardener's.
Word's just cease to give a good description of that enormous joyful feeling.
If you had experienced it - you will certainly understand what I mean.

Finally,
I would really like to thank the organisers who had tirelessly sorted out this event successfully.
They had so much of trials put together in getting this whole event successful.
Kudos to Susan Suan & Janet Lim for doing a great job.