How To Have a Fully Bloomed Garden Through out the Year! ( For Rainy Regions)

As I walked out of my home early one morning the other day, my sight fell on a strip of pink all along the garden. It was one pretty spectacle.

And a rare one at that. For more reasons than one.

Living along the beach strip our aspirations at gardening are restricted by the limited soil fertility. Also being a humid tropical area with lots of rainfall for most part of the year most flowering plants like Rose, Gladiolus etc. that prefer spring and fall do not grow very well. Even if they do, they bloom only during the very short season and for most part of the year the garden remains green, but barren.

Using plants like the common yellow cosmos or Ixora or the West Indian Jasmine that thrive well in these parts can be an option provided one can safely ensure that no part of the garden will be water logged during  the monsoons. Most often this is not possible as large parts of the area are low lying. With the sand/loam costing a bomb elevating land without scorching one's hands is never an option.

Also, the coastal waters are a little too brackish to a plant's taste. Under such circumstances having an entire garden in full bloom through out the year is simply out of question.

So we decided to convert our irregular visitors into visitors who demand to stay.


WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Luckily we had the crazy and colorful idea to line up our garden with rain lilies! They grow easily and thrive well even in the rains. The best part? They burst into full bloom during the rainy season and we got out our little wish granted at no cost at all.

More about RAIN LILIES

They come in different colors but basically all of them belong to the genus Zephyranthes. You may choose a color/species of your liking. But do try casting a wider net  on the look out for which species grows best in your particular area.
The species I  have used is called Zephyranthes rosea and is a real simple beauty.

There are others like Z. candida (white), Z. citrina (yellow) and Z. drummondii (white) from which you can chose (whichever grows in your area.).

HOW YOU CAN KEEP YOUR GARDEN IN FULL BLOOM?
1. Choose the species of your choice or whichever grows best in your area. The species decides the color that will dominate your garden. In southern India Z. rosea (pink) is more common while the northern parts have Z. citrina (yellow) mostly.      

2. After you have chosen the species it is time to sow them.
Rain lilies propagate using bulbs. Though they are named lilies they are not actually Lilly bulbs. They belong to the Amaryllis family and yet have an edge over the others of their kind. They are easier to grow and bloom more frequently.  Dig a small hole and just drop the bulbs into them. Cover them up and make firm.
Water them daily if it is the dry season. If you are planting the bulbs during the rains, well and good as then the monsoon can take care of them by itself. Usually bulbs transplanted this time bloom from their very first shower on . But mostly it depends on the age of the bulbs you are using.

3. You may sow the bulbs in a pattern all along the garden. I say all along the garden because it helps create the desired effect of having a flowers throughout your garden patch.
After the controlled planting that I used initially I have  come to realize that letting them amok is a better way to keep it  pretty. It also gives you additional bulbs to be used in the next season or to recreate a new pattern each year.


Tips

1.  You may want to have a pattern in mind though before you let them take over your garden. Otherwise all you will manage to do is give your dream garden an unkempt look.  But if rustic is how you like it, then sure go for  it.

2.  You may like to want to use more than one color. Try to mix and match different species in different patterns to create a riot of colors. But keep in mind that different species will not bloom the same day or season.

3.  When mix-matching different timed species you may arrange them in tandem patterns. This way even when one type isn't blooming you can ensure that if the other does it will be in a complementary pattern.

4.  Water adequately during the drier days.

5. Let them amok  This generates bulbs for the next planting season.

6. Prune their tops in a level fashion a couple of weeks before the first shower. This not only gives a lush look but generates the flower stalks faster.

If you are from the rainier tropical parts,landscaping with rain lilies is are perhaps your best chance at having fully bloomed gardens throughout the year.
Now that you know the trick have a welcoming sight every morning this season!

More Ideas on How To Decorate A House Simply Using Natural Materials

In my last post How to decorate a house using simple natural materials I mentioned a few really common materials to furnish houses.  Seeing the wide response to my last post I have decided to do a follow up on it.  In this post I will provide a few more such exciting ideas some of which have been lying around our back yards for ages and yet haven't yet got the artistic value they deserve.

ROCK

Nature's most simple and beautiful formation is perhaps the best on this list. They come in various shapes and sizes. If it's a day out on the beach or hiking near a valley you can land up with some really cool stuff. Sea glass that collects down at the beach can be used to festoon a house specially when gearing up for a tight-budget party. You may even mix and match common pebbles with just a couple of exotic pieces to give a rustic sparkle to the whole place.

SHELLS

Sea shells for ages have fascinated man. Being available in all shapes, colors and sizes their myriad variety can be used to form a medley that resonates through the feel of your home. Beach side homes can use them to give that extra airy beach feel to in mates as well as visitors. You could use them to form wall paintings,  table pieces, art works, curtains/dividers, candle decor, you name it. All one needs is some good glue and a few ribbons.

EGG SHELLS

These little dainty things find their way into the garbage without a second thought. But there is more you could do to them than just break their err ... shells. A little paint maybe water color, or poster color if you like a better thicker sheen, can change the whole look of a shell. They make excellent little plantlet pots. An added advantage is that you could use them to fill up little spaces and dispose them off when the plants grow out.

PAPER

When the Chinese invented it they perhaps knew that it would one day be an extremely important testament of simple living. From Chinese lanterns to writing master pieces paper has proved its paper ...I mean metal..Newspaper collected over time make an excellent source for attractive collages, and other paper art. The best part is they are recyclable, free and easy to dispose. Old papers can add character and a certain rustic feel to a laid back home.

PINE CONES

For those of  you who think pine is just for Christmas, think again. They are another way to easily decorate your homes if you have a little color or varnish, and particularly if you are from the colder parts of the world. Now you will think again as you walk by pine woods on holiday.

COMBINATIONS

Or perhaps a combination of these would work best for your home. You never know. Just feel free to mix and match and don't be shy to try out new combinations.

Hope this post opened your eyes to the infinite possibilities that mother nature provides mankind with to not just use but also reuse and recycle that too in style!

Till then remember it's REUSE AND RECYCLE ;)

How to Decorate a house By Simply Recycling Natural materials

Of the many things that have caught my attention in the past few months one remains starkly etched in my memory. Perhaps its the cost effective nature of the whole idea or the very little work involved in making them. - Recycled WOOD or something just as simple as a simpler decor element.
Though simple they make excellent quick decor for any occasion. Or it could just add that little extra elegance to your home. Rustic is in fashion and no matter how urban your surroundings may be a little bit of the country can go a long way in calming the ambiance. As any lifestyle guru will tell you, the first thing to a happy living is a calm and energized mind.  As the energy within a home changes so does the chemistry between its inhabitants.

So in this post I thought of giving you some ideas on simple, easy to make yet elegant crafts that can spice up your home with their simplicity.

First things first.

 WOOD

Be it a twig, a fallen shrub or just an axed down piece of log you can change them into some wonderful specimens of art. A little thought , a little cleaning and a sufficient dollop of wax or a brush of varnish.
Beeswax has been in used for such purposes for ages now. Just make sure you sand down the surface with a sander or a sandpaper before applying the wax or varnish. Do not forget that even abstract and shapeless objects found easily in the garden with a little makeover can give a great oomph to your settings.

CANE

While they sound lighter than the amount of work that goes into making crafty stuff out of these things there is always the warm possibility of buying cheap stuff at a flea market. Even a plain looking casket can be changed into a showy center piece with a few bright ribbons and a tape. Furniture made of cane are cheaper and lighter to move around, not to mention they add a great appeal to the entire persona of a living  room.
Or you could chose from a range of products ranging from planters, to flower baskets or laundry hampers. Curtains of bamboo or cane are also an attractive and useful addition that keeps out dust and too much light while keeping your space cozy and airy.

POTTED PLANTS
I bet it didn't occur to you that  plants could be found among a list of cheap low maintenance decor items. But surprising or outdated as they seem they add that extra green which never goes out of fashion. Then there is always the option to either chose a bonsai or a potted flowering plant or a fusion of both. These add life to your dining table or living room side table.

There are more such simple materials that you can find around your home and convert into masterpieces if you can just look around and give wings to your imagination!.

Till then REDUCE, REUSE, and of course RECYCLE!!! :) :)