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!

7 Quick Easy Economical Ways to Grow Orchids in India

Think Orchids and the word exotic comes to mind. As a graduate in botany, I think of their seeds. Orchids have the world' smallest seeds. They are so beautiful that these days they are also used for wedding decorations and little welcome bouquets. Here is how you can grow some of your own wonderful orchids in some easy steps.

1. Know your orchid.

Orchids like the ones below are the easiest to grow in India.

2. No soil please. Orchids grow best in coconut husks with bits of broken bricks/red tiles, charcoal and moss. Tie this up to a tree trunk where they can enough moisture from the air. Alternatively, use gardening nets,  which give the best results as in case of the Oncidium or the dancing girl. You could many of these together along a string and hand them along your portico/ veranda walls. Thus making excellent natural decorations.

3.  Give your plants breathing space.Keep the soil adequately loose so they can have plenty of air. While transferring or potting certain pot orchids like the Dendrobium, make sure the roots are not disturbed.

4. Most orchids need the shade, which is why growing them on a shady tree's trunk is the best idea. If not ensure that your orchid gets plenty of shade during the day.

5. Water regularly. Every two days will suffice. Particularly so, if you are from a dry part of the country. Coastal areas tend to be dry especially down west in parts of Kerala like Alappuzha and Kottayam . In such cases, you may want to grow them near a water body like your garden pond, near the water tank on the terrace, your drinking water collector tank, near that always leaking garden tap or someplace else you can come up with, that will ensure your orchids that extra care. 

6. Manuring is tricky. This is best done if you know your orchid. Use nitrogen fertilizers or urea-free mixtures, as nitrogen in urea form is not taken up much anyway. Occasionally, or before you transplant any plant soak it in water that has had old iron utensil scrubbers in them. Better still you may use the water that has been lying around in the RUSTED old (probably discarded too) watering can. This gives your plant the needed iron. 

Or if you wish to go the traditional way, egg shells, starch water from boiling rice, potatoes peels, used tea powder, bone powder, crushed banana peels, can work wonders too! Alternatively, if you have an old garden can or pot, make some dry leaf mulch by soaking dry leaves in it for a weak. This also makes for an excellent nutrient source once the water has turned brown.  

Did you know?

Spoiled milk products like sweets, buttermilk,cheese, chaas, yogurt, sour milk can also be used as a nutrient mix for orchids. 

My beloved Dendrobium Orchids

7.  Most importantly, love your orchid and it will blossom throughout the year in gratitude.  :)

Red Roses: Seven Easy Steps To Grow Healthy Rose Plants

Who doesn't love red roses? Especially if they are part of your well cared garden. It takes a few useful tips to get your garden blooming red for most part of the year. 

Here are a few tips to get your deep red roses blooming:

1. When you plant roses using stem, cut their ends slantingly. This makes for more surface area to take up water and nutrients from the soil.

2. Give your love symbols at least 6 hours of adequate sunlight.

3. Water them everyday.

4. Avoid chemicals. Use egg shells, dried leaves and dried cow dung instead. 

5. Prune regularly. Remove the dried or insect-effected parts every other day. 

6. Cut away wilted or dried flowers at a point half an inch below the stalk/peduncle.This redirects plant growth to flowering rather than seed- making. In short, you get more flowers!

7. Replant or propagate by stem cutting in spring. Do it in summer, and you can as well say Ta-Ta, goodbye to your beloved plants.

     

 Do this by September-October and you will have red roses ready in time to be shipped off to your valentine.

A new spring