Spring is in the air

What a lovely morning it was today! I woke up to a welcome draft of cool soft breeze bringing with it the mixed aroma of spring flowers. The Sun was already shining bright on the spring bloom. Rather queer and quaint was a cluster of dark clouds in the periphery producing a mix of shade and sunshineI could not resist outdoors to enjoy the heavenly spring, ephemeral, as shortly the scorching summer will parch my plants.Bruno too was enjoying himself taking an invigorating stroll in the lawn, constantly alert to any piece of ‘non-vegetarian’, dropped accidentally by a surveying eagle in my vegetable garden’, as he is denied that luxury in his usual meals. There in my kitchen garden I found that the rhizomes of colocasia I had sown around two months back had given out their first set of leaves. Colocasia or ‘Aravi,’ as it is known in local dialect, is valued for its tasty rhizomes. These are first boiled or fried to remove the slightly acrid taste. At some places the leaves too are fried with gram flour and eaten for their tingling after taste. All the plants seemed to be enjoying the sun and the spring but these fluorescent blue cineraria appealed to me the most. Their brilliant blue somehow enables me to rid myself of those ‘Morning Blues’ which strike me from time to time. A perfect contrast to the blue was being provided by the beautiful bottle brushes, swaying gently with the breeze. Finally with the morning survey complete I strutted to the house with a twinkle in my eyes and spring in my steps.

My Little Gardener

That’s my little sapling enjoying her self in the spring bloom. I have to be careful for the health of my plants when she is around, for she hates anyone sharing her space with me but now I have taught her to be friendly with the plants and my budding gardener takes a more kind view of them. My garden 'marauder' planning her next move! Here she is, trying to get a handful of the phloxes.

Garden Bloggers Blooms Day

Keeping me company in my garden areIce, eyeing with those charismatic eyes Dahlia in its warm glowing splendour Poppies popping cheerfully Friendly Phloxes in clusters Rose in its natural form yet so paper arty in perfection Petunias blowing their own their trumpet. Besides these, also blooming are-Pansies,Marigold,Calendula,Cineraria,Dogflower,Kalanchoes... Its only while writing this post, I realised, that so many flowers are blooming in my garden. This is simply exhilarating!!

I was overjoyed to visit my local nursery yesterday. Spring is here and the place was full of lovely plants. I yielded to the temptation and brought saplings of Lantana, Peperomia and some cacti to add to the glory of my Garden. Its again raining cats and dogs since the last two days .It really is strange for this time of the year to rain so much. I am not much of a weather person so I cannot comment if it’s due to man playing havoc with nature or some plain natural variation but whatever it is, it certainly has postponed the planting of my new acquisitions.

Guardian of my garden

That’s BRUNO! My Chocolate Labrador. Loving, faithful and a bit impish, he was the nemesis of my Garden till a few months back {he used to eat my flower buds esp chrysanthemums and marigolds}, but now as he has grown up, he loves my garden as much as I do, so much so that he won’t let any neighborhood brat touch my flowers.

My Succulent Corner

Succulents are a boon for a gardener residing in an area like mine as summers are generally very harsh overhere and b'coz of their unique capability of holding water in their leaves ,they can withstand very high temperatures and days of drought with ease. Of all the succulents 'Haworthias' are my favorite.The complex geometric arrangement of fleshy leaves gives rise to intricate patterns and designs characterstic of each species.

Kalanchoe Pretty

I love these kalanchoes for the ease with which they can be grown.Just plant them ,sit back, relax and enjoy the bloom.