Wednesday, March 26, 2008

An Extended Weekend

Beautiful weather, School Holidays and an extended weekend (on account of Good Friday being a Holiday), things were just perfect for a weekend outing. This time I decided to spend the weekend at my Aunt’s place in Dehradun. Dehradun is a beautiful valley nestled in the Himalayan Mountains. Although it is a distance of only 72Kms from the city I live in, but the fact that it is a valley makes its weather so much better and suitable for growing plants. It is a beautiful house and very well maintained; I especially loved the tastefully grown plants.That is the walkway to the house; perfect rectangular stone pieces fitting snugly in soft grass… A perfect setting to sit back in silent contemplation on a leisurely day … The Euphorbia Tirucalli and a wine coloured Begonia,so different from each other, blend here in complete harmony. A creeper with some lovely flowers and interesting leaves...but what's the name? Sedum Morganium in a hanging basket. A Begonia in a small pot. Chuparosa or Justica Californica trained on a pole with flowers hanging like little bells. Clover leaf plant-it grows as weed over here, but this dark coloured variety is rare and thus ornamental. It was a short but very satisfactory visit, although b'coz of time constraint, I didn't get to explore the outdoor locales of Dehradun much... but very soon I wish to visit Dehradun again to capture its scenic beauty in my camera. ( P.S.-The plant identified here as Justica Californica is actually Russelia equisetiformis or Firecracker Plant. Thanks Nicole for pointing out the correct I.D.)

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Garden Bloggers Blooms Day March 2008

Now that’s one time of the year to which I look forward to very eagerly; its spring time folks! And the blooms are all ready to be caught on a camera to be displayed in a GBBD post. Gazanias and Dimorphotheca Bougainvilleas Candytuft Poppies Phlox Nasturtium Begonia Gerbera with Phlox Rose Daisies Mango blooms Pansies Kalanchoe Sweet Peas And finally my good luck charm

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Blooms, Bonsais and more....

Just when my frustration on the lack of any collective gardening activity in my city was brewing to the brim, there came this welcome news: a flower show was being organized by the Saharanpur Botanical Garden or the so called Company Bagh here. The Company Bagh takes its origin from the days of British Raj, during which this huge garden was developed with saplings and plants brought in from far off lands like Kashmir and Bengal; in fact Company in the nomenclature comes from British East India Company. It was much more than being just a flower show; there was a breathtaking array of beautiful flowers, painstakingly and patiently grown Bonsais, shapely succulents and cacti, plants which I never knew can be grown here…It was a very satisfying outing and did help in easing out my disgruntlement, stemming out of my perception regarding lack of any gardening sense in this place. There probably is no better treat for a plant lover than to see so many diverse varieties, in all splendor and bloom, aggregated at one place.

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