Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, July 15

Thank God! I can pull off another Blogger’s bloom day with satisfactory blooms. Well, the worst for my garden is over. It hasn’t rained as per expectations but the humidity has had a beneficial effect on the plants. So, at present, there is a descent bloom and a lot is in the waiting! Gaillardia or the Blanket flower, don’t they look like the sparks coming out of a firecracker? Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia), looks like a cotton woolly clump in pink. It’s a delight to take a handful of flowers and have a sensual delight in the crepe like texture The red flowers of Celosia are seen in the backdrop of green kochea. Nature looks so inviting in basic colors. Plumeria with its wonderful leaves, displaying their magnificent parallel venation, gives a fresh clean scrubbed appearance, just after rains. To see a bright yellow Sunflower in bloom is elevating for the mood. It gives my day a head start. Impatiens or the Balsam- seedpods, which open suddenly when touched, makes it rather interesting. Fire Bush (Hamelia patens )-known for its heat tolerance,comforts me when it is sizzling outside. Dwarf Mussaenda (Mussaenda glabra) - Sometimes, beautiful things of life come in small packages. Old horses there- Hibiscus And Zinnias

Bloggers for Positive Change Award

Many Thanks dear Wild Life Gardener for nominating me for this Award.I feel deeply honoured. The award is the brain child of Climate Of Our Future to commemorate blogger's efforts around the world to share their knowledge, thoughts and inspirations in making this a better, healthier, more sustainable world. Here are my five nominations: *Annie in Austin, Texas at The Transplantable Rose You can trust her to make even the daily local news appear interesting through her presentation skills. I love the way she gardens and simply adore the Way she presents things. She has already been a victim of several internet memes so I hope that one more is not going to do her much harm! *Caribbean garden by Nicole, she says her job requires her to travel to different places and that’s the best part of it. You can find several very interesting posts and pics from her various visits and some very lovely photographs contributed by her friends. Thanks to her eclectic interests and globe trotting, she seems to have seen it all, done it all! *Carol from May Dreams Gardens, here I may add that its my absolute honor and privilege to nominate her, as she is easily one of the most regular, revered and respected garden blogger. She pioneered the idea of ‘Garden Bloggers' Bloom day’, where every participant is required to enlist their blooms on the 15th of every month. *Kate smudges in earth, paint and life by Kate is an adoringly sentimental take on things.Blog with cute pictures and some heart warming poetry charms its way into the hearts of fellow bloggers. *Andrea’s garden is a blog set in the scenic locales of Germany. Her writings and tidings about her cat ‘Stella’ keep me amused. It is a pleasure to enjoy her life through her blog. Needless to add that it is a pure delight to be part of this blogging world and to be nominated by a fellow blogger for any internet meme makes me feel myself to be an integral part of the fraternity. I had to come up with five nominations which I did but at the same time express my gratitude to all fellow bloggers for the impact they leave on each other and the world in general. Meme Rules The participation rules are simple: 1. When you get tagged, write a post with links to up to 5 blogs that you think are trying to change the world in a positive way. 2. In your post, make sure you link back to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme. 3. Leave a comment or message for the bloggers you’re tagging, so they know they’re now part of the meme. 4. Optional: Proudly display the “Bloggers For Positive Global Change” award badge with a link to the post that you write up

Monsoon Mania

Welcome rains! It seems that the worst is over. The place has been blessed with some wonder showers bringing the temperatures significantly down. There are very few sights more appealing than the sight of gray fluffy clouds, pregnant with water, looming on the horizon, especially after a scorching month of June. My little daughter could appreciate that as she was overjoyed to see the rains and decided to experience the wonder of nature first hand. There is a magical hypnotism in the face of a child. The thrill I had, to see her enjoy the rains, was almost unparalleled in magnitude. And then the rains stopped but this ‘Rain lily’ or Zephyranthes blooms as a memento of the first rains and with a promise of more in store! The change can be appreciated in the long stretches of green. All the leaves and grass which had turned yellow, scorched and parched, are now turning to a shade of soothing green. Its almost miraculous, the effect few good showers can have on the flora. The vitality is palpable. There is an air of freshness, an invigorated look about the whole garden. The leaves and the flowers carry such a washed and clean appearance. The whole garden gives a happy and grateful look!Here, the Plumeria presents a pretty picture:- The inevitable accompaniments of heat and humidity, these mushrooms grew, uninvited, in a corner (They don’t give an appetizing look, do they?). I hope, someday I’ll come across a black or white (Alba) Truffle, growing in my garden. Keep your fingers crossed, it just might happen! The huge leaves of colocasia attained these mega proportions in just two days post rains! I don’t know whether there is a scientific rationale behind it, but no amount of irrigation can match the beneficial effect of rains on the growth of plants.

Pot Pourri

The beauty of even the most alluring plant or flower is accentuated manifolds, if the pot in which it is planted compliments it. Here, in my part of the world some interesting makes of the pot are seen and I thought about sharing them with my blogger friends The imaginative shapes and colors of the baked molded clay, leaves me gaping in wonder at the skills of semi-literate potters. Although there are numerous varieties available, here I could picture only the ones which I have. Maybe sometime later I’ll add more varieties. An earthenware pot is an essential part of any garden, cheap and ideally suited to the needs of a growing plant. Despite the availability of more visually appealing options, a pot of clay or earthenware is as yet unmatched in its suitability for a plant. A flat pot is ideal for displaying Bonsais or certain special characters in the stem of a plant, like in this case the swollen base of Beaucarnea is seen prominently. Then sometimes pure economic sense prevails and in an effort to get some good (if not the best) out of waste, I used these gunny bags to plant shrubs like Plumbago,Hibiscus and Lantana. Besides saving the effort of procuring the pots, they are very convenient in shifting because of the easy grip and light weight. How could I not include this one in my post! It has featured in my previous posts and here it appears again. More colorful than the leaves of croton planted in it, the pot steals the sight away from the plant. Sometimes the potters do their bit to test their artistic skills. This pot was coated with plaster of paris and covered all over in reflecting mirror. It certainly doesn’t look out of the world but I bought it anyway for the effort, the maker must have put in it. If you are not happy with the way the pot looks you can use a cane planter to make it appealing. Thin strips of cane are intertwined to form this beautiful and strong structure. A blue beauty again! I came across it on one of my outdoor trips. If not for the idea of dimension conveyed by the Syngonium plant, the pot appears more like an ice-cream cup! Possibilities are endless. So many things can be used for planting, like an old gum boot! (I think I’ll try the idea for its practicality before mooting it). Out of the box ideas can make gardening such a fun thing. May we have more of such whacky ideas?

Garden Bloggers Blooms Day June 2007

Time seems to be flying. A month has flown past and before I realise, it is time again for Garden blogger bloom's day. I love this post for the sweet effort it requires. A leisurely stroll in the garden, few clicks of the camera, a narcissistic view of your blooms and sharing it with others, Its Fun. Here goes my Bloom list. SUN flowers in my garden! Dianthus- seems like nature’s practicing ‘Tie and dye’!!! Canna Lily, or 'Keli' in local language, is enjoying sun to its fullest. Rangoon creeper once again! Its flowering and its addicting aroma won’t let me miss repeating it in the post. Zany Zinnias with fan like petals. Celosias glowing like velvet in the sun. Lily having a ‘Ball’ Bougainvillea- something I hope will provide company for all the blogger’s bloom days in my life! Buddha belly plant- giving out some lovely flowers, from a belly swollen extra with pride! Sanchezia speciosa juts out its tubular flowers. An amusing entry here- The flower of the corn plant, peeping from behind the veil of green leaves. No green thumb required for growing this one. Although it is a weed, but its beautiful silvery white flowers makes it unfair for it to be dismissed so.

Colours of Summer

Its peak summer time and temperatures hover around 44-46 degree Celsius. Hot winds from the northwest direction (called ‘loo’ in the local parlance) are in full flow. Working outdoors is exhausting, as the heat tends to sap the energy out besides dehydrating the body. Looking at the brighter side- the weather cannot get any worse! Time to sit back and enjoy the colors in my garden and wait patiently for the arrival of ‘monsoon’ (southwest winds laden with moisture which bring heavy rains in late June and July). Sunflowers, so appropriately named! Withstanding the heat and staring the scorching sun in face, can only be named a ‘sunflower’. The background appears blue. I don’t know if it was a quirk of the camera or the light conditions conspired to produce this effect, but as it looked beautiful I decided to persist with. The freshly emerging leaf of ‘Canna-lily’, unfolds gradually to welcome the rays of the sun. Celosia or the Cockscomb plant with its beautiful leaves awaits the first flower, but with leaves so colorful who cares for the flower! The Ball lily, in a riot of red looks so gorgeous and glamorous. The ‘Kochia’ magnificent in green, not really a ball yet possessed with that plump ball like look akin ball lily. A favorite of the butterflies, who brave the heat to enjoy the flower, Zinnia iholds the place of pride in my summer garden. Pilea, or the watermelon plant, providing comfort to thirsty eyes. ‘Amaltas’ ,so aptly named Golden Shower tree is a ubiquitous presence on Indian roads. The tree is not from my garden but several of them are planted nearby adding beauty to the summer landscape with their endearing yellow flowers.