Hi,
As you must be aware, world kitchen garden day is celebrated globally on the last Sunday of August. Gardeners get together, share their experiences, swap seeds/ plants and generally exchange notes. Workshops are arranged in many cities on this day. This is the first year that India has joined in the celebrations.
Let me wish all my fellow gardeners the very best for their gardens.
I hope that today we have converted many to the joys of growing your own food.
Chitra
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Brahmakamal/ Night blooming Cereus/ Indian Orchid
Today I will write about a favorite of mine, the Night blooming Cereus also called brahmakamal in Maharashtra.
I had this plant for five years and just when ready to give up on it, the plant bloomed. And oh, what a flower!
Initially the buds appear as though they are leaf buds, gradually rounding to the flower bud shape and grow in size till they are the size of your palm.
A few days before flowering, the bud stalk starts to turn till the bud is upright.
The night of flowering is eagerly awaited, I make it a point to have finished my chores and keep tabs of the blooming in progress.
The bud starts opening by 9pm and is in full bloom in an hour. And that is when you get the fragrance! I had five flowers blooming on the same night once and the fragrance pervaded inside till my kitchen.
This flower cannot be described. I am unable to post the fragrance, you will have to grow this plant and realize it for yourself...
Till then happy viewing
Unfortunately all good things must come to a pass. Hence the flower blooms only for 3-4 hours after which it closes and becomes limp by the morning.
There are some common misconceptions regarding this plant. One being that is difficult to grow, flowers only once in a year and requires hilly regions to enable it to bloom.
The plant typically flowers once or twice in the monsoons. I have successfully grown it in Mumbai in a pot which is 12" wide, the size commonly used for roses. Though it asked for a lot of patience as initially you will see only the green leaves/ stems; but then no pain no gain. A handful of compost or cowdung every 2-3 months is all that I used for nutrients.
Propagation is easy - a stem or leaf( I still don't know what they are) will give rise to new plant.
This plant is different from another (Saussurea obvallata) also called brahmakamal which flowers once in 14 years and grows in the Himalayas. A google search will throw up the pictures of both the species. You can decide for yourself which is worthy of its name..
Till my next post happy gardening!
Chitra
I had this plant for five years and just when ready to give up on it, the plant bloomed. And oh, what a flower!
Initially the buds appear as though they are leaf buds, gradually rounding to the flower bud shape and grow in size till they are the size of your palm.
A few days before flowering, the bud stalk starts to turn till the bud is upright.
The night of flowering is eagerly awaited, I make it a point to have finished my chores and keep tabs of the blooming in progress.
The bud starts opening by 9pm and is in full bloom in an hour. And that is when you get the fragrance! I had five flowers blooming on the same night once and the fragrance pervaded inside till my kitchen.
This flower cannot be described. I am unable to post the fragrance, you will have to grow this plant and realize it for yourself...
Till then happy viewing
Unfortunately all good things must come to a pass. Hence the flower blooms only for 3-4 hours after which it closes and becomes limp by the morning.
There are some common misconceptions regarding this plant. One being that is difficult to grow, flowers only once in a year and requires hilly regions to enable it to bloom.
The plant typically flowers once or twice in the monsoons. I have successfully grown it in Mumbai in a pot which is 12" wide, the size commonly used for roses. Though it asked for a lot of patience as initially you will see only the green leaves/ stems; but then no pain no gain. A handful of compost or cowdung every 2-3 months is all that I used for nutrients.
Propagation is easy - a stem or leaf( I still don't know what they are) will give rise to new plant.
This plant is different from another (Saussurea obvallata) also called brahmakamal which flowers once in 14 years and grows in the Himalayas. A google search will throw up the pictures of both the species. You can decide for yourself which is worthy of its name..
Till my next post happy gardening!
Chitra
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Hi
Hi to all gardening enthusiasts out there!
This is my first post on this blog.
I will be posting about my experiments in the garden; hopefully successes will be more than the failures..
Wish me luck and do follow my blog.
All bouquets and bats welcome
Chitra
This is my first post on this blog.
I will be posting about my experiments in the garden; hopefully successes will be more than the failures..
Wish me luck and do follow my blog.
All bouquets and bats welcome
Chitra
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