Geranium

Hello folks ! Its almost two weeks since we returned from attending the“Ratha Utsav” (“Teru” in Konkani) in Katapady . And on our return, I was saddened by the plight of my plants especially the geranium plants as they were in full boom before we left. I had no choice but to attend to them which I did it right away. I am glad I had photographed them when they were at their best. I thought this would be a good time to write about them.

Geraniums are hardy plants and easy to grow and require minimum care. They can be easily grown from cuttings too. I learnt this some years back from my neighbour who gave me a cutting while she was pruning it. I was hesitant to add new plants since I have limited space in my balcony. But my neighbour encouraged me to grow it in the pot, assuring me that this little plant will give me pleasure once it blooms. Thus began my love-affair with geranium!

A little insect pollinating the flower

Simultaneously, while it was taking root, I tried to learn more about it from the net. It is a perennial plant and throughout the year, you will be rewarded with these lovely bunches they put forth time and again. Like all flowering plants, they need sunlight and water for its survival. 

                                              Close up of the single flower of the cluster

As for soil, I bought it from a nearby nursery and prepared the pot – added some gravel at the bottom for better drainage. Then added the soil (mixed with sand and compost) and filled two-thirds of the pot. Initially, I kept the pot in the corner of the balcony and away from sunlight. Also take care to see that water should drain easily without being collecting at the base/root.

Till it takes root, water it regularly and once you see some green shoots appearing (this may take about a month) you can shift the pot where it can get indirect sunlight. Once it takes root, and puts forth some leaves, you can rest assure that it will survive and will also be able to withstand some harsh weather. 

In full bloom during the rainy season

Once the flowers have bloomed and withered, snip off the dead ones. Also take care to see any dead branches or leaves are promptly snipped off. This will enable the plant to grow new branches and gives it an overall healthy look. When fully bloomed, they are a sight to behold.

My geraniums are growing in three different pots. I have also distributed the cuttings time and again to my friends and neighbour.

My Balcony Garden - Once Upon a time !

Sadly, I have lost most of the flowering plants due to our constant travelling. The Geranium being the hardy plant has survived the ordeal along with some other plants like the Lily and periwinkle. With some care, they will bounce back to normal. 

For more info on growing geranium see the following sites:
http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Geraniums
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium

Growing Hibiscus

Hello folks ! Took a little break from my blogging to attend to my tiny garden in the balcony.

So far I have almost neglected the "Spade" and the "Brush" part of my blog.  Recently, one of my readers also rightly pointed out the the absence or lack of it (spade-work and brush-work) in my blog and this prompted me to complete this write-up which was lying in my draft folder.  Hibiscus is one of my favourite flowers.

Hibiscus or Shoe Flower as it is commonly called is a very pretty flower and I have two of these - one orange coloured one and another yellow coloured growing in my tiny balcony. Though I would like to add a few more of these beauties, I am unable to do so due to space constraint.
However, I have managed to make up for this deficit by photographing various type of these species during our travels and now I have quite a collection of their photos

Growing in my Balcony

Since this is a perennial plant, you get to see at least one flower on your plant practically everyday and I feel its a wonderful sight to see it first thing in the morning.

Also growing in my balcony

Its botanical name is Rosa-Sinensis. though the physical structure of these flowers is common to all the species, a few of them do deviate from the normal ones. Then there are the hybrid varieties too. Incidentally the ones which are growing in my balcony are the hybrid ones. I have recently come to know that birds are not attracted to the hybrid variety but regularly visit the common variety. In comparison, the common varieties are hardier than the hybrid ones.

This pink one was taken in one of the gardens in Devanhalli

This plant can be grown easily and needs little maintenance or care. However, watch out for those aphids. These aphids are tiny little creatures and if not treated early, they generally destroy the plant. Mine nearly did. But it survived after I sprayed it with diluted detergent water which is a home remedy for these aphids.

This orange one was shot at our village in Katapady, Udupi district

This photo also taken from our village in Katapady, Udupi District

Yet another Cream and Maroon one also from our village in Katapady, Udupi District

This tiny red one is growing in frontyard of our Katapady house

This beauty is growing in our village in Katapady

I am sad to say that both my Hibiscus plants have recently wilted due to our constant travel.

For Botanical name, gardening tips and in general, you may find the following links useful.

http://www.backyardnature.net/fl_hibsc.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_rosa-sinensis

http://www.gardenguides.com/video-60028-hibiscus-care.html