Butterfly Pea

Don't worry, I wasn't kidnapped by aliens, my long absence from blogosphere was due to all the travelling we were doing during Nov and Dec last year. This was part of our "life is too short to accumulate leaves, use them now " initiative.


The butterfly pea in full bloom

This is a lazy gardener post, so we'll get right to it. All the travels meant my plants had to pretty much fend for themselves. This isn't too hard on them because I believe in the "tough love" approach to caring for my plants. See bottom of post for how tough love works.

The Butterfly Pea - Clitoria ternatea 

I've always wanted this vine for as long as I can remember, and I finally got the seeds from a colleague a couple of months ago. This creeper is native to India ( and parts of Tropical South asia), called Aparajita in Hindi, Konkani - Sankh Pushp because of its Conch shell like shape. It is available in 2 common colours - indigo blue and plain white. I have the blue colour species which I grew from seed. It is ridiculously easy to grow and requires very little care. It tolerates drought well.

It is a legume. Sound familiar? Remember biology classes? These are plants that fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil. So planting this will actually improve the quality of your soil ( Yay! ).


  Flower in profile, with a young seed pod

Growing from seed

The seeds, if you get them from someone will be in the form of dried pods. Peel open to reveal about 5-6 little black seeds . If planting in a pot, place 2-3 seeds per pot (for a medium pot). Use a tool to make a tiny depression for each seed. Just chuck the seeds in the holes and water over to moisten the soil. Wait.

Waiting can be quite long, I found one plant germinating weeks after planting, I had forgotten all about it.
I re-use bamboo skewers from barbecues as vine supports for this creeper. They don't really need a support if grown on ground, they form into a bush on their own.

The Flowers





The bud is actually hard to spot, and you'll be surprised by a massive flower one fine morning. 1 - 2 flowers can be expected every few days on a new plant. The flowers are edible and wikipedia says that they can be dipped in batter and fried. I haven't tried this myself.

The flowers last a whole day and then fade and crumple. Eventually a seed pod - like a flat french bean will start to form. Leave it alone until it dries to a light beige brown before harvesting.

Should I grow this Plant ?

Lets recap, the plant is easy to grow, it produces pretty blue flowers, doesn't need lot of water, parts of it are edible and it improves soil quality. If that wasnt enough, it is used in ayurvedic medicine to cure a variety of ills ( see wikipedia link for details ).  What more reasons would you need?

Best Wishes from me and K on Makara Sankranti ( which falls on 14th January every year). Incase you were wondering why it comes on the same day every year, when most Indian festivals don't, its because it is a Solar event. The other festivals follow the lunar calendar.

This is a harvest festival, so I thought of having a little harvest of my own, Im leaving you with a photo of my crop of Basil.


Tough Love - How it works 

 1. Do not over water. There are dozens of news articles on how people are over watering their lawns and gardens and adding to the water shortage problem. Plants need less water than we think they do. 

2. Keep plant species that are native to the climate and temperature. They will react better to the conditions and need less care. 

3. For balcony gardeners, make sure the plants are arranged to make max use of Light and Shade areas of the balcony. For indian climate, avoid the harsh direct sun where possible, the less water is lost to evaporation, the less water is needed. 

 Ofcourse, this will come naturally to you if you are lazy like me, and forget to water your plants anyway. :) 

Signs of Over Watering 

Lower leaves will go yellow 

Plant looks unhappy and wilted 

Roots will be rotting in the soil 

No new growth seen 

Young leaves will turn brown 

Leaves may seem limp and droopy

Rain Lily

Rain Lily Rosea

The wonderful weather we have been having with frequent rains caused a rather surprising riot of color in my balcony one morning. Almost out of nowhere and with no warning there were a multitude of rainlily buds! Unfortunately, they decided to flower in fantastic profusion and all together on a weekday. This meant ofcourse that we would be late to work. :(

I first saw the rainlily in houses in Indiranagar where they were used as hedging or in pots on the boundary wall. They are also common in office campuses. Any plant that grows in corporate campuses is easy to grow. So if you are looking for additions to your garden, first look in your office.

I got mine (Pink and Yellow) from Madeena Nursery on Sarjapur road - a wonderful sprawling nursery with lot of variety and very helpful staff. Its been about a year and this was the first time they have bloomed in unison. The white blooms very often, the pink rarely but regularly, the yellow being the last.


Colourful spring morning - I envy my neighbour's view

The flowers will turn to face the sun. In my case that means they turn towards my neighbour's balcony. :(

How it got the name

The botanical name - Zephyranthes is a genus of species in the Amaryllis family (subfamily Amaryllidoideae). Family: Amaryllidaceae (amarlyllis family)

Zephyrus, or just Zephyr (Greek: Zéphuros, "the west wind"), in Latin Favonius, is the Greek god of the west wind. The gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring.

The blooming of the flowers are said to herald the onset of spring. In our case in India, however, they herald the monsoon season and the end of hot summers. Hence the common name - rain lily. They bloom during the rains.

Meet the family


The Rain Lily Rose - closeup

Zephyranthes rosea - Rain Lily Rose

Rose Rain Lily are small flowers that are pink in color with a green base. The flowers are much smaller that of Rain Lily Pink (which is a light pink) and the white and yellow. The throat is distinctly green. Leaf blades are dull green. They are wider and shorter than the pointy spring onion like leaves of the yellow and the white.

Flowers are erect to slightly bent, bright pink in color, funnel-shaped, Flower tube is green, increasing in diameter. Flowering season is March-July.

Pink Confusion

The Z.carinata is called the Pink Rain Lily and is light pink (strawberry milkshake colour) they have larger flowers and have 6 petals. The Rose rain lily has a darker pink (kissan strawberry jam color) Z. rosea blooms are smaller and have greater than 6 petals, sometimes 8.



Zephyranthes citrina - The Yellow Rain Lily

Zephyranthes citrina - Yellow Rain Lily

The bright one-inch lemon yellow flowers of this rain lily face upwards and flare open. (Unlike the rosea which never opens out fully).
The leaves are slender and light green and stand erect most of the time, when dry and in need of watering they will droop. The propagation is supposedly by bulbs. (though I have propagated them by seed )

A personal observation: the yellow lily was in bloom for only 2 days, after which it closed completely and started seed production. The pink lasted longer by a day. The white out lasts them all and is in bloom for days on end.

Seed production starts immediately after the flowers are dry, 3 pointed bulbs emerge where the flower was, starting small and eventually getting quite large, as big as a pepper seed. Then it dries and opens. Each pod has 3 stacks of black flat teardrop shaped seeds. Collect and plant, make more lilies:)



Zephyranthes candida - The white rain lily

Zephyranthes candida - Rain Lily white

It is native of the warmer parts of America, also called Fairy Lily. The solitary flowers consisting of 6 pointed petals have sturdier stalks than the yellow.
These are common and very popular, they can be acquired from most nurseries, their leaves are darker green and fatter than the other 2 varieties.

Hippeastrum hybrid - Amaryllis Lily



These are Mom's lilies

This is my mom's plant and her image of it. I borrowed it from her flickr stream. Hers are blooming too, so if you're looking to acquire these plants, the time is now.

Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. These plants are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, which is an African genus, in the same family.

They are pretty large compared to the small rainlily and bloom in a set of 4 flowers.

Colors include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals.

When to Buy

When buying these plants, its best to time your purchase to the blooming period because most nurseries just keep all the varieties close together and cannot assure you of the color of the bloom. The Rosea can be made out easily, but you'll have trouble differentiating between yellow and white.



More of the yellow - Cant get enough of them


Growing:

Plant it, give it some water and then forget about it. When the leaves begin to droop a little, water it a bit. While Zephyranthes can stand dry periods, if you want the graceful green leaves to remain, you may need to add some water occasionally. If you let them dry for a week and water them later, the flowering cycle can be triggered.

I found this works best with the white variety, which is very common. The pink and yellow are pretty rare in bangalore and I only found them in this particular nursery.

Zephyranthes do best with a little shade, they can be planted around the base of trees or shrubs in a garden and will serve to hide fallen dried leaves and keep the ground moist by discouraging evaporation.

The flowers of some species are said to have a sweet, pleasant fragrance. I sniffed diligently around all of mine (the things I do for this blog!) - no smell :(

They do well in containers outdoors and in balconies and windows, but not as houseplants. Don't keep them indoors. They can withstand full sun, but you'll have better results if they have a small amount of shade. The pots need not be big or deep. I have 2 varieties in a single long window sill pot, and they co-habit very


Sources:
Shobha Kamath
Wikipedia
Flowers of India
Rain Lily | Garden Guides

Urban Garden Summer Woes

This is a lazy gardener post. Some of you may have wondered what the lazy gardener has been upto. The short answer is nothing. Being lazy and time deprived, there is precious little that the great lazy one has done.


White Rain lilies

Although, to my credit, my pink rain lily did flower, ( one flower in 2 years ). Such was the laziness that I don't even have a photo of it as proof. The white rain lilies do flower with greater regularity, no word on the yellow lilies, they seem to quite mum on the subject of flowering.

My rose, Im sorry to say, did not survive the attack of the white fuzzy insects (Mealy bugs). Currently, my sky blue clustervine is also under attack. Ive tried everything except for pesticide, which is my next strategy. No flowers from the vine since the start of the attack :( If any one has solutions, please let me know.
The horrid white things have killed off over the years, my baby sun rose (ice plant),much of my table rose, white alder and stokes aster.


NativeBreed, My Roses - RIP :(

I have acquired some periwinkles - white and pink, which i grew from seed. (Read: I chucked the seeds mom gave into an empty pot and one day was pleasantly surprised to find my self the owner of periwinkles.) They are growing with gusto, as are the chrysanthemum. Seconds generation marigold are now staring to bud.


These pink chrysanthemum are strange, as they bloom they turn white

As for the kitchen garden; mint, basil, oregano, lemon grass are doing well. A chilli plant came up on its own and provided 4 deadly hot chillies. My experiments with coriander have proven to be un-encouraging at best. I am thinking of growing dill.

But, enough idle chatter. Let me get to the point. This post is about a recent experiment I have been trying out on dealing with the hot indian summer.


Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Am I to endure this till the end of May?
Thou wilt-eth inspite of all i try
when I see thine drooping leaves, I cry.


My approach to gardening is similar to mother natures. Tough love. I don't over water, sometimes I scarcely water at all. :D

But seriously, tough love only works if you have tough plants. Survival of the fittest and all that. I prefer to stick with the hardier native breeds (or shall I say weeds), none of the namby-pamby hybrid ones that require fussing over.


Fox Tails are tough, hardly need any attention

Tough love works better in a ground garden, I have found, rather than in potted balcony gardens. It also helps if you can control the sunlight by placing your plants in such a way as to avoid the harsh afternoon sun.

Off late, I would return home from work in the evenings and find my basil wilting. ( I dont water daily ) Watering excessively is pointless, it wastes water, most of it drains to the bottom of the pot and evaporates away.


White chrysanthemum, needed support, Ive tied it up with some red ribbon

Those who have heard of the plant nannies will be familiar with the concept below. Take a plastic bottle, make a small hole at the bottom with a thumb tac ( i also have tried with 2 holes ) fill with water. Screw the cap back on. To control water drip rate, unscrew tap a teeny-tiny bit at a time. Place in Pot.
Ive tried this with soft drink bottles. Works like a charm. No more wilting.

Don't believe in plastic? Use a glass bottle. Fill with water, plug the mouth with a rag. Invert and bury neck in the pot. ( This is more messy and I haven't tried this )


Introducing (L to R), Basil, More Basil, Mint, Cuban Oregano

Its cheap, an effective use of plastic and conserves water. (did i mention it costs nothing?) The spouse has been very supportive about the deployment of this watering system and has volunteered to consume soft drinks ( which i am not a huge fan of ) till each plant has its own nanny.

Ive also diverted the AC water outlet into one of the pots ( idea provided by the installation people ), though this can present a problem, since there's no way to control the water. So only do this to water hungry plants.

On an unrelated note, did you know Basil can grow from cuttings? I didnt. I bought a bunch from namdharis. Our cook stuck the stems into an pot. Lo and behold, there was basil! There was much rejoicing.

The Hanging Gardens

Stokes Aster - recent addition (more on this in next)

When we moved, I had to leave behind my rooftop garden with most of its plants, flowers and all the birds, butterflies and other little critters.
Sad though it was, its been 2 months since the move and the lazy gardener is now officially back.

My problem ofcourse was not unique. In the region of Iraq, in 600BC (then called Babylon), queen Amytis was going through a similar problem. She missed her trees, flowers and gardens. Her better half King Nebuchadnezzar II found a solution by creating for her the hanging gardens of Babylon.

Faced with moping queen Rohini, king Keshav too applied his mind and came up with a simple solution for a 9th floor garden. Combining a need for security from monkeys(will discuss this in another post), saving floor real-estate and aesthetics.


Our version of the Hanging Gardens :)

While moving, I took with me a baby chrysanthemum, my blue veronica, mexican heather baby plants and oregano. The black tulsi and the kadipatta did not survive the move. I also took a small cutting of a baby sun rose that was growing in our old building.

Im happy to inform that all are well and growing quite happily. I have also acquired a few more recently, here is the list:

1. Rain lily (White)
2. Tulsi (Green) my mom took a black one before we moved out.
3. White Alder
4. Stokes Aster (lavendar)
5. Star Cluster (Red)
6. Moss Rose ( really large variety - dark pink )
7. Portulaca Yellow and Pink
8. Chrysanthemum (Pink)
9. Rose (Red)
10. Song of India
11. Asparagus Foxtail fern

My parents just got back from a trip to Katpady (they were there for the Rath Festival).

Imagine their surprise when they see that the backyard of the house has been colonized by passion flower vines! I asked Mum to get me a cutting. I potted it this morning, and its blooming! ( Yes, I feel like shouting from the roof tops - but I cant obviously.. so I Twittered instead )


when you wonder if there is a god, just look at this!

Urban gardening is an art and it comes with its own problems and advantages. This is my first experience with container gardening and I have a lot of new plants too, some that I'd never even seen or heard of. I will share my learnings in subsequent posts. Wish me luck!

Hibiscus

Red Hibiscus after the Rains

The Hibiscus is a large genus which includes about 200–220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae native to warm, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. It includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, as well as woody shrubs and small trees.

Origin of Names:

It is also called the Shoe Flower and China Rose.
ShoeFlower:
Perhaps the name "shoe flower" orginated in Jamaica - the petals of hibiscus makes a good shoe shine!
China Rose:
The latin name translates as China Rose, though it is not known if its origins lie in China

I have 2 varieties in my garden:
The Red Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
and A Orange-Pink Hybrid. ( I don't know the name of this one )

Originating in Asia and the Pacific islands, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia. Ive seen Native species in Bangalore in Pink, White and Yellow. (I'm looking to acquire a pink one). There are also double varieties, which has a smaller flower inside a bigger one.


Orange Pink Hybrid

For the Birds

The Hibiscus is a sunbird magnet; I have also seen a few Great Tits checking it out. The Sunbirds help pollinate the hibiscus and many use Hibiscus plants as nesting sites.
While I haven't yet had the honour of being landlord to a sunbird, I have tried to encourage them by placing a shallow wide mouthed earthen vessel filled with water at the bottom of my Hibiscus bush.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male at Breakfast
Sorry, This is a bad photo. He surprised me while I was taking a photo of another flower, so I didnt have much time.

After experimenting with several areas of the garden, this seems to be the best spot. It gives the birds some cover while they drink and bathe. I've also put a large pebble in it as a base for some of the tinier customers to stand on.

Native vs. Hybrid

I personally prefer the naturally occurring variety.

In general, the Hybrid Fancy looking ones tend to be more expensive to buy.
The naturally occurring variety grow rapidly, need little care, flower daily ( at least 1 and at max 5 ).
They are not affected by pests, which is big problem with the hybrid one ( its a bit of a delicate darling ).
Also, my sunbirds only like the Native Red one, and visit it daily; several times a day. Not once do they go near the hybrid.

Native Red (6 ft in 1.5 yrs), 1-5 flowers at a time, flowers daily
Orange Hybrid ( 2ft in 1 yr ), 1-3 flowers, flowers once a month

Propagation and Growth:

Propagation By Rooting Cuttings ( I haven't tried this myself )

Regular pruning encourages branching, and I found that this is very much needed, since they tend to growth rapidly and soon tower over you. The hybrid one is prone to aphids but it does recover once treated with insecticide. I also found that the hybrid one occasionally suffers from a problem of falling buds.

I find that they like lot of water and are very tolerant to sun (esp. the native one ). I haven't seen any seeds or Fruit. The flowers bloom just after sun rise and close up by late evening.



A Quick Lesson in Botany
A flower's male stamens are composed of the pollen-producing anther atop a stemlike filament, those roundish, yellow things in the picture are anthers that have opened and are discharging yellow pollen. The thick column they are attached to is called the staminal column.
The style is the big stem in the center that separates into five style-branches, and each style branch ends in a roundish stigma (red fuzzy things).

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


Uses:

In India, people use the hibiscus for hair care purposes. The leaves and flowers are soaked in water and ground to make a thick paste. This is applied to the scalp and later washed off. This serves (reportedly) to arrest hair-fall, treat dandruff and also for colouring. It is also commonly offered in prayers to dieties.

Trivia:

Dried hibiscus is edible, and is a delicacy in Mexico.

The red hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by Tahitian women. A single flower is tucked behind the ear. Which ear is used indicates the wearer's availability for marriage.


Sources:
Flowers Of India
Wikipedia

Skyblue Clustervine

I love the star shape that forms

I first saw this adorable little creeper at a nursery on the way back from Manchinbele. On impulse I bought it and set it on our fence. As it grew, we liked it so much we got it a friend and set it on the other side of the terrace. ( Nothing like a little competition to speed things up, I thought ).

Sure enough, the two actively compete in terms of flowers and height. Among one of the happiest plants I have seen, it is common in most software parks and let loose on fences. It is not invasive. Its a twining vine with stems to 6 feet or more in length. It is a rapid grower, mine has reached nearly 5 ft (in 3-4 months).

Its a lovely bright green plant with small leaves in the shape of elongated hearts. The blue flowers stand up to face the sun, incase you are letting it loose on the ground. The Flowers come in clusters of buds and take turns flowering. The flower is the size of a 1 rupee coin. After flowering, the flowers fold up like an umbrella and drop off.


A closed flower, note the leaves

Details:
Common name: Skyblue Clustervine, Pentantha
Botanical name: Jacquemontia pentanthos
Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
It is a perennial( blooms all year round) and is an introduced species in India.

Can I eat it?
No idea. But birds sure like it. Our friendly neighborhood sunbirds cant get enough of it. They visit twice a day ( morning 9:30am and afternoon 1:30pm )
Also seen eating the flowers are younger members of our Jungle Crow family, a group of 3 flower peckers and a whole bunch of jungle mynas ( we counted 5 ).


Purple Rumped Sunbird Female, they visit daily

Care and Growing:
It needs almost no care at all, though if you'd like more flowers, you may want to water it once in a while. :) It likes the sun, as much as you can provide. Its pretty little blue flowers open in the morning and close before sunset.

Experts recommend that we avoid watering the vine excessively, always leaving the soil dry for a few days between one watering and the other. This pretty much describes how I operate; watering once in a while, when guilt strikes.

It can be grown in containers or pots, I have placed it in ground on our terrace. Since it doesnt spread laterally, it can be easily grown in suspended baskets or left to climb over a balcony.

Till date, I haven't seen it being attacked by any bugs, so it would be safe to assume its a hardy little fellow. Insects seem to like it, I have seen butterflies, bees and a praying mantis on it.


Purple Rumped Sunbird Male, (see the purple flash on its tail, from which it gets its name)

Where did it come from?
Originating in Tropical America, it is Native to the Florida Keys. I was alarmed to see it marked as endangered in Florida.
This plant has been said to be natively growing in the following regions:
Punta Gorda, Florida
Coushatta, Louisiana


For the botanist:
herbaceous vine, slender; lvs ovate, acute at tips, bases subcordate, 2-5+ cm long; flrs axillary, densely cymose on peduncles longer than the lvs, usually only 1 to 2 open; corollas blue (may be white), 10-20 mm long and wide when open; capsule enclosed by sepals; seeds glabrous, bumpy; hammocks; Collier, Dade and Monroe [ incl. Keys] cos.


This one has been photoshopped a bit, to darken the white background

Making more Skyblue Vines
It can be propagated from cuttings ( softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings ). I haven't tried this myself. Its relatively cheap ( 10Rs ), so I just buy another one. I haven't the heart to watch a cutting die.

Where to buy
Easily available in most nurseries. Ive seen it in Jeevan Bhima Nagar and in those near Mancinbele.

Sources:
Flowers Of India
Plant Files
Florida Endangered Plants

The Moss Rose

The Moss Rose is supposed to be a rather common flower in Indian gardens, but I first saw it on the way to work, growing in the Circle near Bagmane TechPark. At the height of summer, the ground in which it stood was parched; but the flowers were all in bloom, a riot of bright magenta.

Then and there, I decided that I must have it. I acquired 2, from a gaadi wala. It had no flowers then, so I did not know what colours it would yield. I did not know the name either until Mom dropped by and called it "Table rose".

Interestingly only in India is it referred to it as Table Rose, the actual name according to Google-land, is Moss Rose. This, I found, after a hour of extensive googling.

I have two, and both turned out to be a candy floss pink, not the magenta I had seen. Here is a Bud, looking rather nice, growing in front of a tangle of weeds.



Some times, weeds can enhance the beauty of your garden; as in this case ( or so I like to convince myself) but only in Macro mode.

Details:

Scientific Name : Portulaca grandiflora

Family: Portulacaceae (purslane Family)

Where did it come from?
Originally from the hot, dry plains of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina, moss rose is cultivated throughout the world as a favorite garden annual.


Can you eat it?
The Purslane is a common weed, The related purslane (P. oleracea) is a bothersome weed (which I yank out every now and then) in warm climates, although it is widely cultivated for food and has been for more than 2000 years. In fact, purslane, which is used raw in salads and cooked like spinach as a potherb, is very high in vitamins A, B1 and C.

Growing:
Needs full sun to flower. Do not water with overhead irrigation ( Means dont give the plant a shower ); it damages the flowers.
Moss rose grows well in poor, sandy or gravelly soils. The soil must be very well-drained. ( This is according to a lot of non-Indian websites, but I think the joy of tropical climates is that you can chuck anything in the ground and it will grow well) Be fearless, grow it anywhere.

Propagation:
Apparently, the seeds are as tiny as dust ( this explains why I never saw any) So mix them with sand before sowing to make them easier to scatter. But lucky for us, in warm climates, moss rose usually self-seeds itself ( This is what Im counting on)



Photography Tip:
What to do when the background is distracting? ( the moss rose is growing in front of bushes of short marigolds or the wall of the garden is white ) I have both these problems. Mighty Mouse Pad to the rescue! Place behind the subject and adjust exposure accordingly.

Where can you buy these flowers and do your bit for society?
If you live in Bangalore, there is a nursery in Jeevan bheema nagar managed by The Association of People with Disability. They have a well trained staff who are extremely helpful. They also stock manure, gardening implements, pots, manure mixed mud and fertilizers and pesticides.

Sources:
http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/port_gra.cfm
More Pictures of Different Varities:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/6919/

The Cosmos Flower

It is now almost close a year since I acquired garden space. With Bangalore losing its green cover and turning increasingly into a concrete nightmare, I realize that I'm among a privileged few to have a few square feet of earth at my disposal - esp in an apartment building.


My Cosmos Skyscraper - photoshopped, see original below

I believe that Mother Nature is the best gardener and usually does fine on her own with a little occasional help from me. ( Ok, so I admit, I am a lazy gardener )

Given my non-intensive gardening intentions, I carefully selected hardy plants that flower, look good, propagate themselves and need little or no care (No care is preferred). I have in due course obtained from various sources around 20+ different plants (flowering and non-flowering)


Yellow Cosmos, one early morning

I am starting what I like to call the Lazy gardener series. Every post will feature a plant I have in the garden, and info I have on it collated from various sources with citations. In this feature, the Cosmos flower.

No doubt among the most cheerful flowers in our garden. I have 2 colors (yellow and orange) I began with 4 seeds from my Mom. I now have a small cosmos jungle ( self propagation - o joy! )

Orange variety

Original Photo

Some things you may not know about the Cosmos :

Scientific name: Cosmos sulphureus
Cosmos are native to Central America and Mexico.
They have brightly colored single or double flowers. Colours include white, pink, orange, yellow and scarlet.

So, they look good, but can you eat them? Yes! In Malay cuisine the leaves of this plant are used for ulam, a type of Malay salad.

Growing Cosmos:

Cosmos plants prefer full sun to partial shade. They will do well in both average and poor soils. They are tolerant to dry soil conditions.
They grow quickly to a height of 4-5 feet - the tallest among mine are just about a foot high.Taller plants may require staking. (this means they need support) Insects and disease problems are very rare for Cosmos - I can vouch for that!

Propagating:

They have long slender seeds about 1.5 cm long. They spring up rather rapidly and while they are small seedlings, look very similar to marigold plants.


Uncontrolled growth can lead to this :)


For various varieties: http://www.eseeds.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=cosmos

Sources:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/flowers/cosmos/cosmos.html
http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/cosmos.htm

Flower Photography:

While I had tried several times to photograph my plants, I usually was met with little (read no) success. I often gave up with a "No camera can capture the true beauty of my garden".
Until recently, I did a little reading up on flower photography and decided to try some simple steps. These yielded the photos seen here.

In particular I liked Marion Owen's tips : http://www.plantea.com/photoflowers.htm