Monday, August 17, 2009

Monsoon blooms

Monsoons are made for Dendrobium orchids. I'm convinced of this. This season, like no other, sees my collection of orchids plump themselves up, fluff their petals, green their leaves and get all dressed for the greatest event in their calendar (and mine) ... the grand 'Bloom-your-heads-off Spectacle'!
Which means that in Mumbai, late-July onwards sees a lot of activity and barely-suppressed excitement in the orchid gardens. The flowers are coming!

They come in all shapes and colours but these twisty petalled ones always remind me of the antlers of a Black Buck antelope. Can you see the resemblance too?

This Gardenia has been giving me some sweet dreams lately. I had cut a few flowers to keep in my room some time back and by the time it was ready to be changed, it had already rooted in the vase! I couldn't find an empty pot for it so I then stuck it in a small plastic bag of soil outside my bedroom window, thinking I would find a permanent spot for it later. Before I knew it, it had grown through the bag and had locked itself in place . It obviously liked that spot so who am I to argue? Now its blooms scent the evening air sweeter than the most expensive perfume.

My Brunfelsia bush is in full bloom now. I love the way the colours change from day to day and its very quaint alias , Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow.

My Anthuriums have woken up from their summer stupor. They love these moist days

Look at them go! They're putting out new roots left, right and centre. This is the perfect time to start multiplying them. I'll be cutting them just below the new roots and replanting them.
So from this one plant I can get about three ... the portion with the crown of leaves and the new roots, plus the part remaining with the roots sunk into the soil, which I can again cut across horizontally into two round chunks.
Chunks about 1" tall and with roots are good enough for a new plant. New shoots soon sprout from the nodes and as long as they have viable roots too, I'll have some more gorgeous anthurium plants.

The rainy days had me indoors with nothing much to do except cleaning out a lot of stuff I had stored away in various cupboards. I found this wall-plaque I had made years ago when I went for a terracotta workshop. Isn't it odd how our surroundings pop up in all our creative attempts? That's my cashew tree and all the crows who seem to have taken larger-than-life proportions!

Meanwhile, under the cashew trees, some of my favourite monsoon plants are popping up ... Curcumas! The whole area is a play in green and purple right now. I didn't plant these; they've been there for centuries I think.
So has that wild ixora you can spot between the Curcumas. It is not in bloom yet . Maybe it fears being totally overshadowed by its absolutely flamboyant neighbours!
Imagine pitting yourself against this!

42 comments:

  1. What? So easy as that to get the Gardenia growing? I'm so envious...

    You truly have that blessed hand that everything you touch grows - wish I could borrow some of your "fairydust" to my garden. (hehehe)

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  2. I think it was an extra-enthusiastic gardenia. There seems to be no stopping!
    "Fairy dust"? I wish! :)

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  3. Wow! Amazing what a bit of rain can do, eh? I didn't know Anthuriums could be divided like that. Very interesting and lovely.

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  4. Hi Sunita,
    Love your tropical paradise ... I wonder if you have loads of ferns as well ... :)

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  5. You are so lucky to have such good luck with the gardenias. They never grow or bloom for me here. Too funny on how it rooted. I love that terra cotta plague. You did an awesome job and it is clear you've always loved nature from it.

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  6. Love the light coming through your Dendrobium orchid blooms... great shot and the wood carving is a treasure. Gardenias take me back to my childhood in the south... lovely, lovely fragrance. Right outside your bedroom window... lucky dreams!

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  7. I just love your flowers in this post Sunita! I can almost smell them too LOL. Your anthuriums look good...I pot mine in coconut husk what do you use?

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  8. Hi Shady C! Now you know why I love the rains so much :)
    Yes, that's one of the more popular ways of dividing Anthuriums. Just make sure that the weather is not too hot / cold to avoid extra stress on the plant. If you do it at a time when the plant is in active growth, like now, hardly anything can go wrong.
    The other way is the usual splitting up of the side-shoots, of course but you have to wait for it to mature before you get blooms which are big.

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  9. Rajee, loads of ferns too but they don't stick around much past the monsoon season. How fickle of them!

    It was a real surprise for me too, Tina. I didn't expect to see all those roots in the vase!
    That plaque was the very first terracotta thing I'd ever made so its quite special to me.

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  10. Thanks, Carol! :)
    I'm beginning to think that the southern parts of USA and we seem to share the same plants. I've heard that Florida weather is almost exactly like that of coastal India but maybe the similarity doesn't stop there.

    Hi Helen! I'm vary of using coconut husk because it attracts termites and snails here. I pot my anthuriums in coarse-grained river sand and broken chunks of brick. It works really well in my garden.

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  11. Lovely! Wish I could do half the justice (OK 1/100 is more like it) to the small patch of land that we have.

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  12. Nobody minds rain that bring on such beauty.
    Donna

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  13. Mridula, I didnt have much to do with the gorgeous wildflowers that show up every monsoon. They're there and I just sit back and enjoy them :)
    Just plain lucky!

    You're so right, Donna! All I can say is "Give me more!"

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  14. Sunita, your flowers are gorgeous! I am not able to grow any of them here in this zone. One son lives in one zone warmer and they have a gardenia shrub and their neighbors have camellias. I enjoyed looking at yours.

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  15. Such a treat to go through your post - the pictures are simply deliciously colourful, and the text as usual a happy paean to your blooms.

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  16. The gardenia story is lovely. I'm glad that it decided to stay with you. I can't imagine ever having a gardenia grow like that...a hydrangea maybe but never a gardenia. Beautiful.

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  17. Thanks, Barbee :)
    So you dont gardenias but I love that gorgeous array of other plants you do grow, which I cant :(

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  18. Thanks, Raji. Its great seeing you here again :)

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  19. Stephanie, I wish my hydrangeas would just grow! I love them but they seem to be my Achilles Heel :P
    Lucky you if you find them easy to grow!

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  20. You made that terracotta wall plaque? Hey, its very cute. You manage to make the crows look lovely. Looks like a family with papa, mama, and baby crows. Is your cashew tree blooming now?

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  21. Beautiful Sunita, gorgious blooms it is so fantastic to come and visit your lovely garden. I'm back on solid ground again and this morning I'm enjoying 'walks' in all the bloggers gardens, truely wonderful. Soon I'm going to clear up my garden that has run wild during my absence.
    Thank you for sharing, xoxo Tyra

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  22. Monsoons have done their magic! I have always been fascinated by your orchids, and to see so many in bloom makes me feel as if you are living in my dreamworld.
    Everything blooming seems to have got a Midas touch on it; the curcumas, the gardenias...they are all absolutely gorgeous.

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  23. Such exquisitely beautiful orchids and arthurian lilies...wonderful photography too :)

    I can only grow these as house plants...

    Love your terracotta pottery too...very beautiful :)

    Follow the link to my poppies...

    http://ourlittlecornerofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/08/ephemeral-poppies.html

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  24. Thanks, Autumn Belle :)
    I thoroughly enjoy working with clay ... it must be something to do with my love for gardening ;)
    No, my cashew trees start blooming only in November - December. I think they're resting now.

    Hi Tyra! You sound like you had a great time away. Its always refreshing to 'see' your garden anew after a small break... you spot so many things that you wouldn't normally. I'm waiting to see what changes you'll be bringing about in your garden... there always are some changes, aren't there? Especially when you're doing some major clearing up ;)

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  25. They're just getting started, GT! Usually more of my orchids are in bloom by now but this extended summer we seem to be having, broken by just a few days of lovely rain, seems to have set everything topsy-turvy! I'm hoping the monsoons get back into swing again soon.

    Wildlige, Gardener, let's exchange, shall we? Some of my orchids and anthuriums for some of your beautiful poppies? They're really stunning!

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  26. Glorious blooms Sunita. Looks like they are enjoying the weather you are having huh? That terra cotta plaque is very creative. You should find a place to show it off in the garden. :)

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  27. Sunita, it seems like your garden is constantly full of blossoms!!

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  28. Gorgeous pictures Sunita! Love these orchids with antler like petals ...

    I loved the story of the Gardenia blooming on your window... and it's so true that the scent of natural, fresh flowers is unbeatable!

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  29. WOW!!
    I really don't know what to say, your garden is such a riot of colors. Here I've been trying to grow a garden and whatever flowers there were on the plants when I planted them have also disappeared :-( I console myself saying that at least the leaves are still there:-)
    thanks for visiting my page. yeah i know this phase will also pass and my husband will start getting it :-)

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  30. Thanks, Racquel! Hey, that's a great idea ... I must find a good spot for my plaque in my garden instead of hiding it away in my cupboard.

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  31. Thanks Sandy. Yes, it is a happy time in my garden right now. :)

    Thanks, IHM. Those orchids do look different don't they?
    As for my gardenia, I think I should try out this 'accidentally' planting a twig business again ;)

    Wanderlust, just keep telling yourself," this too shall pass"... and then hide the evidence ;)
    As long as the leaves are still there, no one can call you a failed gardener. Maybe growing foliage plants is your calling?

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  32. Wow! Stunning pictures. Gardenias are my favourite flowers, but very difficult to winter over in my part of Canada. The fragrance is exquisite. And the terra cotta plaque, you are very talented.

    Thank you for visiting my blog, I will be back soon.

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  33. Wow...simply beautifully captured shots!

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  34. The orchids are gorgeous no wonder everybody is wild about them. Your wall plaque is so cute with the tree and the oversized birds. I think it looks so pretty and you should use it in your garden. Yes, the curcumas are a wonderful plant with their exotic flowers. I also love the exuberance of their leaves. All your tropicals look like they have the time of their live.

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  35. Thanks, Deborah! I love the fragrance of gardenias and the fact that it looks so pretty in an evening garden is a big plus for me. I like gardens and plants that appeal to my sense of smell as well as that of sight :)

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  36. Thanks, flyingstars ! I'm glad you liked them .

    Trudi, are your dendrobiums in bloom in the Fall season too? We don't really have Fall as its understood by the temperate part of the world but I suppose our monsoon season, which marks the change from blistering-hot summer to the cooler months, is a good enough substitute.
    The plaque was a rather clumsy first attempt but I realised that I thoroughly enjoyed working with clay. Yes, I'm trying to decide where it will look good in my garden... hopefully without flying off in the next heavy downpour! ;D
    I love the curcumas too. I found a site where they said that its known as Hill Turmeric. What amazes me is thecolour variation in them. Some are mauve, others deep purple while yet others have a streak of white in them like the one in the photo here.

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  37. You are lucky with those orchids!! Loved your blog.

    http://theurbanbalcony.blogspot.com/

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  38. Hi Urban Gardener, great blog-name! ;D
    Okay, from one namesake to the other,I totally agree about the orchids. I'm just plain lucky that I'm growing them in hot, humid Mumbai.

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  39. Your pictures inspire me to work on my neglected garden. Oh, I've to find the time and energy to.

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  40. Blossom, our tropical climate does make it easier for plants to grow but harder for us to work on them, doesn't it?

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  41. I am enjoy reading your garden post.

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  42. Thanks, Gypsy Lala. I'm glad you liked my posts :)

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