Thursday, May 15, 2014

Summer in the garden

Sizzle and burn! Summer is crackling like a seething fire-cracker now, isn't it? Not my favourite time of the year. But then, I could make excuses for the spectacular blooms on almost every tree and in my garden.

It all started with the Red Silk Cotton bursting into bloom one day . Gangly, thorny, leafless branches sprouting massive red blooms almost as if by spontaneous combustion! And out sprang Spring! 

The nectar-loving birds were ecstatic! So was I. I could now feast my eyes on the blooms as well as the birds. Sometimes good things come in 2-for-1 packages!

From there to Summer was just a matter of days and my Pink Cassias decided to follow almost immediately. Spike upon spike of tender pink globes unfurling into zillions of blooms that turned my tree into a rosy cloud!


And the Yellow Copper Pod trees ...! All over Mumbai, every street is smothered with these golden blooms . Masses and clouds of them, billowing and spilling over from one tree to the next.

See their buds and you will immediately know how they earned the 'Rusty' part of their alias, Rusty Shield Bearer. The flower spikes do stick out straight like lances, don't they?

But they are not the only blooms billowing and spilling over. The bougainvillea is in its element now, thriving in the hot, sunny weather. This one here has been rambling all over my fence, linking together with a scarlet bougainvillea and a garlic vine too to make a dense forest of a fence which is almost impenetrable. Somewhere inside that tangle there is a jasmine vine too but I don't think I will ever find where one plant starts and the other stops!

In bloom now is also my Aromatic Turmeric (Curcuma aromatica) which is famed for its cosmetic use.  For centuries, Indian women have been applying a paste of its rhizomes to get glowing skin. I would rather enjoy its gorgeous blooms!

One of the few 'cool' looking flowers now, the Walking Iris stands out for its white-blue flowers. Such an oddity in the midst of all my other summer blooms which look almost volatile in comparison.
Almost as odd is its 'walking' habit. Plantlets grow near the tip of the flower stalk which then bends to the ground and take root there.With each successive generation the Walking Iris soon seems to travel all around the garden, one bending flower-stalk at a time.

This is also the time when my Phalaenopsis orchids are in full bloom. These may be called 'Moth Orchids' but when I look at my Phals, I see purple doves fanning the air with their wings and taking flight!

Fiery red, brilliant yellow, a touch of green; have you ever seen another bloom that conjures up Summer like the Heliconia? Brilliantly hued, showy and attention-grabbers from the word 'go'.... Summer incarnate!


You  want more of Summer and its bounty? Take a look at some of the posts from summers gone by : 
Summer sherbet: Mumbai's flowering trees 
Red-hot summer days
A reluctant ode to Summer
An Indian summer
A summer-ful of fun
Springing into summer
Once upon a bird-bath 
Mumbai: a time for blooming

19 comments:

  1. Sunita, lovely post as usual. I was in Google, but now I'm in WordPress, if you click on my name my new URL address is there under profile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maria, I seem to have a problem with posting comments on Wordpress blogs. I did come over but couldn't leave a comment :(

      Delete
  2. Hello Sunita, I am so glad that you visited my blog and left a comment. thank you! now I can feast on the eye candy that you have here. What awesome photos. I am so glad to find another blogger that grows what I grow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. It's always extra-special when you see another garden with the same plants as yours, isn't it? :)

      Delete
  3. Beautiful images Sunita. The Iris is very unusual and I am a big fan of Bougainvillea. It always reminds me of holidays in warm countries! The Heliconia is fantastic. We don't have anything like that over here. At least it is starting to warm up here and it has been a great spring for flowering plants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nick!
      The Walking Iris (Neomarica gracilis) is a fun plant to grow. It is quite amusing to watch it take little 'strides' across my garden :)
      The Heliconia is a real attention-grabber. Very useful for impressing someone !

      Delete
  4. Just gorgeous, Sunita! Thanks for sharing some much-needed warmth. Although, ironically, I think the iris is my favorite. I've never seen one like it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Shady C ! And to think that the Walking Iris was the only one here which didnt have such a fiery look ... most unusual! You must have it in your part of the world too, don't you?

      Delete
  5. Sunita, your garden is gorgeous ! I am delighted with all your flowers and colors. It is a real paradise !
    Greetings :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Ela! :)
      Thank you , I'm so glad you liked this post.

      Delete
  6. So much gorgeousness I don't know where to start ! I love the Walking Iris - and am wondering how it got its name !You say, Sunita, that summer is not your favourite season, is that due to the heat ? The lovely flowers must make it the most beautiful season !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, dear Jane. That is such a nice compliment!
      The Walking Iris blooms appear near the tip of a leaf-like stalk and when it fades, the stalk gradually bends down to the ground and a new plantlet appears and takes root there. In course of time with each stalk rooting further and further from the mother plant, it does look like it is walking!
      Yes, it is the heat of Summer which gets me down. In Mumbai, it is hot and humid in summer, definitely not a good combination for people (though the plants seem to love it!)

      Delete
  7. Wonderful! Somehow I've missed your posts. I'm glad to "catch one" again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for coming over, Joyful! It's so good to see you here again :)

      Delete

Hi, hope you enjoyed reading this post? Tell me what you think about this post; I love hearing from you.
But please note ... if there's a link in the comment, it will not be approved for publishing (sorry, but I'm getting way too much spam with links).