Sunday, February 27, 2011

Flowers of Sweet pea, linum, anemone and gaillardia

Spring has just started and flowers have started to bloom all around. Weather is still not warm enough to sow morning glory seeds though. Here are some of flowers blooming in my small garden.

This is some hummingbird moth i captured in lawrence garden bagh-e-jinnah lahore. Any identification would be highly appreciated.

Anemone has started blooming in pots as well. The ones in ground are yet to bloom.

Sweet pea also blooming right now. It is called phool matar locally.And what a magnificent fragrance it is. I sowed two types this year. Heirloom miss willmott and second one the fragrant spencer types. Will show you more blooms next week.

Then comes linum grandiflorum. There is another variety of linum with culinary use but with smaller flowers. This one is grandiflora with large flowers. Seeds were gifted to me. Will save seeds for sure.


If there is any plant in lahore which can bloom year round all 12 months, it is none other than gaillardia. Sadly it does not attract much butterflies here.

To see other wonderful flowers from all around the world, visit Today's Flowers.
For Macro Monday Visit Lisa's Chaos
For Mosaic Monday Visit Mosaic Monday

Friday, February 25, 2011

Summer flowering annual plants for lahore, karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad

Seeds for summer flowering plants are sown in spring and plants bloom in summer. This time is specific for subtropical climates as that of lahore, karachi, peshawar, Rawalpindi and to an extent Islamabad as well. Morning glory vines is probably the one plant sown frequently for its colorful blooms in the summer. Zinnia is another one. so here goes the list.
  • Amaranthus. Local name laal saag
  • Balsam. Local name Gul-e-mehndi. Cultivars include Tom thumb with many colors
  • Capsicum, Ornamental pepper. Local name Araishi Mirch. Cultivars include Solanum Joker round, Dwarf early pylon red, Fips, Gion and hot mix. Then there is F1- Hybird with cultivar Treasure red F1
  • Catananche. Called cupid's dart. Most common species is catananche caerulea. Native to south africa a very beautiful flower. There is a white color variety called catananche caerulea alba. Seeds are not available here. The ones i grew from seeds will flower in summer of 2011. Will post pictures soon.
  •  Cosmos Sulphureus, sulfur cosmos. Comes in color ranges of orange, yellow and red. No white and no blue. The other variety of cosmos is cosmos bipinnatus which is tall cosmos sown in fall for spring flowering. Cultivars of sulfur cosmos include dwarf ladybird ans sunset orange. It blooms from May to october.
  • Coleus. Mostly grown for its foliage. Cultivars  include Rainbow mixture, superfine rainbow mixture and extra dwarf fairway mixture
  • Celosia. One variety is known as Cockscomb. Local name kalgha. Cultivars include Amigo, prestige, celosia plumosa century, dwarf kewpie, dwarf kimono, gloria mix and dwarf coral garden mixed. 
  • Coreopsis. Also called tickseed. Many cultivars but none of them is available here. It has long blooming season. Mostly in shades of yellow. There is a rare pink color variety named coreopsis rosea. Another cultivar having pinkish color is Sweet dreams and there is another one called american dreams having pinkish color. Coreopsis bicolor is also called calliopsis with flowers in two tone.
  •  Dahlia. Although it is included in winter plants but its seeds is sown in August and September for flowering in December till May. The ones grown from seeds are mostly Pakistani dahlia. While the ones grown from tubers are fully double flowers are called indian dahlia. Seeds cultivars include Garden pride mixed and figoro mixed
  • Datura. It is also called devil's trumpet. A toxic plant not suitable for growing in homes. Very fragrant flowers. Seeds easy to germinate. Some varieties are gone wild. Mostly in doubles and some triples. Blue and purple colors are most common. It is relative of Brugmansia which also has fragrant flowers and is also grown in lahore for evening fragrance. Both these plants might need protection in winters.
  • Echinacea. Another plant worth of being a perennial. Most popular species is Echinacea purpurea. It is also called purple cone flower which has purple cone shape flowers. There is another variety with white flowers and fragrant ones called echinacea purpurea white swan. One cultivar with very large flowers is called echinacea magus. There is also a double flowering variety in which another flower formed on the top of first flower. This is called echinacea double decker. No seeds of any variety are available here. My plants are due to bloom in summer of 2011 and will post pictures soon.
  • Egg Plant.Solanum melongena. Local name numaishi bengan. Ornamental squash. Cultivars include golden eggs.
  • Gaillardia. If there is one plant in lahore which can bloom whole year that is gaillardia. Blooming year round in lahore it is naturalized as perennial and not annual. Consider it as a permanent plant. It self sows easily and it is very easy to collect its seeds to grow more plants.Cultivars include double gaillardia, bicolor and lorenziana
  • Gerbera. Also called African Daisy. Grows in partial shade in lahore. Direct sun is not good for this plant. Many beautiful color combination exists with single and semi double and double flowers. Florist gerbera is the most beautiful of all and ideal as house plants. They grow well in pots. The plant does not like over watering and crown of the plant should be a little above soil so that water does not stay for long time.    
  • Gomphrena. Local name gul-e-makhmal or gul-e-tukhma. Colors include white red and purple. Cultivars include extra dwarf gnome
  • Ipomoea. Very fast growing vines. All are grown from seeds very easily. The variety most common is Ipomoea purpurea called morning glory. It is mostly in the shades of blue. If there is any climber which has so many color combination of flower then it is morning glory.It does not care about soil requirements, all it wants is full sun and water in hot summers, that's all. Another cultivar not common is milky way. Another variety is Ipomoea lobata also known as mina lobata.
    • Another variety which is very common is Ipomoea cairica called mile a minute. Another name is railway creeper. Its Local name is Ishq Pechan.
    • Only some of the varieties of ipomoea are fragrant. One of them is ipomoea alba called moon flower. It has fragrant white flowers very large which open in evening and close by dusk.      
  • Kochia. Local name Jawari. Grown for foliage which turns red in winter. Cultivars include summer cypress.
  • Marigold. Local name genda. It is sown first from February to July then again July to November. Flowers are mostly in shades of yellow with mostly double flowers. Two kinds are very famous. First is african marigold and second is french marigold. Bonanza series is most common of all. There is also an off white color variety but it flowers late and flower size is not very large as well.
  • Mimosa. Local name choi moi. Another local name is Lajwanti. Flowers are mostly pink or purple color. Cultivars include pudica.
  • Mirabilis.Most common is mirabilis jalapa. Called marvel of peru. Local name is Gul-e-abbasi. Flowers are fragrant in evening. It is a medicinal plant. It does not like water retention so it is grown in soil just above soil surface.
  • Portulaca. Portulaca grandiflora also known as moss rose has largest flowers in the genus. Local name is Gul-e-dupeher. Its flowers open only in sunlight and close in shade. There are two types, the native portulaca also known as dupeher boti which is actually a perennial and is not removed easily, you can think of it as a weed. Flowers of this one are opened in afternoon and close by evening. Color is mostly pink in this kind. The second one are the modern hybirds which are annual. Most common is F1 sundial mixed. Colors are in all shades. They are single, semi double or full double. Flowers remain open for most of the day hence called full day portulaca. It is very heat tolerant plant and can be grown with little or no water.
  • Passiflora. These are vines from warm climates. The most common is passiflora caerulea. It is also called passion flower. Flowers are very beautiful. Other varities grown include passiflora edulis, passiflora foetida and passiflora incarnata which is also called Maypop. These vines do not like fertilizer else they will promote leaf growth but no flowers. They love full sun. Young plants need protection in winter. Another cultivar of passion flower is called 'Incense' which has very fragrant flowers. They are famous for late flowering hence potassium should be given to the plants. One method of doing it is to bury banana peel under the soil.
  • Rudbeckia. Also called black eyed susan. Although there are many varieties of this plant including the one with red colors, it is only available here in the common yellow color. Recently there has been some seeds of bicolor as well but not common. There is a magnus type with extra large flowers of rudbeckia.
  • Salvia. It is also included in spring and winter flowers. The most common color is red which is most heat tolerant. Red color is more suitable to southern plains. Seed is sown from july to november.
  • Sun flower. Local name Suraj mukhi. Although a wild plant here but some cultivars are worth growing. specially the dwarf teddy bear and the one with chocolate color. There is a red color variety as well and then there is a white color variety called moonwalker. The bicolor variety is called florenza red. Seeds are large and easy to germinate.
  • Sterilitzia. Bird of paradise. Its plants are widely grown in lawrence gardens lahore. Very large flowers not suitable for growing in pots.
  • Vinca. Also called periwinkle. Another plant gone wild. Local name sada bahar. It is also called ratan jot here. It is a medicinal plant as well. It flowers almost year round and one of the toughest plants i have come across. It is difficult to remove this plant. Newly introduced cultivars include vinca victory and then there is a hanging mix suitable for growing in hanging baskets. There is vine from this family Vinca major not common here.
  • Venidium. It is relative of arctotis. South african native plant so very heat tolerant. Flowers are daisy type and very pretty. It is a low growing plant. Seeds are easy to germinate.It does not grow well if sown in spring. Its best time is sown in fall but it flowers into the summer as well.
  • Zinnia. Most popular summer flowering plant. Famous cultivars include super yoga, elegans, F dreamland, F1 profusion, Magellan F1, swizzle bicolors, lilliput and persian carpet. My personal favorite is the one i am unable to get seeds of. It is called zahara starlight rose.Zinnia cactus are also very beautiful having cactus type flowers.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Annual Spring flower show 2011 Karachi

60th Annual flower show 2011 is held in Karachi at sea view. Here are the details.
Dates:
24th February 2011 6pm - 11pm
25-27 February 2011 8am - 11pm

Location: DHA Sea view Park (near McDonalds) Karachi.

For details, contact +92 51 35881158 and +92 51 35373738

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Larkspur, petunia and calendula flowers

It is Spring knocking at our doors here in zone 10. Here is what is blooming right now.

Larkspur botanic name delphinium consolida. Easy to grow from seed. The one i got required staking. I am also growing perennial variety of delphinium (perennial in hilly areas only and not in plains) delphinium elatum and grandiflora but not in bloom yet. Growing them in 10 inches clay pots.


Then comes calendula officinalis locally called Gul-e-Ashrafi one of the earliest spring bloomers along with dahlia.

And last but not least, the lime petunia.

To see other flowers from around the world, visit Today's flowers
For Macro Monday Visit Lisa's Chaos
For Mosaic Monday Visit Mosaic Monday

Friday, February 11, 2011

Blooms from Tulip flower show lahore

Tulip flower show was dull although flowers were so pretty i almost got lost. The beauty of blooms was just exceptional. I think the bulbs were pre-chilled. Most of them were darwin hybird tulips.
After seeing the beautiful flowers there, i changed my mind that they can not be grown in lahore. Now i will give tulips bulbs a try this fall. Although i prefer growing ornithogalum, oxalis, freesia and paperwhites but tulips has its own place in flowering bulbs. No wonder my next post will be about growing tulips in very mild winters like ours. Here are the tulips displayed at the flower show.

City of vacouver


Red Parade


Golden Parade




Purple Prince



Leen van der mark Tulip - similar to banja luka



This post is part of Garden Bloggers bloom day, a monthly event hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Don't forget to visit http://www.tootsietime.com/ for this week's fertilizer friday.

This post is also part of Blooming Friday hosted by Katarina. So do visit her website http://rosorochris.blogspot.com/ for other blooming friday posts.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tulip Flower show Lahore

First Tulip flower show is held in lahore at Royal Palm Golf and country club, Lahore on 9, 10, 11 February 2011. They are claiming to display 14,000 tulips there.

Greenworks is providing them the bulbs. Will share the pics with you although i do not like the idea of tulip flower show as tulips are not ideally suited to lahore climate. Probably species tulips have better chances of growing in lahore as compared to the modern hybrid tulips.

Tulips displayed in the flower show will include Parade tulips, Purple Prince, Banja Luka, Golden Parade, City of Vancouver and Lee Van Der Mark. More information can be acquired from these phone numbers. +92-300-8503884, +92-321-577535 for registration. tulipshow@greenworks.com.pk

LahoreGardening.com has always been advocating to grow and display native plants and those plants which are suited to climate of lahore. For more information on growing those flowering bulbs which are suited to hot climate like lahore, see the flowering bulbs section.

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