Flower exhibition at Sheeba park DHA lahore

Venue: Sheeba park Y block DHA lahore
Dates: March 22 - March 31, 2011

Seeds Shops & Plant nurseries of Karachi

Many thanks to Sara Anis and Izhar ul haq, two keen gardeners from karachi, for helping me out in the compilation of this list. Any corrections or additions will be highly appreciated.

Seeds Shops

Abdul seeds store  : Selling flower , vegetables and grass seeds (its the only store that sells grass seeds here) and gardening supplies they have 2 shops :

Shop # 11, inside empress market , sadar, karachi
Phone: +92 21 32250852
khuda bux : +92 300 2385499
abdul karim : +92 300 2542796

shop # 5 , plot # 84 , 10th commercial stree, near al falah bank, phase 4 , DHA , karachi
Phone: +92 21 35312995
saleh mohammad : +92 307 2162568

Lotia sons : They have flower and vegetable seeds and lots of gardening supplies.
Shop# 2/A , hilltop arcade , gizri boulevard , phase 4 DHA ( near sunset boulevard signal )
Phone : +92 21 35836023
Shabbir lotia : +92 300 9202988

Micro Drip: Drip irrigation. F-178/3, Block-5, Kehkashan, Clifton.
Contact: Mr. Khadim Hussain. +92 300 3789432

Homes & Gardens: Seeds, Chemical Ferlizers, Tools, Compost, Pet food
3, 4 Amna Arcade, 11C, Shahbaz Commercial-II, Phase VI, Main Khayaban-e-Sehar, DHA
Contact Mr. Shamsi +92 300 8211214. Email: info@homesngardens.pk


Kaizen Enterprises: Compost.
plot No.294, Asu Goth, Malir, Karachi. Contact +92 303 2327649
info@gardenhelper.pk

Shareef seeds store: Deal in seeds, chemicals, fertilizers.
Shop No.18 & 12, Empress Market, Saddar.

Vitax garden shop : They have gardening supplies , flower and vegetable seeds and thier own products
Shop # 24-C, sunset boulevard near H.S.P. DHA garden center ,phase 2 , karachi
vitax_pak@hotmail.com
vitak_pak@yahoo.com
Phone: +92 21 6041800
Cell: +92 321 8281924

Another lady who is great is from Mom's Garden she sells seedlings , seeds and plants of vegetables and herbs and some fruits as well.
she is available to call on the 1st and 15th of the month and is always great with advice.
Cell: +92 301 2611687

Plant Nurseries

Dayem Nursery: plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings
Main Khayaban-e-Qasim, Phase VIII, DHA. Contact: +92 300 2355864

Diamond nursery. Imported and local plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings.
email: dnursery@super.net.pk
main branch :Plot No. ST 3/A, Block No. 13, Federal B Area. Karachi
Phone: +92 21 6800208, +92 21 6342883 Cell : +92 300 8237083

Other branch: Habib ibrahim rehmat ullah road , pns karsaz , karachi
Cell :+92 300 8281112

Gulshan Waqas Nursery: Plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings

Main Karsaz Road, Karachi. Contact Mr. Ashraf +92 333 2545640    Email: g-w-nursary@yahoo.com        
International Nursery: Plants, seedlings, manure. Hamdard University Road, Hub pumping station.
Contact: Mr. Rana Abdul waheed +92 333 3274016

Makkah Nursery:  Branch 1: Plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings. Main Karsaz Road, Karachi.
Contact: Mr Fareed +92 322 2495550
Branch 2: Landscaping, Rooftop gardens, pond. Main Khayaban-e-ittehad, Phase II, DHA
Contact: Mr Naveed Fareed +92 321 8296662
Manzoor Nursery: Main Karsaz Road. Contact: +92 300 8284442

Plants n Plants: Branch 1: Plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings. Main Shaheed-e-Millat Road.
Branch 2: Landscaping, Rooftop gardens, ponds. 62 Khayaban-e-Janbaz, Phase V, DHA
Contact: Mr. Usman Haq +92 333 2128515

Rose Nursery: Plants, seedlings, Manure. Hyderi Market, Block D.
Contact: MR Abdul raqeeb +92 300 2337174

Sailors Nursery: Plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings, ponds, bonsai.
habib ibrahim rehmat ullah road , pns karsaz , karachi
Phone : . +92 21 6040090
Cell : Mr Yameen Ahmed +92 300 8256492, +92 314 2282704
Email: sailorsnursery@yahoo.com

Shadab Nursery: Plants, seedlings, manure. Main Korangi Road, Phase II, DHA
Contact: Mr Mumtaz hussain +92 300 2286119


Mr. Green nursery : Plants, Orchids, Imported plants, seedlings, ponds
near pns raza , national stadium road, Dalmia, Karachi
Cell: Mr. Zar wali +92 300 2007757 , +92 333 2007757

Cactus and succulents : S M jamshed asmi
Cell: +92 300 9252594 , +92 313 9252594
Email : jamshedasmi2000@yahoo.com

Tanzeela planters : landscaping, maintenance and good advice about plants -mr. khawaja rizwan jameel
suite # 304, HMH square sir shah sulman road , gulshan e iqbal, Karachi
Cell: +92 345 2251062

Baahir :  stuff like  furniture , fountains ,planters, trellises, bbq grills ( they have offices all across Pakistan )
+92 111-222-447 , +92 800 22447
Cell: +92 336 5502021
Email : info@baahir.com

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

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.

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.

California poppy,primula,painted daisy in my garden

Yeah i am late for Garden blogger's bloom day but here it is anyway. And yes don't forget to go to Carol's May Dream Gardens for other bloom day posts.

I love anemone and this blue one is my all time favorite blooming happily in company of chrysanthemum tricolor. This is my first year growing this tricolor pained daisy and what a wonderful colors they provide.

Don't you think anemone and iceland poppy are an excellent duo. Here they go:

What about this pink one? looking so lovely but way behind the blue one above.

And this red one? i grew all of them from tubers/corms. Did you miss my early post on how to grow them? here it goes: Growing flowering bulbs in warm climates - anemone coronaria

What a wonderful yellow daisies these are. But these are not blooming in my garden. I shot them at Lawrence garden lahore. I wish i had that mush space!!!!

California poppy are my favorite as they are heat tolerant which is a must property of a bloomer. I have planted lots of them in a large container but they did not bloom all at once instead one by one.

Chrysanthemum tricolor comes in wide range of combinations. I wish if they could survive our hot summers and become perennial but ah this might not be possible with possible 110F in summer:(

 

Primulas come on various colors. I think this might be primula vulgaris. There is another species of primula with 6 inches height and multiple bracnhes more flowers than his one but small flowers. i grew them in 6 inches plastic pots.

Petunias, okay they are not as heat tolerant as i want them to, but just look at the colors and their elegance.This one growing in a plastic pot on my terrrace.

                                          

This one just rocks na? very lovely color. growing in clay pot in my container stand.

 You know what this is? i know this is a blue star petunia but guess what!! i have under planted it in passion flower vine. To utilize more space and to grow lots of flowers in less space, i under planted them in various large containers such as this one. ahh the dilemma of small space gardeners!!!

 I am still trying to assess whether these two are flowers are from same plant or not. mostly two different plants.

 Now this is interesting. Can you guess where on earth is this container placed? Outside my terrace, 15 feet high in air, just on support of some invisible threads from inside.you can also see the painted daisy plant along side it in a plastic basket. Ah the inventions of small space gardeners.

 Now this is some unknown flower i have seen very first time. blooming happily in lawrence garden lahore. Any help regarding Id will highly be appreciated. Updated: This is sweet sultan / cornflower.

Blotanical 2009 Awards – Thank You!

My mouth was open wide when i saw my blog nominated in the 2009 blotanical awards in the category of best container gardening blog. I mean its just over a month over blotanical and with the limited space i have for growing, i was just amazed to have my blog nominated.

I would like to extend my thanks to blotanical and other fellow bloggers who visit my blog and pay such nice and encouraging comments and send messages. i mean its all because of you guys that i have reached here, no doubt in that. Best of luck to all my fellow bloggers in this year's awards.

And last but not least, i feel so proud to be the only blogger from Pakistan( love to have some one join me, birdie!!!, mars!!!!, mania!!!, zahra!!! are you fellas reading this?).

So head over to blotanical 2009 voting page and vote as much as you can. here is the link to vote.

Update: Got 5th position, Hurray!!!!

Growing in pots? you have to see this!!!!!

Now this is something very encouraging for those who have no space like me and are restricted to pot culture. Folks, this railway creeper is at least 15 feet and the plastic container is only 4 inches deep. and i have placed it on a concrete shade which is further 8 feet high from the ground. Now don't ask me how did i manage to put this clay filled container on this shade!!!. The pic is taken from roof top.
















Allamanda in same container, almost 10 feet high.
Acutally there is another vine in the middle, morning glory. But i think she is over taken by these two and hardly nourishing. But she will bloom too, for sure, just wait a while. This pic taken at 4x optical zoom of canon powershot.

















Who says you cannot attract butterflies and bees with container gardening? well i surely think otherwise. now i am not good at bees and i think this is a carpenter bee. sorry for not capturing this bee closer, actually i am afraid of their sting!!!!!


























































I captured this butterfly when thick black clouds had taken over and rain was just coming by. This cutie took shelter on my jasmine nitidum leaf. It was very low light and you can see some grains in the picture
















Isn't it strange that this mushroom sprouted, oops i think we can use this word sprout with fungi as well, right? in this D shaped pot instead of my soil bed. They grow almost every year during monsoon rains.

The giggling morning glories

The affair was going on for several weeks but not disclosed until today morning. Rain drops hugging the gorgeous blooms of morning glory. MG blooms were looking so happy and went on blooming and blooming with pleasure. Even those stubborn blooms which had no intention to open up and always showed as they were spent but actually not, also participated in the carnival. They did not stop as i caught them in the "act", in fact they cheered and giggled.
















Now these vines are covering my front wall of about 15 feet at least. As they reached the top of wall, you can see they sort of had a get together, a junction. i am trying to cover my first floor terrace with these. now they have reached the top, i am guiding them to upper top, makes total of 35 feet.
















Now this is interesting. She is trying to elbow her neighbour, C'mon sleepy head, wake up. but she is sort of dozing. Maybe trying to gather the energy to open up and join the party. i hope you enjoyed the show as well. cheers.

Floriculture in india - courtesy of google books

This is a great book which describes in detail about gardening in india and the indopak region. Must read!!

http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=2H4-39ZufiEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=floriculture+in+india

Top 25 fragrant perennials for lahore

25-Ixora parviflora - white flowers scented

23-Passion flower-- ghari phool-- climber--- late summer bloomer --slightly fragrant

 








22- Brugmansia or angel's trumpet-- late summer bloomer -- fragrant


21- lemon/tangerine/orange-- they all flower almost whole year. Chinese naranji is more fragrant than others













20-Tropical water lily - perennial water plant in lahore/karachi

19- Rose - blooms year round specially in temperate climate













18- Jasminum officinale (desi chambeli) -- climber--blooms in winter months and spring




 






17- Jasmine polyanthum -- climber--winter jasmine-- early spring bloomer





 








16- jasminum fluminense (juhi) - climber--blooms mainly in summer






 




15- Jasmine nitidum -- climber--blooms year round (specially in lahore)











 14- Honeysuckle (lonicera) -- climber-- blooms in summer
 












13- wisteria-- climber-- blooms in spring














12- Gardenia jasminoides -- shrub-- blooms in summer ans sometimes in winter






 






11- Star jasmine -- spring/summer bloomer -- star shaped white flowers. a bit slow growing.






 



10-Plumeria (Chumpa) - blooms in summer - does not like winters





























9- Stephanotis Floribunda -- climber-- very fragrant











8- Artabotrys -- very slow grower -- summer bloomer







 



 7- Brunfelsia -- Francisea -- shrub
6- Buddleia Asiatica -- Butterfly bush-- white flowers
5-Quisqualis indica - Rangoon creeper (jhumka vine)




















4- vallaris glabra - Soniya vine - night scented flowers









  











3- Cestrum Nocturnum -- raat ki rani -- summer/autumn bloomer
 





 



2- Jasmine sambac (motia) -- indian motia or lebanese motia is more fragrant than pakistani motia. While mogra is not fragrant at all.














1- murraya paniculata (chinese marwa) -- shrub-- blooms in rainy season and if its Desi murraya then in spring as well