Winter lilac, Buddleja Asiatica in my garden

Winter lilac, Buddleja Asiatica is a very fragrant buddleja suitable for growing in hot climates. It flowers in spring here in lahore and possibly other warm climates. Another species of buddleja, Davidii does not like very high temperatures, thus, do not grow as good as asiatica. Although Davidii has advantage of flowering in summer off and on where as Asiatica flower only once in an year strictly once. I have this asiatica specimen in a large container garden on my terrace and honey aroma fills the air. Enjoy the pics.

You must prune it soon after flowering for good flowering next year and a neat growth habit. Unlike davidii, It flowers on an old wood. It is normally propagated from cuttings.

This post is included in Today's Flowers, do visit there to see other flowers blooming all around the world.

Kitchen gardening - Punjab government project

This is another good initiative by Government of Punjab for the promotion of kitchen gardening in Punjab. The chief minister deserves appreciation for that. Although the free vegetable seeds distributed by Punjab Government were not of very high quality (at least which i sowed) but they are going to right direction.

I am sure many of the gardeners from Punjab will go ahead and start planting the vegetables. Note that Government is not only providing free training to interested persons but also sharing 50% of cost in case of a plastic tunnel for vegetable farming on home scale. Keep it up!!!!

Kitchen gardening - which vegetables to grow in summer

Here are some of the vegetables which are grown in summer in lahore, karachi, peshawar and other similar climates. The best time to plant these vegetables is from February 15 to March 31. But you can plant/sow them any time between March and May depending upon the type of vegetable.

For seeds, mix old manure or leaf compost & soil in 1:4 and for seedling transplant or mature plants in 2:5.Prepare a soil mix which is loose, doesn't compact and drains well for example if you water them in large volume it should drain completely in 1 minute.. if the water is standing then add small quantity of sand in it. Mix well with well rotted manure which has no smell..

• Okra (ladyfinger) - Bhindi بھنڈی  Suitable for pots as well. Sown in February for April crop and then again in June/July for September crop. For successfully growing okra (bhindi) check this link http://www.lahoregardening.com/2012/04/kitchen-gardening-how-to-grow-okra.html
• Bitter gourd (karela)    کریلہ
• Mint (pudina) پودینہ Suitable for pots as well.
• Aubergine/ Egg plant (brinjal) Baingan بینگن. Suitable for pots as well.Does well with well manured soil, but be careful not to over-water or over-feed. 
• Bottle gourd (lauki) کدو, ridge gourd (tori) توری and green gourd (tinda) ٹینڈا Sown in March and April for End May crop. Then again in June/July for September crop
•  Tomato ٹماٹر Suitable for pots as well . For successful tomato growing, check this link http://www.lahoregardening.com/2012/03/kitchen-gardening-tips-for-growing.html
• Spinach پالک
• Capsicum Suitable for pots as well
• Cucumber کھیرا That includes hari mirch and shimla mirch. They love heat. Sown in February and March for crop in April
• Sweet Peppers شملہ مرچ Suitable for pots as well
• Radish مولی
• Cabbage بند گوبھی

 

Rose Show 2012 Lahore

Rose show 2012 was held at Royal palm golf club Lahore, Pakistan. It started on 30th March and ended on April 01, 2012. There were many beautiful English roses displayed over there. Not much gardeners over there but roses itself were so pretty. Some roses were hybridized by local expert gardeners. Floribunda, tea roses, ramblers, creepers almost every type was there. But not much miniatures were there. It was not a pure rose garden, just few beds having lots and lots of English named roses. Many were David Austin roses. Pink iceberg was a winner in terms of flowers. Double delight was exotic. Here are some of the roses from the show.