Monday, September 30, 2013

Passiflora incense and Bushman's poison flowers

Let me tell you about two very fragrant plants i have recently come across. Both are growing very happily in my city lahore and i am sure they can grow as easily in other warm climates. Though i can grow both but i am opting to grow only only of them. Why so? you will learn soon.

First one is Passiflora Incense. Passion flower with botanic name passiflora and common name "ghari phool" are flowering vines mostly from warm climates as not all of the varieties can tolerate sever winters. The most common variety around has been passiflora caerulea which survives the winter of lahore with some care in first year. A very good article on growing passiflora in pakistan has been written by Zahrah nasir of Dawn.

I personally grew passiflora incarnata from seed in May last year. But i will not advise growing it from seed as it may take a lot of years to flower from seed. Better to purchase rooted cuttings or buy plants in flowering stage to ensure that plant has broken flower dormancy. The below is passiflora 'Incense' a hyrbird between Passiflora incarnatax x cincinnata. Very fragrant purple flowers and very prolific flowering in lahore such that the vine is almost covered with flowers. Easily survives winter of lahore, 0c. Flowers almost whole summer.



The other plant which is probably one of the most fragrant plants i have ever come across, more fragrant than marwa or even snail vine It is Bushman's poison with botanic name Acokanthera oppositifolia The fragrance of one small plant can be felt even from 25-30 feet which is just amazing. But being a nuts for fragrant flowers, i did not grow it, why? Because it is one of the most toxic plants of the world. Yes this is why the name Bushman's poison. The plant is so toxic that it has been used as poison on the tips of the arrows. Phew!!! what a fragrant plant but too bad it is too toxic to grow. Well enjoy the picture.




Thursday, September 5, 2013

3 Months free floriculture course - Lahore

The Government of Punjab, floriculture department is offering a free 3-months course at Lawrence gardens, Lahore. Minimum education is matriculation and last date of application is September 27, 2013. Course will include landscaping, commercial cultivation of flowers, ornamental flowers and kitchen gardening.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Purple Buddleja and Cassia nodosa

There are very few plants which grow well in summer heat of lahore. Our summers are constantly over 40C. But there are some flowering plants which take the heat very well. Here are some of the flowers showing their grace in our hot summers in June. This is purple dwarf buddleja. Probably a variant of buddleja followiana and davidii. It is fragrant and heat tolerant. Not all purple buddleja plants are heat tolerant but this one is. It tolerates our monsoon rains too. It is planted in my soil bed.





This is cassia nodosa, a tropical summer flowering tree. It flowers in our summers when there are very few trees in bloom. Ofcourse cassia fistula is another summer flowering tree. Cassia nodosa is loaded with flowers in summer. Young plants need protection from winter.
 


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For more Floral friday pictures, please visit Floral Friday

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Private garden of Amer Yar Khan - Lahore

Dr Amer is a Doctor by profession and has tremendous interest in gardening. He has accumulated some wonderful rare plants from his garden. I would like to share some of the beauties in his garden. Hope you will enjoy it. A very large flowered daylily.



Another beautiful daylily
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He has many varieties of hibiscus specially tropical hibiscus. This one is cosmic dancer
hibiscus cosmic dancer




This hibiscus is city slicker
 hibiscus city slacker



He is very fond of fragrant plants so gardenia is an expected plant in his garden. He grows around 6 varieties of gardenia. This one is Aimee Yoshioka the largest gardenia in the world. 
gardenia Aimee Yoshioka



Tall beard iris grow well here in lahore. This one is Cloud Ballet. 


iris Cloud Ballet



This is michelia figo also called as magnolia figo.Common name is banana shrub. Very fragrant flowers but very slow growth

. machelia figo


There are lots of roses in his garden including david austin ones and other fragrant roses. This one is bronze star.
 bronze star



Double delight is one of his favorite roses for both the beauty and intense fragrance. double delight rose



Ebb tide

ebb tide rose



Augusta louise

 Augusta louise rose



He is also growing many bulbous plants as well. This one is a giant amaryllis.



Cybister lima
. Cybister lima



Ornithogalum dubium Ornithogalum dubium



Scilla peruviana. Probably the only scilla which will grow in lahore. Many plants from peru do good in lahore. Scilla peruviana



Some of the vines from his garden. This one is lonicera gold flame, a honey suckle. lonicera gold flame



Lonicera magnifica
 Lonicera magnifica
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Passiflora clear sky
 Passiflora clear sky


Tabebuia haemantha



Tabebuia haemantha

I will post more rare flowers from his garden off and on. I hope you would have enjoyed this virtual tour of his garden.

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