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.

Evening primrose, climbing snapdragon and gardenia florida

Spring is coming to an end in Lahore and coming heat wave is having its toll on the spring flowers. On the other hand, the semi tropical perennial flowers are coming to their own. This year i grew many perennials from seed. Not common in lahore, i took they risk whether they will grow good in lahore or not. Some produced excellent results. Here are some of those:

Evening primrose, Oenothera pallida "innocence", seeds bought from Chilten seeds UK. Flowers are very fragrant citrus spice and bloom in mid day. They last few days. They are supposed to be a perennial plant in lahore and other hot climates. I hope they survive our hot summers and prove to have a permanent position in my fragrant garden.


Another rare climber i grew from seed and it flowered only after 8 months is, climbing snapdragon. This is asarina purpurea seeds from Sunshine seeds Germany. seeds are small but germination was good. It produces hundreds of buds on a small plant. I hope it will prove to be a perennial in my hot climate too.

This gardenia although not grown from seed but a very fragrant and prolific blooming gardenia florida i have. There are many cultivars of this common gardenia and this one seems to be "Heaven scent". Gardenias likes bright shade and not much direct sun light. They also need humid air and an acidic soil to thrive. Most healthy gardenias have green leaves.

Garden Of Mr Waheed Malik in Lahore

Waheed malik is a very experienced and skilled gardener of Lahore. He is very passionate in growing almost all forms of plant kingdom including cactus, succulent, bonsai, bulbs, climbers etc. He grows hundreds of Amaryllis bulbs on his rooftop and has some rare collection of amaryllis family bulbs. I had the honor to visit his garden and learned a lot of things from him. Let me share some of the flowers blooming at his farm house and one of his gardens.
Wisteria flowering at his farm house. This is one of many types of wisterias he is growing.
This is a bulbous plant which is not common in Lahore. It is a perennial in lahore and has wonderful fragrance. This is Ipheion uniflorum 'Wisley Blue' It is from allium family.
This is amaryllis papilio, a rare amaryllis in lahore, flowering on his rooftop.


This is one of many clematis vines grown in his garden. They do not give profuse flowering but do grow fine and flower regularly.
A lot of dutch Iris. He is also growing lousiana Iris and Tall beard Iris, both of which grow very well in lahore.
This is a flower of some cydonia. Cydonia is relative of prunus and has many varieties which are grown in lahore. He has more than one cydonia i believe.
He is growing Euphorbia in masses.All planted in soil bed. They give a spectacular look indeed.
This is yellow Tabebuia. Tabebuia is from Tecoma (Bignonia) family tree and there are lots of color available in lahore. It is one of many Tabebuia he is growing.

This is prunus growing at his farm. Not sure how much fruits it produces but it looks beautiful.
The pictures above show a glimpse of what he is growing. There are lots of plants i did not cover just because they were not in bloom. I will try to capture more flowers from his garden in coming months will share with you. I will also cover more private gardens of lahore in next few posts. Your feedback will be highly appreciated.

Heliotropium arborescens and Hyacinth flowers

Heliotropium arborescens "marine" is a a very fragrant compact annual/perennial flower. Flowers cover the whole plant and vanilla fragrance is very strong. I bought seeds from chilterns seeds UK and sowed the seeds in October 2012 and it germinated in November 2012. It started flowering in March 2013. An annual in cold areas but tender perennial in warm climates like mine. Not sure how it will handle the extreme summer heat and monsoon humidity but the fragrance is really worth it. I will save seeds if it forms seeds.

Talking of fragrant flowers, Hyacinth is very fragrant spring bulb. It grows very good as annual in lahore. It is also successfully forced in special water jars. It is amazing that each color of hyacinth has unique fragrance. Sometimes hyacinth gives second flowering stalk too but that it not often. Hyacinth bulb is not worth saving for next year and must be bought again.


For more macro pictures, visit Lisa's Chaos

Garlic vine, Thunbergia alba and Sprekelia

Garlic vine is a beautiful climber from bignonia family. The flowers and leaves emit garlic odour hence the name garlic vine. Botanic name of garlic vine is Cydista aequinoctialis. It grows very good in Karachi and Lahore. It flowers in fall and spring. In my experience it suffers from pests in fall specially mildew so you may need to spray it. It likes hot and humid so Karachi suits it better than lahore. There are some mature specimens growing for many years in lahore. 



Another shrub growing in winter is Thunbergia erecta var alba. It is white color version of common blue Thunbergia erecta. Flowers are small but tub shaped and abundant.
                                                         
Last but not least, sprekelia formosissima is flowering in winter here in lahore. Its common name is aztec lily and it is a bulb from amaryllis family. It usually flowers in spring but maybe it is forced so flowering in winter. A good choice for hot climate.

Mosaic monday
Lisa's Chaos.
Weekly top shot
Garden Bloggers bloom day

Amaryllis(hippeastrum) forced blooms

Amaryllis(hippeastrum) naturally bloom in spring here and these flowers shown below are forced blooms. These are not grown by me, but an expert gardener of lahore, Dr. Amir yar khan. These shots are taken from his lawn. Enjoy the flowers.

This post is part of Garden bloggers bloom day at May dreams gardens

This post is also included in today's flowers at Flowers from today

Abutilon magic

Abutilon belong to the Malva family. They are a close relative of hisbiscus and it is very clear from the flowers shape as well. These are also called chinese lantern. The most beautiful abutilon are megapotamicum but i am yet to get my hands on that. These are abutilon hybirdum i think.


Although blooming in winter right now, i expect them to bloom till spring and then in the late fall as well. I doubt that they will flower in intense heat of mid summer. They need to be prevented from monsoon rains as they dislike heavy rains.


Abutilon make excellent shrubs. They get tall as much as wide around 4-6 feet. Pruning is required on older plants to get in shape. This is my first year with these plants, i hope they stay long with me.

This post is included in Macro monday by Lisa's Chaos so do visit her blog for more macro images

Flowers of Cassia glauca and Crinum amabile

The winter here in lahore is in full swing. Not much perennials you will see in bloom but here are some of the flowers which i am seeing almost daily. The first one is Scrambled Egg Bush with botanic name Cassia glauca. This shrub is almost everywhere in lahore right now. The shrub is everywhere in lahore and also abundant in other subtropical climates. There are many other beautiful cassia shrubs including cassia javanica having pink flowers. Here goes cassia glauca.


The macro is very beautiful. The pollen color contrast with the yellow petal is eye catching.


There are not many crinum blooming right into December but this giant spider lily (Crinum amabile) is still blooming in start of December. A true giant with beautiful flowers. The scent is spicy and fills the air with aroma. Needs a large space to develop.


This post is included in Macro monday by Lisa's Chaos. Do visit her blog for more macro posts.

I have posted this post in the mellow yellow monday as well so do visit Mellow Yellow Monday for more yellow flowers.

Flowers of gazania, aquilegia, crape jasmine and millettia

Talking of spring flowers annuals, only few are flowering right now. Heat is coming in fast and only drought tolerant plants are blooming. Some annuals in the shade are also showing their flowers. I would call it the remnants of spring. The first one is gazania. A drought tolerant plant which blooms till mid summer here.


This aquilegia is in shade in my soil bed and only gets few hours morning sunlight. Columbine flower is an annual in lahore though some gardeners manage them as perennials.


This is Tabernaemontana divaricata, crape jasmine which is called chandni locally. A perennial, it blooms almost all summer enduring summer heat. Sadly neither the single flowers nor the double ones are fragrant. But i heard that there are some fragrant crape jasmines as well.


Talking of trees, here comes another species of millettia. It is probably millettia pinnata also called pongam tree native to india, pakistan, japan , thailand, malaysia.  It another variety of sheesham having beautiful flowers. Flowers clearly show they are from Fabaceae (pea) family.
This is the close up of flowers.


Flowers clearly show they are from pea family.


Tree is covered with flowers and leaves are none or very few making it very beautiful tree.


For other beautiful flowers blooming all around the world, visit Today's Flowers

For macro monday, visit Lisa's Chaos

Growing sparaxis in warm climates

This is 8th article in the series of growing warm climate flowering bulbs. Sparaxis is a south african native flowering bulb endemic to south africa. It is also called Harlequin Flower. It goes dormant in summer and grows actively in winter and flowers in summer. There are many species suitable to lahore and other hot climates but sparaxis tricolor is the most common one.

1- Choose fat, large bulbs. Discard soft bulbs.Try to buy sparaxis bulbs not from same vendor but from different vendors, this way you would have better chances of different color combinations in flowers.
2- Try to buy those bulbs which are either very fat or those bulbs which have their offsets (child bulblets) attached. The offsets will flower next year. Plant bulbs in fall. Try some bulbs in november and some in december so you will know which one does better. In my experience, December is better than november.
3- Good drainage is essential for all flowering bulbs and sparaxis is no exception. For extra drainage, you can out a fine layer of sand beneath the bulb although this is not necessary for loamy soils.
4- Water the soil before planting the bulbs. When water is fully absorbed in soil, plant the bulbs. Planting depth is 1-2 inches below the soil.
5- After first watering, do not water the soil until the foliage starts appearing.
6- Few hours direct sunlight preferably morning sun is essential for flowering. But they will still flower in full shade. Avoid full sun when heat arrives in late march.





7- One or two stalks per bulb and there will be 1-3 flowers per stalk. Sadly the flowers do not last very long, just two days. But planted in masses they are most beautiful flowers.
8- Sparaxis is a perennial in lahore and other warm climates. Keep it in soil, it will grow again next fall. You can also leave it in container. Keep watering in summer.

Ixia and sparaxis are from same family. Will try ixia in fall and share my experience with you.

This post is included in Roses and Stuff by katarina. Do visit her for other blooming friday posts.
Also visit Tootsie time for fertilizer friday. This post is also included there.

Note: For those who are reading this, there is a free heirloom tomato seeds away week in first week of April on my blog. So do come back if you want to grow tomatoes in your yards. First come first basis after i announce it in first week of April. Happy planting.

Growing freesia in warm climates

This is 7th article in this series of growing warm climate flowering bulbs. Freesia is the most heat tolerant flowering bulbs in hot climates. And if you are new to flowering bulbs, close your eyes, plant the freesia bulbs and sit back to watch them blooming in a few months time. As easy as it can be. And it will not fail to bloom no matter what you do or don't do. A must for your garden. Here are few reasons why freesia is at the top of other spring flowering bulbs:
1- It is perennial. Yes, unlike hyacinth and tulips, it will naturalize in warm climate zones 9 and greater.
2- One of most fragrant flowers. Yes, it has one of most fragrant flowers among others. The spicy fragrance wafts through the air. And a few plants will fill your whole yard.
3- It is very heat tolerant. Unlike other flowering bulbs, which start withering upon arrival of summer heat, freesia will take the heat and continue blooming.
4- Offsets: Freesia produces offsets almost every year, so you will get new plants every year.
5- They are great container plants well.
6- Many beautiful color combination are there. 

Growing them is very simple. Prepare the soil having fertilizer and potting mix. water the soil thoroughly and let the water get absorbed. Next comes bulbs planting. Choose healthy bulbs, fat and firm. If there are offsets or child bulbs attached, do not remove them, they will flower next year. Plant them in well drained soil in fall. We plant them in late october and november here in lahore. Leave them in either full sun or partial shade, but not in full shade. They will flower in full shade but flowering capacity will reduce. Do not water again until you see green shoots appearing. Remember, water the flowering bulbs as less as possible until heat arrives.

Freesia bulbs


This one is in clay pot on my terrace.


This one is growing on my terrace in clay pot.


This one is growing in my soil bed.


Full double freesia bulbs have often less fragrance. The new hybird varieties have less fragrance although the bloom size is large. So go for semi double which are fragrant as you can see in above pictures, they are all very fragrant.

Growing freesia from seed: Freesia can be grown from seed as well. The seed sown in fall will flower in spring. Here in lahore, seed sown in october should flower in march and april. Very easy to grow from seed as well.
After freesia has flowered, keep it in the soil. Let the leaves get yellow and then shred all its leaves after it will go dormant in summer. You can keep it in the soil or dig them from soil, wrap in paper and place somewhere cool and dry. They survive in room temperature in lahore if temperature is not very hot. Plant again in fall.

Next bulbs: Sparaxis

Kachnar,Candytuft,gladiolus flowers

Here are some of the flowers blooming in my garden and some of the shots are taken from lawrence gardens lahore.
This one is a small tree, having white flowers in the spring. Not sure about the ID yet. Photo taken in lawrence gardens lahore.




Candytuft with botanic name Iberis blooming in lawrence garden. Planted in masses, stunning flowers.


Bauhinia purpurea with local name kachnar. A street tree in lahore, pakistan. Blooms not only in spring but also in fall sometimes. There are many other bauhinia species growing in lahore including some vines. Perhaps a post specific to Bauhinia is due on me.


The enchanting fragrance and exquisite blooms of freesia. Although these are modern freesia hybird, fragrance is still intense. Watch for my next post of growing freesia in hot climates. Blooming. happily on my terrace in clay pots. They naturalize here in lahore


Chrysanthemum tricolor with synonym Ismelia carinata and common name painted daisy. Local name desi gendi. Comes in many shades of tricolor.


Another beautiful tree from lawrence garden. Will update the ID soon.


This is some variant of jasmine. Not fragrant though. The masses of flowers put a brilliant show in many months of the year.


Gladiolus, grown from bulbs in fall. It has potential to be a perennial in warm climate as ours. Comes in many shades. Top bouquet flower.


This is some jasmine shrub blooming happily in model town park lahore. Not fragrant though.


For other GBBD posts, visit May dream gardens by Carol