24 September 2010

Flowers in my garden this September

Nothing spectacular to report  but my pink hibiscus is putting up a good show (for my sun-deprived garden anyway) so I thought I'd record it. And while doing so, I decided to record the other blooms in my garden this September.

Pink hibiscus


Heliconia golden torch

 
Galphimia

The pink wall you see behind the plants is the bane of my life. It cuts out most of the sun from my garden.

On the patio I have:

Voilets . . .

. . . and perennial bloomer dancing lady begonia

Finally, not a flower but a sight that gladdens my heart:

Mandarin orange

The strange thing about the mandarin orange is that some creature seems to be picking off the fruit when they are tiny. A lot of them come out but only a few survive (and there are none fallen below). When the same plant was in a bed next to my patio, I used to get enough fruit to make marmalade. The monkeys leave this fruit alone; they must know it's very bitter. I can't imagine what creature would want to feed on these bitter fruit unless it's some type of bird. If anyone has any idea, do let me know.
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6 comments:

  1. AarthiSeptember 28, 2010 at 1:30 PM

    Hi Jeanne, I am Aarthi, I met you in Namma Santhe where Manin Raj gave a talk on gardening. Not sure if you remember me.
    I have a white hibiscus at home in a potted plant. It has grown tall and has lot of stems but is not flowering at all. What can I do so that it starts flowering?

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  2. jsbSeptember 28, 2010 at 1:45 PM

    Hi Aarthi. I remember you very well. Your hibiscus plant needs feeding. There's a product called Maxi Grow that's available in most nurseries. You need to dilute one sachet in 5 litres of water and spray your flowering plants once a week. I had the same problem and got good blooming after using this spray. I don't know where you live, but there's a gardening supplies shop on Osborne Road in Ulsoor where I buy Maxi Grow from. All the best with the hibiscus!

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  3. AarthiOctober 1, 2010 at 5:44 PM

    Jeanne, you know what?? Just the day after I sent you the message, I saw a few buds :)
    I tried the maxi grow for long and nothing happened, so I wanted to check with you. I know the shop you are referring to in Ulsoor, I get maxigrow and bone meal from there.

    Happy to see your poi sagu, it has come very well. Mine has grown quiet big. Made 3 harvests already :)

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  4. jsbOctober 1, 2010 at 9:53 PM

    Aarthi, glad to hear about your hibiscus. If Maxi Grow doesn't give you good results, try NPK for flowers and fruit. There is a road just before Lalbagh rear gate, on the way to the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar, which has only nurseries on it. I bought NPK from a large nursery there. The gardening shop in Ulsoor doesn't keep it.

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  5. Muhammad khabbabOctober 9, 2010 at 6:16 PM

    Hi, i guess this is my first visit to your blog, found you through blotanical. Keep it up, you are doing great. Have you tried double hibiscus?. Keep posting.

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  6. jsbOctober 10, 2010 at 1:21 PM

    Thanks, Muhammad. Yes, I have a peach coloured double hibiscus but it's not flowering at all due to lack of sun. I find only single hibiscuses flower in my garden; they seem to manage better with less sun. The double hibiscus got badly affected by pests so I have now pruned it right back and will try to get it to flower again once it's regained some growth.

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