earthnow-aliya

T he term Monsoon is from Arabic MAWSIN : where in south Asia it rains... …… Its something magical about the rain drenched season of Monsoon that makes people go barmy. The first drop of water on the raw parched earth, the irre sistible fragrance afterwards.. every sub continental Indian ( from the stock exchange office in Mumbai to the urban to the rural farmer every patient with his bull and the p lough) looks towards the sky. Monsoon the romantic season of love. To procreate.. To go green.. Its mystical its joyful Its merriment around. & its most welcome. The Indian Economy thrives on monsoon.. F inance minister , Pranab Mukerjee , once said that : ‘ monsoon is the real finance minister of India ' . A good monsoon results in improved agricultural-growth,bringing down prices,reducing imports – thus food inflation under control. Essentially a good monsoon results in increased hydroelectric production. The industry wheels move and a positive rippl...

W as visiting Karachi after 7 years & I saw these Morning Glories (they are weeds in South India) growing wildly around the Sea View Apartments. Stubbornly growing on the road sides (as Aman Khalique put it) It was a moment of joy: "hey that’s pretty". It was a pleasant surprise: Defense.. Clifton areas looked prettier than before..the walls were higher.. nevertheless there was greenery.. & When there is green there is hope. Why don’t the Karachites start sowing seeds /saplings -nuture them and wait for them to grow—.. & make Karachi a more pleasing place. A restaurant called Saffron has a very character full tree growing out side its Moorish gate. I saw plenty of Bottle Brushes and Gull Mohars.. Well done. I saw the Neem tree grow taller (sown by my brother) & the hedges around the homes in the Sea View neighbourhood were neatly pruned. Well done Karachites.. keep your green hopes up.. strive for a greener Karachi.. A better environment.

S cheffler Actinophylia ,is a popular domestic-hedge plant. Native to Australia is also called Queensland Umbrella Tree. It has decorated – small palm like arranged leaves. In some places in India, it grows u to 3 to 10 meters in height to become a large tree. I have observed it as a slow growing shrub in my garden. It has a variegated variety with leaves having ivory or yellow blotches/splashes. It can be propagated through stem cutting. It needs moderately fertile & well drained soil . Recently I noticed a nicely pruned hedge of Scheffler Actinophylia or the Quennsland Umbrella - at the Bangalore Club. However in my garden as a small landscape shrub & a filler plant with excellent foliage needing little water, all year round. The plant nurseries in Andhra Pradesh call it The SCHEFFLERA HICOLAR.

P ansy: Common name: Pansy, Pansy Violet Botanical name: Viola x wittrockiana T he name pansy is from the French word pensée, meaning thought or remembrance. The name "pansy" also appears as part of the common name for other Viola species that are wildflowers in Europe. The Pansy is a hybrid plant cultivated as garden flowers . Pretty to grow in pots, troughs, or as mass plantings, These lightly fragrant flowers are available in a vast range of colors. The pansy flower has two top petals overlapping slightly, two side petals, beards where the three lower petals join the center of the flower, and a single bottom petal with a small groove. The dark centers in some flowers are thought to resemble little faces. (Flowers have big blotches that make them strongly resemble faces) They grow only six to ten inches high and can spread up to ten to twelve inches across. Since Elizabethan times, the word "pansy" suggests an effeminate male and still is used, as a disapproving ...

Heliconia Golden Torch Botanical name: Heliconia psittacorum x spathocircinata Family: Heliconiaceae (heliconia family) H eliconias are indigenous to tropical America, and are distinct individual flowers … Heliconia can grow in seasonally dry locations -- however most grow in moist and wet regions. Growing from rhizomes, they have erect shoots, with a stem and huge leaves and it ends by a manner in which flowers develop on the stalk : brilliant orange - with a shade of red... The inflorescence comes from bracts rather than the actual flower. It can be grown anywhere. They also make great container plants. Heliconias are heavy feeders, and need rich humic soil***. The Heliconia blooms all the through the summer and they make great cut flowers: lasting 2 to 3 weeks. Heliconia is gaining popularity in world as well as Indian market due to its cut flower-value. It also have long vase life. Please note that there is a lot of difference between the Heliconia & The Bird of Paradise … *** ...

Bird Of Paradise: Genus Strelitzia Common : Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise..... Strelitzia reginae is a monocotyledonous Flowering Plant …. (Monocotyledonous: Flowering plant that has a single leaf in the seed and floral parts in multiples of three). Bird of Paradise is indigenous to South Africa. lt is grown in India in regions such as the Western Ghats, Kerala, Karnataka .. The Bird of Paradise is grown Bangalore as a familiar ornamental plant. Bird of Paradise prefers moderate humidity, The plant grows to 2 m (6½ ft) tall, with large- strong leaves . The leaves are evergreen and arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown. Long stemmed flowers emerge from green boat-shaped bracts .. which are bordered in red or purple. (Bracts a modified leaf that arises from the stem at the point where the flower or flower cluster develops). Many pointed petals of brilliant orange are contrasted with an arrow-shaped tongue of vibrant -inkish blue. The flowers stand above the foli...

16th January 2009 The P etticoat P alm My husbands grand father built this house with love and such detail planning .... He planted Petticoat palms as avenue trees around the house. This Petticoat Palm is native to California & Mexico region, again grown as avenue tree. It has dense fan like leaves. It is solid tall tree: with a skirt of dead dropping leaves supporting the above crown of large green fan shaped leaves. The dead dropping leaves -- are unsightly & quite a nuisance to clear and tidy up. Parrots and birds love its fruits and a large number gather early morning to chirp, eat, meet and enjoy its fruit. Propagation of Petticoat palm is done by seeds which germinate slowly. It grows easily in mild climates sometimes tolerating sub freezing temperatures.