What flowering plants should I grow in my garden during hot summers in India?
Nithya Kalyani or Madagascar PeriwinkleA plant you will never regret planting in your garden. It flowers everyday and needs practically no maintenance. Plant it and water it. Every year just remove the bigger plants as new plants germinate in the same ground after the rains. If you are looking for a climber.. Opt for this Sangu pushpam.. a legume to be exact. I have seen it climbing upto 30 feet. Lushy green small leaves with beautiful yellow flowers dotting here and there.. Effortlessly you can improve the soil in your garden as it fixes nitrogen.. Zero Maintenance again.. Plant, tender and help it to climb upto some 5 feet. Thats its.. Then you need to remove the whole plant when it withers after an year with so many pods. The striking blue flowers with bottle green leaves will mesmerize you for sure! :D Plumeria/PerungalliNot a plant for sure.. will be sort of small tree.. Beautiful flowers flowers in perfect shape.. different colors are available.. Look wonderful with its big leaves few flowers.. spiny stems.. the arrangement of the petals in the perfect fashion will surprise you every day! Looking at the flowers will refresh you for sure..NandhiyavattaiU want your walkway filled with beautiful flowers every morning.. Get this one.. A small tree i will say.. blooms a thousand flowers every morning two years ( once it reaches the shape of a small tree). A tree one should have in their home.. A little rain or a swift wind can bring down the flowers to the floor. If you want a tree that will drop its flowers when you shake it a bit.. this is it.. Go for it..Mullai...This is a natural air freshner.. Plant one.. U will find the odour refreshing...
What climbing plant/creepers can be used to cover a wall entirely in South Indian climate? What kind of plant is the vine that grows on the exterior of Leela Palace Bangalore?
I don’t know which vine grows on the exterior of Leela Palace Bangalore because I’ve not been there and I couldn’t find any info on it. Here are some selections that will get you started researching, from a site of South Indian Vines and one from the tropical Southern U.S.Sky Vine, Thunbergia grandifloraHyacinth Bean, Dolichos lablabRosesTropical Passion Flower, Passiflora coccineaBlack-eyed Susan, Thunbergia alataMorning Glory, Ipomea violaceaHairy Clustervine, JacquemontiaSilverlace Vine, Polygonum aubertiiGarlic Vine, AdenocalemaIndian Clock Vine, Thunbergia mysorensisAlamandaBougainvilleaCoral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirensMandevillaPetrea Vine, Petrea volubilisRangoon Creeper, Quisqualis indicaSources:How to choose the right vinehttp://www.south-florida-plant-g...
Why do cats like to shelter beneath the car?
Why do cats like to sit under cars?For many reasons. Your average friendly house moggie probably likes the sense of safety, the shade on a hot day, their ability to be able to see pretty much everything going on around them without being seen by people…But beneath all that polite civility… cats see themselves as bold and dangerous hunters, always plotting and lurking, calculating the odds, sneaking, subversive, waiting until you have let your guard down… and then pouncing, attempting eight claw contact with your vulnerable ankles, climbing fearlessly to sit on top of your head, satisfying their primal urges…Some are known for their seemingly innocent (but truly Machiavellian) mischief,nonchalantly knocking your glasses onto the floor where you will step on them,pretending to be performing delicate self-grooming routines, while calculating when you will take a visit to that small room, and devouring the entire left-over chicken carcass on the kitchen bench before settling, nonchalantly, into your favourite chair to watch TV,snuggling up on your shoulder purring, while sneakily assessing with razor-sharp accuracy, just exactly how much those earrings are worth at Mr Marmaduke’s Pawn Shop,or even just settling into that cute loaf-shape for a small nap - right in front of the drama on TV you’ve been waiting to watch all day - or on top, tail flicking furiously across the screen, while snacking on those curious coloured cables at the back - bbzzzzzzt - oh, was it something *I* did?You see, this is how cats see themselves, and how (deep down) they know they really are :Fierce, proud hunters of the safari - the alpha member of their household, the One Who Owns all He Surveys, the Top Cat, lurking in the shadows, waiting patiently for their “big moment”….See :Checked the brake lines under the car lately…?
Shallow-rooted ground covers?
I've had a happy clematis in a pot for 5-7 years now. I keep trading up on what I put under it. The bugleweed didn't last long. Weeds did, but, hey, they're weeds. Last year I added peppermint. Bonus points that a container is a great way to stop peppermint from spreading. Double bonus points, because it's a perennial. Then again, you're in the desert, so, you'll have to water even more often then I do. I'm in Philly where we specialize in "humid" to go with our hot, but our hot doesn't get as hot as your hot. (We hit record heatwave last year with three days in a row of 100-101 degrees. We never see triple digit temperatures.) I give both plants a 20 second soak each early-evening at the base (never on the leaves, especially since you live in the desert.) You will probably have to do that twice a day. If you don't use a hose, that's roughly a regular house-size bucket of water per watering. And, don't buy the "clematis can't grow in containers" stuff. I have no choice. Our backyard is concrete, so everything is in buckets. I have many plants that "can't grow in containers." It's not a big deal. We just need to learn what size container and how much effort required. (I have three rose bushes, including two climber roses in containers. I have a butterfly bush, lilac, and forsythia in containers. I've also grown popcorn, pumpkins, and giant sunflowers in containers. All stuff I was told "can't happen." lol)
Can we plant an ornamental betel plant in our house?
Betel leaf plant (piper betel) is a creeper grown in India. It belongs to the pepper family. Its waxy green, heart-shaped leaves are used for medicinal and culinary purposes. When crushed, it exudes cool peppery scent. It’s used in making a famous dessert called ‘Paan’ which is chewed with betel nut as a mouth freshener. This mildly stimulant herb is popular in whole South Asia (Indian subcontinent), Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.Planting Season: Spring and early summer (anytime in warm, tropical climate).Growing HabitPlant’s primary stem grows up to 1 m. long, after that it forms creeping stems having heart-shaped leaves that contain mild scent and exotic white spike-like flowers. It can be either trained as a climber or grown as a ground cover.Propagation & Planting Betel PlantIt’s better if you buy a plant from a nursery, however, if you want to propagate it from cuttings, take about 18 cm long stem. Make 45 degrees cut using a sharp knife just below the leaf node. Remove all leaves from the cutting except top 2 leaves. Put the cutting in a glass of fresh water and place it on a spot like a windowsill in indirect sunlight. Keep changing the water every 2 days. Once several roots appear, transplant it into a deep container or in the ground.Requirements for Growing Betel Leaf Plant (Paan)It prefers slightly acidic, sandy-loamy and lightly damp soil but not waterlogged. Use the well-drained potting mix to plant it in a way that water will drain out from it quickly. Pick a less windy spot with partial shade for planting.Choose a medium sized deep planter, if you’re growing it in the container.Betel Leaf CareIt thrives well in a hot and humid environment in partial shade . The betel plant needs regular wateringPrune regularly after it reaches 2 m. height to control the plant, regular pruning and plucking of leaves encourage new growth and sweet and tender leaves.Occasional feeding in every couple of month in growing season of the plant with nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer like manure or compost is recommended.(In cold climate) Keep it indoors in winters when the temperature starts to fall below 41F (5C) in a warm and cozy room under grow light. It becomes dormant in brutal cold and sometimes shed its leaves too, but get to grow again in spring and remain in growth until fall.
My cat went up a tree about 15 feet and will not come down. I think she is stuck. What should I do?
My cat went up a tree about 15 feet and will not come down. I think she is stuck. What should I do?We had a ginger boy cat who went up a tree and got stuck. He disappeared from home and it took us two days to find him. He was about thirty foot up a big old oak tree, crouched on a branch. Don’t listen to people who say cats will always get themselves down - sometimes they really can’t. If they are up so high they can’t or won’t jump, there’s a good chance you will have to intervene.We tried food bribery, and we tried getting up the tree to fetch him, but he was scared and just climbed higher. We’re in the UK, so we called the RSPCA, who promised to come out and help, but an hour or so later they called us and said because he was so high and because he had been up there for so long, they were going to call the Fire Brigade. Apparently, the Fire Brigade will attend if called by the RSPCA who say the matter has become one of animal welfare.The Fire Brigade duly arrived and assessed the situation. We were told that because of Health and Safety no firefighter can be ordered to go up a ladder after an animal. Fair enough, I suppose - much as we love our pets, we wouldn’t have wanted a firefighter to be injured, or worse. However, the happy news is they agreed to voluntarily put up a ladder, and a particularly burly chap went aloft, seized ginger tyke by the scruff of his furry neck and brought him down. We were incredibly grateful.Kitty was cold, hungry, frightened, and had grazed the skin off all his paws clinging on to rough tree bark for over 48 hours. He made a rapid recovery, however, and hasn’t done the same thing again.By all means give cats in trees a fair chance to work out if they can get down alone, but don’t assume they can or will. Human assistance may well be required. Good luck! Hope you get her down safe and sound soon.