Handful of leafy greens

Fenugreek is one such green leafy vegetable that does not take up much space and can be grown easily even in pots along with other plants. At the onset of winters I would sow its seeds in ground. It always grew but with thin stems and small leaves. The reason being absence of direct sunlight. So last year I experimented by sowing the seeds in the beginning of March when the sun’s rays finally started reaching the ground. Since the temperature was optimum for its growth and it was receiving direct sunlight as a result I had healthy, lush green Fenugreek growing for a pretty long time. So this year too I repeated the same thing. These healthy and green little plants have gone wild.

  Botanical name : Trigonella foenum-graecum
  Family : Fabaceae

Want to make them germinate quickly? Soak the seeds in water overnight before sowing. Or take the help of rains like I did. Keep a watch at the sky and sow them a day before it rains. Spread the seeds evenly and cover well with soil. If it rains the whole day, see the sprouts next morning.

A few have started bearing flowers typical to the subfamily of legumes it belongs to that is Faboideae or Papilionoideae One large posterior petal called standard, two lateral petals called wings and two anterior petals fused to form a boat shaped structure called keel which encloses stamens and carpel.

Fruits called pods can also be seen on some.

Another member of the same genus, Kasuri  Methi, however, was planted when the winters set in last year. Kasuri  methi  or Cultivated Fenugreek has broader leaves than Methi(Fenugreek). Its dried and crushed leaves are commonly used in cooking.  A bundle of fresh Kasuri Methi that we bought had plants that had been pulled out from the soil along with their roots. After plucking off all the leaves a few buds remained on the stems close to the base. Since their roots were intact, I planted them in two pots that received maximum sunlight. Since then the leaves have been plucked a couple of times for making methi parathas, served hot with pickle on cold winter mornings. 

Its flowers too are papilionaceous like Fenugreek. However, they are smaller, borne in clusters and yellow in colour. 

              Botanical name : Trigonella corniculata
              Family : Fabaceae

Seed bearing pods are slightly bent and hang in bunches.

Which colour do you want?

Flowering plants not just add fragrance and a splash of colour around but also invite visitors like sunbirds, honeybees and butterflies among others. They become a centre of attraction and there is a buzz of activity around them, particularly in spring. Apart from flowering perennials, numerous flowering annuals are available to choose from at this time of the year. And how difficult it gets to pick just a few out of so many pretty blooms in almost any colour that one can imagine. Visiting a local nursery and deciding which variety and colour to buy, gets really hard. A few can be grown easily from seeds at home like Ice plants, Petunias and Dianthus. I had been growing them for the past few years, but this year that was not to be. Due to some mysterious reason, not even a single seed of Ice plant germinated that would otherwise germinate easily without any special care. And when the sowing season passed away, suddenly one day I discovered sealed polybags of Dianthus and Petunia seeds that I had forgotten to sow.  My trip to the local nursery was delayed due to the long spell of rains but fortunately, most of the plants there were healthy and blooming. The first to be spotted by me was peach and crimson coloured Dianthus that stood out from other darker hued plants of the same species.

Common name : Pink

Botanical name : Dianthus chinensis   

Family: Caryophyllaceae

 

This annual with slender and long leaves is a  popular ornamental plant used for borders in a lawn or can be grown in small pots. Mine grows in a small pot.  Flowers are borne singly or in small clusters and come in shades of red, pink and white. The petals are usually five in number and have fringed edges. 

 

Common name : Ice plant

Botanical name : Dorotheanthus bellidiformis

Family : Aizoaceae

They vary in colour from white, yellow to orange and pink. Their flowers open in sunlight and close by dusk. Seeds are grayish and extremely tiny. They can be grown easily from seeds just by sprinkling them on soil in autumn.

A small succulent, it bears numerous tiny vesicles filled with water on its stems and leaves. These vesicles glisten in the sun and look like ice crystals, hence the name ice plant.

Common name : Verbena

Botanical name : Verbena hybrid 

Family : Verbenaceae

These  clusters of tiny flowers did not escape my eyes. Just 6 inches high, they looked like small, compact bushes.  Thick, hairy, dark green leaves with serrated margins look rather coarse but the clusters of blooms look delicate with each flower having a white centre.  There were various shades of red, peach and purple present there , but I picked white.

Common name : Petunia

Botanical name : Petunia hybrid 

Family : Solanaceae

 

One of the longest flowering annual, it will continue giving out blooms well into summer.  Growing as high as 16 inches, Petunias come in a wide range of  colours and patterns.  Big and showy flowers with stripes and borders are so popular that they are the first ones to be picked by gardening enthusiasts visiting a nursery. I hoped to find striped or white fringed flowers this time, but all of them had been sold out. So I picked out these striking blood-red petunias. 

They also come in singles and doubles and may have wavy margins. They look best when grouped together and grown in a pot or a hanging basket. Stems and leaves are hairy and sticky to touch. Stamens and carpel are hidden inside the funnel shaped corolla. The stigma too is sticky to touch.

Common name : Dogflower 

Botanical name : Antirrhinum majus 

Family : Scrophulariaceae

Also known as snapdragon, they have long been a loved ornamental plant. Dog flowers were in plenty and in myriad shades of colours. Since the colour yellow was missing from all the flowering annuals that I had picked out so far, I chose one with sunshine yellow blossoms. 

The flowers have a bi- lipped corolla. Squeezing the base of corolla makes its two lips or jaws to open and then snap shut on releasing pressure.

 Seeds are borne inside a capsule and are released through pores.

Common name : Cineraria

Botanical name : Pericallis hybrid   

Family : Asteraceae

Daisy like flowers borne in large clusters on top of bright green leaves can enliven any part of the garden. I found only blue and purple shades, though the flowerheads come in white and pink shades too. Though it is a short living annual, but that did not prevent me from picking out one with blue coloured flowerheads having white inner ring.

When in full bloom, a Cineraria plant (as well as Verbena) looks like a small bouquet in itself.

Common name:Nemesia

Botanical name : Nemesia stromusa 

Family : Scrophulariaceae

This low growing annual gives out delicate, bright coloured flowers. The plant branches at the base giving it a slightly bushy appearance. Leaves are narrow and toothed. Like its distant relative Dogflower, the flowers are bi-lipped. The upper lip is formed of four lobes while the lower one is of two lobes. It’s throat has dark marks and is hairy. White, cream, yellow, pink, orange, red, mauve there are plenty of colours to choose from. As the day temperature starts rising it is best to keep this plant in partial shade as direct sun causes the colours to fade away.

Two other plants that were in my list included Phlox and Garden Nasturtium. Last year I had Phlox that continued giving out lightly fragrant blooms when all other flowering annuals had perished due to heat.Garden Nasturtium is one plant that I have been looking for since the past couple of years but I haven't been able to get it from anywhere.The nursery didn't have either.Hope to get them next time and also discover some space to keep them.