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29.10.15

Today I Bought a Sick Plant Why I Chose the sick Plant and Zanzibar Gem Plant

Zanzibar Gem , Zamioculcas  Plant
 The fat boy plant, ZZ plant, another few additions to my extended family. The times when there is a lull in my little space under the sun, I think we lost our Gulmohar, this season ...and as health does not favour , I know its time to add some fresh energy, so here I end up again in the plant nurseries! So a few new ones.
The leaves of Zamioculus indoor plant are pinnate, and unusual style of growth, a beautiful sap green on darker side.  The succulent plant grows easily and gives out stalk of blooms. Grown from Rhizome the fat tuber (hence the name fat boy), stores water and can do away with  few  waterings and partial sunlight. The plant is also called eternity plant, or Golden Money plants, So another one for Good Luck! because the plant is strong , survives with very little care and can be grown form a single leaf!!
Today I bought a few sick plants, maybe some karmic influences or connections , as strangely the nursery guy took me to view another plant which I was searching for, (there is always a wish list of exotic ones!) there were a few lying around that caught my eye. He insisted that they will die, and as we have been buying plants since many, oh so many years from this large nursery, he was reluctant to share these, they are already dropping leaves...on verge of giving up...but I purchased the sick plants. I said I will try! the risk is on me! and he knew I would not budge! so we came happily with new life and hope...I know its their business and many die off and only the best sell in hefty prices, how can we give up till the last breath!
Baby soft Pink Periwinkle Plant


Zamioculcus zamiifolia plant

 Saw this beautiful vibrant red Champa plant, Frangipani fragrant flowers come in so many beautiful colors , we have two of the best, yellow shading ones, clicked this from a private garden, and this one is on the wish list!
Red Champa,  Wish List

Red Poinsettia flowering Plants

 Plant Nursery

Colorful Blooms in Plant Nursery

Sick Plants Poinsettia

Leaf Drop in poinsettia Plants
 Over the years I have always chosen healthy plants ( it is another matter that many did not survive with my trail and error!) , beautiful blooming ones, and shared tips for choosing good quality plants  and today somehow with a lot of reluctance bought these, keeping my fingers crossed, had some conversation with these, I really don't know if they will survive or not,...but there is hope...always...never give up... that they may be with us for many years, spring back with love and care, and bless me with Awesum blooms..so praying for their best!

Sick Bulb, some what mushy 


Root Rot in Bulbs
 Love the soft soothing pinks in periwinkle blooms, and with my art painting some flowers, and Hand painted the pair of Chinese Bamboo Good Luck plants, with my favourite symbol Good luck in green. Digitally enhanced the photo and wow! Amazingly beautiful purple  magical fantasy!
 please pray my sick plants recover soon and bless me!
All the Best from Rizwana, from my little space under the sun!
completed writing a small ebook, on how many greens inside your home space, feng shui perspective tips, published it, My latest ebook is available on Amazon Kindle, Check 11, Feng Shui guidelines for keeping a check on your greens indoor.
Periwinkle
Hand painted Pots of  Good Luck Bamboo plants

20.10.15

How to grow Topiary Borders and Trim Art forms with your Plants for Your Garden Which Shapes in Feng Shui to avoid while making Topiary

Easiest green Borders Plants for Your Garden
Trimming and shaping of plants is termed as Topiary. It is an art form in many countries especially Japan and China as an expression of art with nature. Topiary is an horticultural practice in training live plants by clipping and trimming them in various forms and shapes.
The word Topiary comes from the word for an ornamental landscape gardener , topiarius, a creator of topia or places. Plants, greens grown as borders are a beautiful way to define the garden landscape design. Green border plants are actually any thick foliage plants with green leaves and they are tough and require less care.
While we do see a lot of greens cut and trimmed in fancy shapes and objects , the ones from Hanging garden are still remembered with love, those shaped as deer, elephants,
Elephant Shaped Design with Trimming Plants
lady carrying her child, Giraffe etc. In Botanical gardens of Singapore, China and Japan  and Large gardens this is a beautiful way to decorate and add some style to any landscape design.
How to grow green borders in your garden-
1) Choose foliage green leafy plants that do not flower and are fast growing. Those that are ever green, woody, mostly small leaves, and look dense and thick with foliage.
2) Hedge is the simplest form , to grow borders put bricks surrounding the corner of the pathway to have controlled borders.
3) If you wish to have  a Topiary in large size or specific shaped Topiary then wires and metal wire cages , metal frames, help to give specific form, strength and shape and a body to your plant design.
4) Shrubs, vines and climbers can all be guided in different modern designs to form a great Topiary.
5) Trimming carefully with sharp scissors and clippers is essential. this is an art form and need great hand control for trimming in specific shape.
From the feng shui point of view there are some shapes that you must avoid in topiaries in your home garden. Topiaries are a beautiful way to welcome great chi around. Choose   easy growing woody foliage plants, curvy and smooth flowy lines are considered great and auspicious in Feng Shui as they allow positive chi to flow smoothly in the space. They also give a sense of direction and  focus. Sharp corners and spiky plants are to be avoided if they hurt past walking by.
1)   Avoid man and women , family, shaped outside your main entrances.
2) Avoid huge Topiaries out side your main door if it blocks the view of outside and blocks the main door.
3) Avoid large horse and elephant Topiary facing outside the main door.
4) Keep a check on the size of the Topairy grown in your home garden. it must not be larger than the height of your house.
5) The most important feng shui shape to avoid is broken and abnormal shapes. This creates shar energy on viewing.
Box wood, is the best for borders and we have out lovely Cyprus plant that can be shaped and trimmed into any beautiful form . Cedar or Cyprus plants are good.
Orange colored  Berries climber in the wilds
While we love Topiary as an art form , a beautiful expression in gardening and a highlight in your garden design it is important to understand that this is an ongoing process as plants soon grow and you need to trim them again to maintain the shape!
Meanwhile on the home front,  Euphorbia leucocephala , Pascuita, White small leaf Poinsettia, Snow White Plants. These are with me and grow profusely thick and tall and need regular trimming but its a beautiful snow bush and gives a great show in my little space under the sun! This time though am scared, gone over board with the trimming, hope it grows back fast!
My favourite Plant Snow Bush Euphorbia leucocephala needs regular trimmings
Trimming of Garden plants after rainy season
 After enjoying the rains and the luscious green thick foliage  with colors in my garden the difficult part comes now, trimming them to shape! second time this year, sad part is I have to throw these cuttings...so many ...wasted...the hibiscus leaves are eaten by bugs.. so trimmed them .
Hibiscus leaf eaten
A bit of sadness coming over, I think we have lost our precious Flame of the Forest, Gulmohar this season. with us since past seven years growing happily in a large sized container, it gave us the maximum amount of vermillon vibrant  blooms this summer season  and with the rains, it looks really dried, even on breaking the branches they are hollow...and there is this brownish white mushroom that is growing since past month that has dried too..keeping my fingers crossed!!!
Gulmohar Tree Mushroom growth

Hoping for the Best, All the Best from Rizwana!


2.10.15

Soil Loosening after rains and Vermillon Red Jade Plant Flowers Beautiful vibrant Red Flowering Stalk in Jade Plant Red Hibiscus Surprrise

Close up of flowering stalk in succulent plants
 Still enjoying the lime lite, from seeing my gardening article in print in Spiceroute in flight magazine of Spice Jet! September issue and if you like more info on vertical gardening check out this post. Wall Gardening Touching The Sky !
Sharing now two beautiful flowering jades. We have had many jades over the years , succulents,  and most of them lost due to over watering or bugs attacks that leave tiny holes in leaves. Succulents flowering ,  two different types of succulents, jade plants that give out bright red colored flowers. the flowers are tiny and grow in bunches on a single stalk. Worth for their showy blooms!
Succulents jade flowering in red 
 They do require some hours of sunlight  and early morning is best. Really great feng shui plants f or the south of your garden as the color is a vibrant beautiful red. Soothing to the eye a lovely red color to give energy to the root chakra.
Vermillon vibrant red tiny flowers

Succulents flowering in red
 The other succulent give out a pinkish red color flowers, and have smaller sized leaves. Like other succulents  they love well draining oil and do need some sunlight and feedings  to flower. They grow fast in rainy season and each leaf gives out tiny cute  little leaves and sends out roots that each grow  into new plants. Over watering kills them! and they are also loved by bugs who eat the fleshy leaves.
Jades succulents red flowers

Jade plant with flowering stalk

Rare plant Red Layered Hibiscus flower 
Meanwhile on my little space under the sun, got a surprise this Ganesh Chaturthi,, on fifth day of the ten day festival, this flower bloomed, I had not even seen the bud come up in heavy rains, after months, the Layered Hibiscus, vermillon red, favorite flower of Lord Ganesha, and that I offered him  this bloom, to our neighbors house where they have the idol every year.
Red Hibiscus flower in bloom
There is lots of heat and we had rains today, and the plants look happy after scorching heat days. The garden looks great , over grown and then calls for attention after every rainy season. the most  hard part is trimming the over grown garden, and loosening the soil. The Allamnda has been trimmed so many times, but looks happy and blesses me with blooms, my loved pets , (blue bird , Boku , and Golden Monk, yellow love bird) lie down here and I just love to see these flowers as if they are communicating with me and happy with me.


Trimming
 I accidentally trimmed a flowering branch so have stuck it in soil, another new plants comes up and if it does not at least the flower buds open up fully before wilting.
Accidentally trimmed flowers so put the stem in soil again




Allamanda, the ones I trimmed and Trimmed but still happy!
Trust me its the hardest as the soil goes rock solid, hard! its like breaking a rock! Then I also change some soil, exchange it from pots and containers , its just like feng shui , changing places of some furniture, for attracting positive energy,  so that my plants love the fresh energy!
Soil Mother Earth Great  Energy Re potting and Loosening soil
Then there are some who we lose out on due to age, and there are some who are so so happy they need to be trimmed, like our Jasmine, Juhi climber, that over grows always and the ends have buds and flowers so cannot even trim much. Remember Juhi has the bark with tiny invisible scales, thorns so if you brush past the stems it is itchy!ha ha gone through this again!
Juhi Fragrant flowers climber
All the Best from Rizwana!
Happy gardening from my little space under the sun!
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