Dutch hyacinths | Photos by the writer
Dutch hyacinths | Photos by the writer

Q. I am searching for a very special plant to give to the person I love. This plant should be such that it creates positive vibes and an optimistic aura whenever this person looks at it. It can be a flowering or non-flowering plant that is suitable for either indoors or for outside. I hope that such a wondrous plant will help soothe our complicated relationship. Please suggest a plant which I can find easily in Lahore.

A. How very beautiful! This being November, I will suggest a double, even triple, idea. Gardening stores will have a good selection of bulbs for sale, some suitable for indoors, others for outside and some that are happy in either place. The love of your life is certain to be enchanted by the gorgeous fragrances of simple-to-grow Dutch hyacinths, freesias and by the heady scent of perfumed lilies — stargazer lily would be on top of my personal list. All three can be grown indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors in the garden or in pots. Buy the bulbs of your choice, pretty pots, bulb-growing compost and tie red ribbons around the pots to brighten up your gift/s. You can explain that as the bulbs grow and eventually burst into thrilling bloom, so too will your love continue to grow and flourish and perfume both of your lives. How romantic is that!

Q. My house in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi, faces the wall of a badly maintained apartment building. I want to hide this building with some fast-growing trees. I have seen Conocarpus used for this purpose but, after reading about it in this column, I want to avoid this species. The area only gets partial sunlight. Please suggest something that grows rapidly and is very leafy.

All your gardening queries answered here

A. Depending on the size of your garden and the proximity — underground/overhead — of service pipes/cables, the well-known desi badaam tree (Terminalia catappa) may suit your purpose but, if something smaller is more suitable, Persian lilac (Melia azadarach) could be just what you need. Both of these trees are indigenous and fast-growing.

Q. I have a healthy fig tree that grows lots of fruit but the fruit all dropped off before ripening. My other fruit trees, coconut, lemon and chikoo are fine and bear fruit without any problem. My home is in Defence, Karachi, about two kilometres from the sea. Please suggest a remedial measure.

Persian lilac
Persian lilac

A. Inconsistent watering is the most common cause of fruit drop with fig trees: water heavily, every other day, from when the tree sets fruit right up until harvesting them. Additionally, mulch of organic material laid three to four inches thick — around but not in direct contact with the tree trunk — throughout the hot weather will help conserve soil moisture. They keep the roots cooler than otherwise, slowly feed the tree and help it to retain its fruit. If you feel that irrigation is not the problem, please get back to me again.

Q. I want to grow my own tomatoes all year round. Please guide.

A. Please refer to the column dated September 16, 2018 for full information on growing tomatoes. It can be easily found on the internet.

Q. Is velvet mesquite (Prosposis velutina) a good tree for fixing soil nitrogen and does it help resolve problems with waterlogged and saline ground?

Plum tomatoes
Plum tomatoes

A. As with all members of the Prosposis family, velvet mesquite is an excellent nitrogen fixer and is particularly suitable for growing in arid and desert areas. Sorry but I do not know how it would react in waterlogged or saline conditions. This particular species is native to Arizona and Mexico — not, as far as I am aware, to Pakistan. Useful as the tree is, providing both human and animal food and medicines, plus making good firewood, it would perhaps be more environmentally sensible to plant an indigenous Prosposis species, such as Prosposis cineraria, which is saline tolerant, instead.

Q. I have continually had poor germination results with seeds bought online and in Karachi’s Sabzi Mandi. Can you please give names of some reliable shops and nurseries where I can buy vegetable seeds, plus, vines and trees?

A. Sorry, but it is against the newspaper policy to name shops and nurseries in this column. Have a look under the gardening heading in the Sunday advertising section and perhaps you will find what you are looking for. It may also be a good idea to review your seed sowing method and associated care as — I do not know about the quality of seeds you have bought online — seeds from the Sabzi Mandi in Karachi generally have a good reputation. A column dedicated to how to grow seeds is scheduled to appear next Sunday. Perhaps this will be helpful to you and other readers enduring similar problems.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, EOS, November 10th, 2019

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