October 12, 2006

This week Zahrah Nasir discusses moss gardening and ways of attracting birds into the garden

Q On a recent visit to Japan I visited a beautiful garden which had water, stones and a luxuriant growth of spongy moss everywhere. Carefully pruned pine trees and other trees —– whose name I do not know ––– added to the picture as did small, ornate wooden bridges over the water and some stepping stones. It was simple yet artistic. I realise that in Karachi I cannot re-create such a scenic setting for my garden is far too small, but is it possible to encourage moss growth around the existing small pond I have?

A What a privilege to visit one of these famous Japanese creations. I envy your experience!

It is possible to cultivate moss but the Karachi climate is certainly not the best place for this as moss requires high humidity and lots of rain for most of the year. However, if you want to try then you first need a handful of fresh, mature moss to use as a ‘starter’. The moss must be well grown so that it contains a certain amount of almost invisible roots plus the all important fruiting bodies which contain spores by which method moss spreads around.

Put this handful of moss into a food processor along with a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of dried yeast, the type used for baking. Add a teacup full of warm, not hot, water and whiz in the food processor for a minute or so. The resultant ‘goo’ can be painted on the surface of the things, stones for example, where you want moss to grow.

You can even paint it in patterns, or in lettering on walls or other flat areas to create something completely different. Afterwards you must keep this base material damp by regular spraying with water. This should be at air temperature, not too cold or too hot, as this would kill the moss. If you are lucky, then your moss will grow but please remember to spray it at least every morning and evening, particularly in very hot or dry weather, or it will shrivel up and die very quickly. Also, do not try this experiment in a sunny area of your garden, it must be done in the shade and, remember to thoroughly clean your food processor after making the ‘goo’!

Q I would like to make a pond in my garden in Lahore. I do not have space for a large, purpose built, concrete one but desire something on the small side which will also encourage birds. I already have a raised concrete bird bath but only mynah birds and sparrows seem to use it. How can I have a pond which will also encourage more wild birds to visit my garden? My home is on the outskirts of Lahore and there is some farmland close by where I see different species of birds feeding in the irrigation channels.

A A search through your local plant pot sellers should come up with large, round pots approximately three feet in width and eight to ten inches deep and, hopefully, without a drainage hole in the bottom, though if they do have a hole this can easily be filled in with cement and the nursery will possibly do this for you. Such a pot costs approximately Rs250 – Rs300 which is pretty reasonable in my opinion. Sink this pot into the ground, making sure that it is level and then simply fill it with water. Actually, your query is rather timely as I have just ‘planted’ such a pot in my own garden and the birds discovered it within minutes!

It is too deep for small birds to have a bath but only this morning a pair of yellow billed blue magpies were having a wonderful time. Placing an arrangement of large stones close to the pond helps to attract birds as creepy-crawly insects will make their home around and underneath these providing food for the birds. It may also be an idea to fasten a flat piece of wood, a short length of board for instance, on the top of the water to further encourage smaller birds to visit without having to worry about falling in. Regular feeding your feathered visitors will encourage more birds to come to your garden as word soon spreads about tasty sources of food.

Planting shrubs with edible berries is another sure way to attract birds to your garden. You may even be lucky enough to have frogs take up residence in and around your pond although they won’t last long if birds such as egrets, often seen feeding in irrigation ditches, discover them!

Q My rose bushes are affected by a disease which causes the leaves to wrinkle and buds and flowers to twist out of shape. The underside of the leaf has dark brown patches. There are no visible signs of insects or fungi. I have tried anti-fungals and insecticides with no effect. Please help. I reside in Islamabad.

A The symptoms you describe sound very much like a form of aphid infestation but could also be a disease called ‘botrytis blight’ as the weather in the Islamabad area recently has been just perfect for such a disease to put in an unwanted appearance. As you have already tried anti-fungals and insecticides then I honestly feel that botrytis blight is the culprit.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any cure for this other than to prune your roses hard back, removing all infected growth along with any leaves lying on the soil surface around your roses. This material should be disposed of by burning or putting into a proper rubbish bin for disposal by the relevant authorities. Sadly, if your roses are very badly infected it is best to remove them completely and start all over again, after sterilising the soil, as spores of this disease can lie around waiting for the correct climatic conditions to develop so that they can multiply and attack again.

Q Do wind chimes and other ‘unnatural’ garden ornaments frighten birds away as last season the birds devoured nearly all of my strawberries and I do not want this to happen again.

A Wind chimes do not deter birds for any length of time at all, neither do other garden ornaments or even scarecrows. I have found that lengths of music cassette tape, suspended just above the fruit, criss-crossed all over the place, is a very good deterrent as it shimmers in the slightest breeze. Birds are also wary of this in case they get tangled up in it. It certainly kept them away from my grapes this year!

Q I am a beginner and want to know about plants which I can grow in pots during this season. Also, please tell me the Urdu names for the following: ageratum, alyssum, aster, begonia, chrysanthemum, Californian poppies, carnation, celosia, coleus, cosmos and dahlia.

A Your local nurseries will have an excellent selection of suitable flowering pot plants from the end of October onwards which will provide you with blooms right through until the hot weather begins during late spring, even longer if you place them where they get shade during the hottest part of the day. Remember to keep them watered and regularly cut off any blooms which have finished their flowering season. All of the plant varieties you mention are known by the names you have provided. These are mostly introduced species and therefore do not have Urdu names, the exception being chrysanthemum which is locally known as Gul-e-daudi.

Send your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of ‘The Review’.

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