June 07, 2007

Want to grow passion flowers and roses? Zahrah Nasir tells you how

Q Can you tell me how to start gardening please?

A At first reading I thought this question to be a little silly but after giving it some thought, I realised that this isn’t the case at all and I am sure that many of you out there will agree with me.

For some of us, gardening is a passion picked up from elders or acquaintances but not everyone is so fortunate, particularly city residents without access to gardens at a young age. I would therefore suggest that the first step to take is to read every single book you can find on this fascinating subject, whether they are related to gardening in Pakistan or not, as they will still give you a general sense of what gardening is all about.

Next, visit every garden and park, private or otherwise, that you possibly can and, in the process, study everything around you –– the types of trees, shrubs, flowers, their height, spread, colour, the type of soil they are growing in and if they are planted in the sun or shade, etc. Also, don’t be shy to ask those tending the place any questions which come to mind.

If you don’t have a garden of your own then you can start out with a few indoor or balcony pot plants to care for. Tell the person at the nursery exactly what you are looking for and ask them what particular conditions a certain plant needs.

Start out with simple species and progress to something more challenging later on. If you are lucky enough to have a patch of ground to work with then, after preparing the soil, start out with easy-to-grow perennials such as hibiscus and oleander, then move on to either purchasing or growing annual plants from seed whilst continuing to study the subject on a long-term basis.

The main thing is not to be afraid to put your best foot forward, seek knowledge and do not let failure put you off. Good luck and I wait to hear how your garden grows!

Q In the January 11 – 17 issue of this magazine you mentioned two ways of propagating passion flowers, namely by planting cuttings in a pot and by pegging down lengths of vine into pots. I have tried both methods with complete failure. I have followed, to the letter, the method mentioned by you but without success.

What could I be doing wrong? Moreover, when I cut a length of vine from the shoot for planting, the mother shoot eventually dries up and dies. Please help!

A Now, let me put on my thinking cap and see what I can come up with! Have you kept the cuttings properly watered? They should be kept damp at all times in order to encourage the formation of new roots and this can be best achieved if the cuttings are located in a partially shaded area. Perhaps you have not given them long enough to develop before giving up on them.

Cuttings, propagated by either method can take a while to start growing and, in the meantime, the upper part, that is the length above the soil, often suffers a certain degree of die back. However, as long as there is even a speck of green on it, probably at the base, it should still send out a new shoot from quite low down.

When pegging down a length of vine please ensure that a ‘junction’ or ‘joint’ is in contact with the soil as this is the spot from which roots develop. I do not understand why the ‘mother’ shoot dies back unless, that is, you cut it off close to ground level but, even then, it should send up new growth from the base in a very short time. I have never experienced these problems myself and the majority of passion flower cuttings I have taken have, eventually, grown.

Q I would like to grow peppers and sweetcorn from seeds imported from England. Is it possible to do so in Karachi. I live right by the sea. Alternatively, I have the option of sowing them near Shikarpur in Sindh. Which climatic conditions would be most suitable?

A The best crop of peppers that I ever grew was in the tiny garden of a ‘frontline’ Sea View apartment when we lived in Karachi many moons ago. I grew some fairly decent sweetcorn there, too, so I don’t envisage any problem in you doing the same although you need to get your skates on as the seeds should already have been sown. You could also grow them in Shikarpur as that climate is also eminently suitable.

Q Please can you tell the name of the flower in the picture I have sent to you? It was given to me a year ago by a friend and is now five feet tall and has bloomed just once, last month. How do I take care of it and how best to propagate it.

A What you have is a rather large tree rather than a flowering pot plant. This is spathodea campanulata, a member of the bignoniaceae family and often called African tulip tree. A native of tropical West Africa, this shallow rooted tree can grow to approximately 10–15 meters tall and flowers on and off around the year.

A mature tree, it grows fast by the way, is a spectacular sight when the brilliant red, giant sized tulip type flowers are open. The elongated flower buds are full of water and in Singapore, where this tree is now common; children love to use them as water pistols as they shoot a jet of water when squeezed. In Africa all parts of the tree are used medicinally.

Once established, the tree require little attention although as the branches are brittle they tend to snap off in very high winds so please bear this in mind. Your young tree will not be fussy about soil conditions and should only require watering a couple of times a week at the most. Keeping it in a large plant pot rather than planting it directly in the ground will stunt its growth to a certain degree.

Propagation is by seed collected from the long pods which form after the flowers are finished. Germination is quite rapid so, in no time at all, you should have lots of young trees to pass on to friends.

Q I want to plant mushrooms and gulab in Lasbella. Can you guide me on this please? I also need to know where I can purchase mushroom seed.

A Mushroom spawn is available from Faisalabad Agricultural University. I suggest that you look up a contact number and address for that reputable institution on the Internet as I do not have one on hand. They will also provide you with complete cultivation instructions for your particular area of the country.

Roses are best purchased and planted during the winter period and, prior to buying the plants, soil should be prepared by working in a high dosage of, preferably organic, manure and compost, the composition of which depends on the nature of the soil you intend turning in to a rose garden.

Roses require a lot of attention if you plan on growing them on a commercial scale so I suggest that you contact your local Department of Agriculture for advice regarding the most suitable and, hopefully, successful method for Lasbella district.

Please send your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of ‘The Review’. Please be patient as this may take some time.