Q. Please suggest some flowering plants that I can grow in a window box outside the bedroom window of my Karachi apartment. Also tell me exactly where to get them from in DHA?

A. Presumably you would like a continuous show of pretty flowers to wake up to each morning. The easiest way to achieve this is to fill your window box with seasonal plants, replacing them with those of the next season when they have finished. In this way, you will never get bored as there will be a regular change of plants and colours with species such as petunias, pansies, lobelia, dwarf zinnias and calendulas playing prime roles. A regular wander around your local nurseries should provide you with all the choice you need.

Don’t forget to top the window boxes up with new organic compost each time you replant.

All your gardening queries answered here

Q. Can you provide information about Sohanjna (Moringa) please? Can you recommend any research paper about this and do you have any firsthand knowledge of its use by someone, plus, are there any possible known side effects? Additionally, where can I get saplings from?

A. Moringa oleifera (Sohanjna in Punjabi and Urdu, Drumstick tree and horseradish tree in English) is indigenous to the plains of the Punjab. In season, the seed pods (drumsticks) have long been a very popular vegetable. The leaves are also a nutritious vegetable and are often used as animal fodder, particularly for goats to increase their milk yield. This fast growing, drought resistant tree, is simple and easy to grow from seed which is best sown in early spring. Saplings may be available in nurseries during late winter/early spring if bare-rooted, or all year round if pot grown.

So much research has been carried out on this tree species over the years — and in many countries — that to recommend a single research paper is impossible. I suggest that you search on the internet for such information. I have not, personally speaking, heard of any adverse side effects from growing, eating or using extracts from this tree for medicinal purposes but it is always wise to treat any plant-based medicine with high respect.

Q. I am thinking of growing olive trees of Spanish origin in Mardan. Do you recommend this?

A. Yes. They should grow well in your location, provided they are given the care and attention necessary. Please ensure that the saplings are certified disease-free, as a nasty, contagious, bacterial virus is currently decimating olive trees in some regions of Spain.

Q. I have a small piece of land on the banks of the Paneed River, 60 km south of Rawalpindi. The climate is more or less the same as in Rawalpindi and both soil conditions and precipitation are similar too. I am making the land into a garden and am wondering if I should try growing the long bush variety of blueberry there. This blueberry variety is grown in southern US and in Spain where climatic conditions are kind of the same. What is your opinion, please?

A. I am not familiar with the soil and climatic conditions in southern US but those in blueberry growing areas of Spain are completely different than in Rawalpindi and precipitation patterns are different too. All high bush blueberries require acidic growing conditions, a cold winter period and constant irrigation throughout the growing season. If you feel you can tailor your garden area to meet these basic necessities then, by all means, give it a trial run for starters.

Q. We live in Abbottabad and our plum tree has not fruited for the last three years. It used to fruit in abundance. The tree seems to be very healthy. We are thinking of cutting it down and planting a new one in its place unless, that is, you can suggest something to encourage it to fruit again.

A. There are a number of reasons that the tree may have stopped fruiting: A late cold snap when it was in blossom prevents fruit set, as does insect infestation, lack of pollination, lack of or incorrect pruning, lack of direct sunlight due to other trees growing larger, overcrowding, poor drainage and so on. Please consider all of these points, correct what you feel needs correcting and then give the tree another chance. If the problem is weather-related (climate change/late cold snap) nothing can be done and planting a new plum tree will not resolve the issue.

Q. I want to start a campaign to plant cherry blossom trees on a public road in Islamabad. Please let me know if cherry blossom can survive and bloom in the Islamabad climate and which month is best for plantation. Should I acquire seeds from abroad or use a local variety?

A. Islamabad climate is not really suitable for the kind of cherry blossom trees you have in mind but many other, indigenous, trees do put on a magnificent show — amaltas (Indian laburnum) being one and kuchnar (Bauhinia) being another.

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

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 26th, 2019