In these global times of hardship and stress it is inspirational to see how people, at least those lucky enough to have an outside space, have turned/returned to their gardens in search of the strength and solace necessary to deal with whatever comes next.

People with a garden or some other form of outdoor space, who previously displayed no real interest in growing anything, have suddenly begun cultivating vegetables and herbs as a basic part of realising the importance of a healthy and organic diet. Plus, many of those who once grew only flowers have started growing food as well.

It is as if humankind has miraculously awakened to a shared ancestral trait — a trait reminding us all that, without food, there can be no life and that the ability to grow food is a necessary act of survival.

Previously neglected gardens are suddenly burgeoning with fruit and vegetables, once immaculately dressed office workers with no time on their hands and the wolf at their door, are on their hands and knees in the soil tending ‘dinner’. As economies continue to crash, there are chances that more legions, undoubtedly, will follow in their wake.

Gardening — the art of growing food along with the flowers that support essential pollinators — has always been important, but it has taken the outbreak of a global virus to make ‘modern’ man realise this.

The coronavirus outbreak made many around the world realise the importance of growing food themselves

Growing for survival tops the gardening ‘to do’ list now and for the foreseeable future.

This month’s seed sowing suggestions:

In the flower garden: Planning ahead is an integral part of gardening. Now is the time to conjure up images of how you wish your garden would appear over the coming months and, in the case of slow-growing varieties, what you want to dominate in your next spring garden too. For fast-growing, late-summer and on-through-autumn flowers, the following are both simple and beautifully rewarding: Cosmos, candytuft, Virginia stock, Matthiola (night-scented stocks), Balsam and lots of brightly coloured zinnias. Slower growing species to paint dreamscapes with — many of which will not burst into bloom until next spring — include: sweetly scented sweet Williams and wallflowers in just about every colour you can think of, hollyhocks in a massive range of hues, ranging in height from dwarf to reach-for-the-moon high and in both single and double forms. Then there are dahlias to dazzle with, much loved by bees scabosia, begonias, good old-fashioned antirrhinums in various heights and numerous colours, salvias for winter and spring cheer, carnations, gerberas, gazanias, rudbeckia, gaillardia and cineraria.

Look out for stately members of the echium and verbascum families if you want something different to make statements with and, only from Lahore northwards and up into the hills, digitalis — foxgloves in all their wondrous glory and lupins are well worth a shot. If pot plants are your thing, sow geranium/pelargonium seed, nurse the seedlings carefully through adverse weather conditions (intense heat/winter chill) and the rewards should last for years to come.

The vegetable garden: Autumn, winter and spring varieties of cabbages and cauliflowers can be sown now and, in the last week of the month, broccoli, calabrese, kale, Brussel’s sprouts, Swiss chard/leaf beet and both autumn and early winter varieties of lettuce. There is time to grow another crop of karelas, aubergines, okra, capsicums and, if you are feeling adventurous, another crop of courgettes/zucchini as well. Carrots and beetroot can go in now, as can celery, spring onions, spinach, radish, kohlrabi, endive and, in the shade, mizuna. You can continue sowing tomato seeds but, if in Karachi, it may be best to skip them until mid-September as they so quickly get blight during periods of high humidity i.e. summer monsoons.

The herb garden: Sow plenty of deliciously edible nasturtiums and ‘calendulas’ throughout this month for spicing up your culinary skills and for stunning garden colour for weeks, possibly even months, on end, plus, if happy, they merrily self-seed all over the place and pop up to make you smile when least expected. Borage, as long as it gets plenty of water, can be sown in light shade and is a delight to the eye and the flowers, blue or white, look pretty in salads or floating on cold drinks. Sow more coriander, chives, garlic chives, dill and basil, in different flavours and colours, either directly in prepared ground or in pots and other suitable containers.

Shrub of the month: Plumbago auriculata is a fast-growing, perennial shrub that can also be trained as a climber. This South African native thrives in well-drained, slightly acidic soil and bears it’s pretty pale blue flowers on and off all year round in the plains and coastal regions of our climatically diverse country. Propagated from seed or by cuttings taken over the summer months, Plumbago is a sun-lover but it does tolerate dappled shade. It can be grown in pots/containers or directly in the ground. Flowers appear on new growth. Aside from cutting out any dead or damaged branches/stem, no pruning is necessary. This species does not tolerate frost. A very attractive shrub with a flower colour that many gardens lack, Plumbago deserves to be more widely grown than it currently is.

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, July 5th, 2020