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.