The Story of My Chrysanthemums

Survivors....

 In Belgium the marigold season starts from September. Last year we bought 4 colored plants. They bloomed well.

My living bouquets

I kept the plants outside with a plastic sheet to cover them during the winter. Last winter was very severe and it even snowed in April. As you can see in the pictures, my plants were weakened.

Survivors

But the plants protected them with their own branches. I was very surprised and happy. Then I started taking care of them.

 First I removed all the dead branches and added soil to the pot. Watered regularly, they started growing well.

Then when summer started, the aphids started eating all the new growth. So I dissolved turmeric, garlic and ginger paste in water and sprayed it on the plants. It was back to normal after a few days.

I had to come to Chennai for a 2 month vacation and my neighbor was watering the plants and when I came back in September they were already growing well.

 

Then it's time to wait for it to bloom. I didn't do anything extra special, just with regular watering and the perfect climate, my chrysanthemums started to bud.

   

Now they are in full bloom. Although I did 40% of the work 60% of the credit goes to my plants, for surviving and looking so beautiful.

  

They are currently living inside the Greenhouse...

Note: If they could speak, "I am the one who goes through all the hardships, but why are you  feeling so proud?" would be their question to me😄.

                                                         

- Bhuvanashri 🌸😊

"Beeeeee", a dancer !!!!🐝

 Honey bees !!! Aren't these marvelous beings?? And many of us have heard that they have defied the concept of aerodynamics. Well, it isn't entirely true. Bumble bees(the chubby ones! not the transformer you have seen in the movie😉), move their wings back and forth rather than flapping up and down. You can imagine bumble bee as a faulty copter yet flies in and around.

Bumble bee on a lavender stem 

They're just born that way. What I like about them is, they do the job regardless of who is around and how their work place is. It just cares about the nectar and order the queen gives. 

Today I was just sitting close to a small patch of French marigolds in my garden and found two bees dancing here and there for the nectar. I love to take pictures and videos of  the flora and fauna around us. So here I was taking a video of them and you know what they did not even flap a wing because of my presence and continued to jump from one flower to another and so on. Also I wasn't welcomed there but they did not care to harm me in any way. 

It looked liked an "Opera ballet" with these two sentient beings as principal feature. Though we fear them when found in colonies, they still won't harm us, unless and until we disturb their environment. Honeybees are little helpers for passionate gardeners and farmers. They're great pollinators. 

                                                

Many know only about the familiar bees around us, but there are some wild bees that have been mistaken as hornets and have highly declined in number due to pesticides and other ways. Prevent over usage of chemical pesticides. Support organic farming. 

Hoverfly on a corn flower

Hope we make world a better place for all beings, not just for humans🍀.

-Bhuvanashri🌸 

அரளி🌸🌼

ஓலியாண்டர்களை/அரளி எப்படி, ஏன் கத்தரிக்க வேண்டும்:

                                                      

 ஓலியாண்டர்/அரளி என்பது ஒரு புதர் அல்லது சிறிய மரமாகும், இது ஒரு அலங்கார செடியாக வளர்க்கப்படுகிறது.  

இது பல வண்ணங்களில் அழகான நட்சத்திர வடிவ மலர்களைக் கொண்டுள்ளது.  பராமரிக்க மிகவும் எளிதானது மற்றும் அழகான தாவரம் என்றாலும், இது மிகவும் நச்சுத்தன்மையுடையது.. 

   

மேலும் இது விரைவாக பெரிய புதர்களாக வளரும் தன்மை கொண்டது.  அதனால்தான் இலையுதிர் காலத்தில், குறிப்பாக தொட்டிகளில் வளர்க்கும்போது அவற்றை கத்தரிக்க வேண்டியது அவசியம்.  

முக்கிய தண்டு தீண்டப்படாமல் பழைய மற்றும் பக்க கிளைகளை கத்தரிக்க வேண்டும், இதனால் மரம் போன்ற வடிவத்தை உருவாக்க முடியும்.  மிக முக்கியமாக வெட்டப்பட்ட பிறகு, வெட்டுக்களால் (படத்தில் காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளதைப் போல) அந்தப் பகுதிக்கு எந்த நோய்களும் வராமல் தடுக்க ஏதேனும் பூஞ்சைக் கொல்லி அல்லது இலவங்கப்பட்டை பொடியைப் பயன்படுத்துங்கள்.  

   

நீங்கள் விரும்பினால் வெட்டப்பட்ட கிளைகள் மூலம் புதிய இளம் தாவரங்களை பரப்பலாம்.  

                                  

குறிப்பு: இது ஒரு நச்சு தாவரம் என்பதால், உங்களுக்கு உணர்திறன் வாய்ந்த சருமம் இருந்தால், கையுறைகள் அல்லது ஏதேனும் பாதுகாப்பை அணியுங்கள். 

Happy gardening.

-புவனஸ்ரீ🌸

Oleander: Why and How to prune Oleanders?

Oleander is a shrub or small tree grown as an ornamental plant.



It has beautiful star-shaped flowers in many colors. Although very easy to care for and a beautiful plant, it is highly poisonous.



It also tends to grow into large bushes quickly. That's why it's important to prune them in the fall, especially when growing in pots.

Old and side branches should be pruned without touching the main trunk so that a tree-like shape can be formed. Most importantly after cutting, apply any fungicide or cinnamon powder to prevent any diseases from the cuttings (as shown in the picture.




New young plants can be propagated by cuttings if you wish.



Note: Since this is a poisonous plant, wear gloves or any protection if you have sensitive skin.

Happy gardening.

- Bhuvanashri🌸