Thriving Flowers from Traded Seeds

DG is the popular abbreviation for 'Dave's Garden', my favourite website [DG].  I've told how I got into it in the earliest posts of this blog in 'My Gardening Story' [is in three parts].  I had also briefly mentioned about an important activity among the members, called 'Seed Trading'.  People post up their 'have' and 'want' lists of seeds/plants in their 'pages'.  Those who 'want' will  choose from the 'have' list and there is an exchange.  I realized the value of carefully collecting and saving seeds from the plants only when I understood this activity of seed trading.  Some people go beyond and commercialize this activity. The profits they get is utilized for further improvement of their gardens!

My first 'trade' was in 2002, with a young, very bright boy of 14 in Finland.  Later, there were trades with 30-40 gardeners mostly in the USA and hundreds of varieties of seeds.  I was humbled by their generosity. The tragedy is that 95% of the seeds failed to germinate in our tropics. So I went slow on that later.

To give away in exchange, all I was having was the Clitoria Double Blue to start with.   Quantity was not the matter with many of them.  Often one way trading from either side took place with equal enthusiasm.  The intention and motto was to 'spread the seeds far and wide'!  We just sent what we had if someone asked but did not need anything in return.

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Here I am sharing a few pictures only of flowers on plants that are still growing from traded seeds that have reseeded well.  Most are from fellow gardeners in the US.  They have adjusted nicely to the conditions of Mysore and I must add 'survive my neglect' [to some extent].  So, they are 'hardy' here! 

My clitoria seeds were very popular.  Many gardeners asked for seeds and got them.  I have sent them out with great delight. Its first seed was given to me by our neighbour in 1999 or so. 

I found out from my diary that this Gladiolus callianthus [syn. Acidenthera bicolour] was sent in 2003 by Evert, that boy from Finland. I cherish it because of it.

Many of the senders of seeds were American lady gardeners.  Here are two sent by MaVie Rose in 2002. 

A moonflower. It opens in the evening and stays open in the night. Large flower. 

She also sent me seeds of Datura triple yellow.  Note the triple layers of petals.  It reseeds freely and blooms nicely even after 10 years and many generations of seeds. Large flower.

Also in 2002, one Larry Smith using the screen name of 'daturapod' had sent me along with many seeds  Ipomoea cristulata [Orange Noah], a small but beautiful flower on this vine....

and two different Plumeria seeds.  I did not know Plumerias grew from seed also!  They germinated nicely and grew and had become a little tree in 5 years.  I brought both their cuttings to my new yard where they are doing well.  Nice blooms.  It appears that whoever grows from seed will have a new 'cultivar' and that we can give an exclusive name to it!!  Because it is pollinated using another variety.  I think Larry had done it for fun. I found this interesting!

This is another 'cultivar' I grew from seed from Larry.

Picture of the tree in my old yard. 

Mary Davidson ['busybee']'s Cypress Vine and Scarlet O'Hara are doing so well that it is hard to control them from spreading volunteer seeds all over!  This is the Scarlet O'Hara - lovely morning glory.

This is the Cypress vine [also called Cardinal climber].  The red blows us out, though small. 

One 'elgringo' who happened to be one Charles DeFrance, sent me a small portion of this cactus. A carrion plant.  Its smell is horrible.  Hence 'carrion'. Large flower that lasts a day.

A certain Kit Pitman who was 'windsurffer' had sent a few tiny globular black seeds of this 'Tall Red Canna'. It is doing very well and the colour is stunning.

DG was again instrumental in being the common platform for bringing me and one Jassy from a place what is renown as a 'steel city' - Jamshedpur, in our own country.  She is another very enthusiastic gardener.  She was kind to send me a 'day lily' bulb Hemerocallis fulva.  It is a beautiful flower.  

Lady Anne appeared to be a very organized gardener when I saw the labels on seed packets she had made.  This is the [Morning Glory] Grandpa Otts,  now nicely up on my garden arch and reached to read my favourite quote by Sir George Bernard Shaw.

There were many that bloomed and did not survive for the next season. Some did germinate, but did not grow up, some could not tolerate the rain and the heat and as I said many did not germinate at all. 

In another post, I will show the ones that got to bloom once and will also show how they came in nice little labeled packets.  Packing seeds seems to be an art in itself!

.............T 

Plant containers

I had only known clay and cement pots as containers when I first started gardening.  It was only after I got in to Dave's Garden website, I got to know about some of the weird things that can be used to grow plants. The easiest I could do was the 'shoe planter'.  My worn out pair of jogging/tennis shoes was the first thing I tried with some rain lily bulbs.  It did well and it was so portable.

This is a 2008 picture

I got to view many pictures from gardeners in that website using and even making containers to hold plants.  Based on those, I built one using bricks because I had a concrete slab ready and that portion need not be made.  Even a stone slab would have worked, but this had the advantage of having holes that was meant for the handle. It was a cover for the concrete water tank, but I used asbestos sheet and had discarded that, reason being too heavy to handle.  Notice it in the left half of this picture.  

I later made another container which can be seen painted in brick colour.  Evolvulus Blue Daze grew in it. 

It is now temporarily used like this:

Among other incredibly beautiful and creative containers I saw on that website, the discarded vehicle tyres attracted me. You know why?  I was at that time noticing 3-4 medium sized tyres discarded by the road close to our house.   I passed by them every day.   Soon they rolled in.  Their inner rings that fitted the rim had to be cut up.  A sharp knife did the trick.  Tough work, but realized how rigid the tyre material is made of.  I've put Aechmea gamosepala plants in it. 

The advantage with these tyre planters is that it can be pulled around if some plastic sheet is kept beneath.  This will also prevent grass from growing through. Some people paint the tyre. 

Here another by the pond. Also notice the cement bag planter. 

A spare tyre that was cut was helpful in storing the rounded stones. 

Then there was the stone trough that I brought from the house we vacated.  It was suitable to have my water lilies in it. That trough was lying idle outside the gate and belonged to the original owner in the house that had a cattle shed.  In olden times, such troughs were made to feed water to the cattle.  It now sits near the entrance gate.

This is my favourite cement pot. It was removed from its pedestal done up in 1950 and brought with the stone trough.  Now it holds the Holy Basil that is worshiped by the Lady of the House every morning. 

There is an endless variety of containers for plants like Pet Bottles, Wheel Barrow, Watering Can, Bath Tub, and many attractive containers, but at this time, these are all what I have.  

Mosaic Stepping Stone project

Contents in this post are the same as the one in my other blogpost in a separate blog [on Junk] - click on that if you want to go to that blog.  I am posting it here also because it is related to the subject of Garden.

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My workplace is in a century old palatial building that was built by the Mysore King.  

Cheluvamba Vilas

Some years ago, they were replacing the entire original mosaic floor of a room.  The beautiful little chips in perfect geometrical shapes and dimensions were being broken.  It was an exercise too difficult to watch and I wish not to divulge into detail. 

That is one of the three mansions built for the three Princesses at that time.  All the structures are a delight to connoisseurs.  Their interiors are exquisite.  Just to show how varied the patterns and colours were, in many such palatial buildings, let me show you the flooring of the other mansion [Karanji Mansion] which I visited some time ago.

This was not in good shape.

Now it houses the PTC.

Now let me come to ours.  Pictured below is a portion of the original floor and design the entire floor area had.  Observe the shapes and colours. They had been imported from England at the time of building these mansions.  Such mosaic floors of that period are so pleasing to the eye.

The broken floor debris were being heaped in the room to be loaded to trucks for landfills.  So sad.  Being a lover of heritage, I thought of preserving a tiny portion of these chips in my home.  In "Dave's Garden" I had seen what gardeners create with mosaic chips.  So I randomly picked up some of those to try my hand.  Mosaic art is a vast and creative subject many gardeners and hobbyists do for passion.

'Stepping stones' was an idea I had in mind. Those chips were now separate.  I tried different combinations and found that many different patterns were possible.  I set about working on the project.  Sand and cement were ready.  I put a piece of chicken mesh at the bottom for extra strength and carefully filled cement and placed the chips in the patterns I created.  See picture of 'work in progress': 

Five distinct patterns were made from the available good chips and embedded the 'stepping stones' in my yard, after proper curing.

The following picture shows the work I did in the centre of our living room with better pieces. 

But now we can see only one half of it.  Shortly after this was created, it so happened that a wall ran through the hall at that very spot.  Picture below shows the base for the wall getting ready. Observe the visible portion of the tiles. 

Met another garden-lover from DG

In the first quarter of 2010, I found a mail in the box at "Dave's Garden" [DG]. It was wonderful to read.  You also read:

Hi Dinu, I happened across your blog and diary at DG, which is one of my favorite places to visit on the web! Looks like we share similar passions - gardening, coffee and a strong love for Mysore...actually Banglaore, but my fondest memories of childhoold are from Mysore where we went most summers.  My mother is from Mysore :)   I love the "Somari katte" [lazybone benches] that most houses welcome you onto...and remember all the older, grand homes that sport a large courtyard..much like the ones that you have on your page. How lucky to be living there! I did not realize this until I figured out how difficult it is to garden in a place that is not forutnate to have the climate of Bangalore/Mysore..I am now in Dallas TX and am constantly battling the weather..phew.  Enough said from my side..how about you..Coffee aitha? Hope to hear from you soon ~ Malini

That was in March.  In April, she wrote this:

Well, what do you know! I will be visiting Blore in June. I am excited to go back home during the mango season, hope there will still be some left! And can't wait for jackfruit...yum! Do you travel to Blore often? If so, maybe you can visit us. I would love to find seeds/plants of Parijata..I have been yearning for the flowers.  And a sampige too..hmmm..I have a big wish list!

She was also a member on DG and an avid garden lover.  Another mail confirmed this:

It is still cold out here..and am wating for it to warm up..then pretty soon it will be scorching heat in the 100s (40 C). Thats TX :) How I miss Bangalore weather where I could garden all year long..almost!

She was visiting Bangalore in June.  At the same time, my other DG friend Kimberley in Ohio had a little packet of knick-knacks ready for me.  Since Malini was traveling, she kindly agreed to bring it for me in spite of her own luggage and kids.  Then I requested Kim to send it to Malini.  

One of the items Kim sent: Oliver Hardy pen holder. 

She could not come to Mysore on that trip as she planned, but I found out that she stayed close to my old classmate Rupa's house.  So I gave directions to her house.  In a few days, one of Rupa's chauffeurs was driving down here in August.  So I picked that packet from him at the said location here!  Amazing change of hands!  

Kim and her Stella! This is the same Kim  [click for her 'plot'] I mention in "My Gardening Story" in this blog.

What are gardeners doing here?  Exchanging gifts?  Kim also had sent two little books.

One is Garden Quotations.

Many months passed.  Came July 2012.  There was another chance to meet as she was traveling to Mysore also on a very short trip.  A 'flying trip'.  She was visiting the house only a mile from my house.  I rushed to that address.  We were so happy to be meeting each other.  DG had become instrumental for this!  She showed the few potted plants in that house with the typical enthusiasm of a plant-lover. Her trip was so short that she could not visit my Yarden in spite of my house being so close.  There is always a first time and there is always a next time. 

  Before bidding goodbye, she reminded me about seeds of her favourite 'Parijata' [Nyctanthes], 'Sampige' [Michaelia champaka] and Neem that she intends trying to grow in Texas.  Let us see if that goes to fruition. 

After Kenton visited, Malini becomes the second DG'r to visit my yarden.  It is commonplace in the USA where DG is located and a majority of its members are.  But it is quite a special occasion if it happens here.

Tailorbird from up close

This morning I had the closest encounter with my favourite little Tailorbirds.  They fly by on several occasions  during the day searching for insects for their food requirement. I started to sip hot coffee sitting on the stone bench beneath the Papaya Tree.  I noticed there were 4 or 5 birds tweeting and hopping from branch to branch of the Mexican Hat shrub.  

They were catching something and flying to the nearby Almond tree and returning to the shrub.  It was an indication that there could be its nest and some chicks there.  The leaves are huge which make it difficult to spot the nest.  

The speed with which they were catching some insect on the branch was too quick for my eye to follow.  All of a sudden, there would be something in its beak, much the same way magicians produce something out of nowhere with their sleight of hand.  They were tweeting even while holding it there for adjusting its angle for swallowing. It is interesting to watch them rub-clean their beaks against the branch after they swallow. 

I was sitting perfectly still, coffee glass in one hand.  For once, they could not identify my presence under the papaya tree!  The nearest two birds came was about 3 feet, on the papaya leaf above my head. I could not tilt my head up to see because this little movement could scare them.  I moved only my eyeballs to see it up close, its pink legs and lovely eyes as it chirped happily.  Today they were chirping more.  I wondered why.   After they flew to another shrub next to the papaya tree, I noticed two little chicks there.  The chicks are smaller, have short tails and beaks and tweet with a low 'voice'. They seemed to be learning their early lessons from their parents.  They may have been hatched recently in a nest on our Almond tree itself, like they did before and probably doing every nesting season. Now the parents would have been looking to feed them while teaching lessons. 

My ears were filled with their delightful music - tuvvytuvvee...... Shrill but thrill it was, coming from as close as just 3 feet.  And what a great way to start the day.   Here is an old video I had shot where you can listen to its song clearly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh0MN8kQL-8

The entertainment made me forget for once, that my coffee was getting cold in my own hand. When they flew away, I had to drink the the now cold beverage.  And for once, I had to stay still without even having the time to think of rushing in to bring the camera.  I had to content with what I was seeing.  It was absolutely delightful anyhow. 

Some old pictures:

 Adult

Its nest with the Almond leaf

 The chick.

Food in beak for feeding chicks.

A Stone Bird Bath At Last!

I wanted to make another bird bath project even though my triangular one had become a well known spot for the birds.  I borrowed an idea from another DIY project on a website and it appeared simple to do.  I made one from cement, using a lampshade for the curvature of the trough.

Upside down, wet cement.

Lampshade I used for the trough curvature.

The project came out nicely, but I did not keep it for long.  For some unknown reason, the birds that were so frequently visiting the triangular bird bath in that same spot before seemed to stay away.  I was puzzled.  Was it too shallow?  Was it too small?  What was missing?  Someone had told that it takes some time for the birds to get accustomed to changes or to spot their places for water.

Changes in the family front was on course and I was to move into my new garden area.  So I put back the old triangular bird bath and again, the birds welcomed it!

Within a few weeks of making my circular birdbath that was surprisingly rejected by the birds, we came across a stone smith who had to be urgently summoned to break a mammoth grinding stone during the construction of a new house in our plot.

The stone was in line with the wall.  It had to be removed.  The idea of lifting it out of the ground was dropped because it was bulky, heavy and strong.  How strong it was, was proved by the stone smith as he broke a few chisels, trying to break it into two, to lift up the top portion which was the intended plan. After two days of hammering, he was finally able to crack it, but the crack came upwards.  So it was further broken there and the large pieces had to be used as foundation for the compound wall in its line!

It was that grinding stone and its position which brought this stone smith to us who was to give me and the birds a fine bird bath based on Sadanand's model.

There were also now more nice stones to choose from, since many had been removed from the old structure that was pulled down to give way for a new house.  By that time, I had been well convinced about the value of a bird bath in the garden, more importantly for the birds and then experiencing the joy of watching them enjoy it.

Gurumurthy, the stone smith agreed to it the way I wanted and the technical design Sadananda had explained me.  He had said that some birds would first like to feel the shallow depth and then feel safe. So, a slope in its floor was necessary since it was rectangular.  One inch deep at one end and going deeper to two inches at the other end.  The stone size was about 18"x12".  A fee was fixed for the job. I was now bent upon getting it done even if he quoted high!  

I chose that slab and Gurumurthy, is seen cutting the desired piece.

Tap, tap, tip tap..... It was time-consuming work to chip out the rectangular basin.

New and old. I later kept aside the triangular bath.  

I asked Gurumurthy himself to 'inaugurate' it with its first fill of water.  It was on New Year's day, 2011. My bird bath should be good enough to last for 300 years.  Granite!

Bulbul having a dip.

Now it is used by many.

A Mynah in it.  It must have been warm because the Mynah is not a frequent dipper.

A Squirrel having a fill.

Once you watch their need for water, you will realize how important water is for them also and how long this little service can go.  It is a satisfying feeling.