In Full Bloom

Attention gardeners and lovers of blossoming backyards. This is the right time to convert your patch of green into a vibrant space. The process is easy as long as you follow these steps.

If there is sunshine on your shoulder, scent of fresh flowers in the air and it’s green as far as the eye can see, a spring gardener knows it’s time to get busy. In India this season starts around March, when the sun starts warming up, days become longer and nights shorter. Old leaves fall and new sprouts make everything green and fresh. So, if you want to make the most of it, this is what you need to do. Proper care should be taken of late winter annuals, which may still be in bloom. Pick off the faded flowers to extend their display. Those past their prime should be removed and a few kept aside for seed-making. Complete sowing of summer annuals and those already sown should be watered regularly and kept free from weeds. Do a top dressing with homemade compost. You can sow gaillardia, zinnia, coreopsis, cosmos, portulaca, vinca and sunflowers. Sow summer vegetables such as gourd, pumpkin, spinach, lady finger and arvee. Propagate flowering shrubs by cutting and layering. Do it in a partially shaded area. Start preping the soil for a new season. Soil that has come out of winter annuals should be upturned and exposed to the sun. Foliage plants should be watered regularly and the delicate ones moved to shady areas. This is the season for adeniums, cacti and succulents; so freshen their soil. Do not over water or fertilise bougainvillea, this is their time of flowering as well. The higher temperature during this time causes greater evaporation, so frequent watering is needed. In case you have missed separating the suckers from the mother plant of chrysanthemums, address it immediately. While February is the month of flowers in India, March-April are months for flowering trees such as kachnar, silk cotton, bauhinia veriegata and flame of forest. This is the best time of the year to make home compost from leaves. In these months, trees go through their annual leaf shedding. Collect the leaves and decompose them, especially neem leaves.