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Horticultural societies in demand
By Zahrah Nasir
Q.I am desperate to find ‘Ceropegia woodi’ but cannot locate it in any Islamabad
nursery. Can you help me please? Perhaps someone living in the area has it and
would like to exchange a plant with me for something else.
A. May I suggest that you contact your local Horticultural Society to see if any
of their members can assist you. Failing this, then perhaps you could search the
net for a source of seeds and try growing the plants from start yourself.
‘Ceropegia woodi’. Sometimes called the ‘Rosary Vine’ or ‘String of hearts’ is
classified as a ‘Succulent’ plant, drought tolerant, with thick fleshy leaves
and extremely beautiful flowers. I am not at all surprised that you would like
to add it to your garden.
Q. I want to do a course in gardening, could you please point out some suitable
places where I can enroll in one.
A. Once again, I suggest that you get in touch with your local Horticultural
Society as they should be aware of what courses are available in your area. You
didn’t specify your location but, if you are in the Islamabad area, then you
could also get in touch with either the Pakistan Agricultural research Council
or the National Agricultural research Council as they sometimes run such
courses. If you reside in a different locality then your local branches of these
organizations may be able to assist.
Q. I am interested in growing Chinese lemons and Custard Apples. Can you advise
me on this?
A. Both of these varieties of fruit trees are easily available from nurseries in
Karachi and, providing that they are pot grown plants, you can purchase them at
any time of the year. However, if they are being grown in the ground then they
should not be disturbed when they are fruiting, the same applies to removing the
trees from pots and planting them in your garden. They both grow and fruit well
in the ground or in pots. They prefer a sunny location, good soil and a
reasonable amount of water. They can also be grown from seed taken from ripe,
preferably slightly over ripe fruit purchased in the bazaar. Seed should be
planted at about half an inch below the surface in pots or trays of good, well
drained compost and will germinate quite rapidly. Seedlings should be
transplanted into individual 7 inch pots at the four leaf stage and gown on from
there. Grown from seed, Custard Apple can fruit in as little as 18 months in
Karachi and Chinese lemons within 2 to 3 years.
Q. I live in an apartment in Karachi and have always wanted to grow some plants
on my balcony which has clear sunlight from noon until Asar timing. I would like
plants with colourful leaves all the year round or with fragrant flowers. I
would like roses and also to grow mushrooms. Where can I get these plants?
A. Fragrant Jasmine, both the day and night scented varieties may suit your
requirements and these grow well in large pots as long as they are kept watered.
Otherwise, I recommend that you purchase pots of seasonal flowers from your
local nursery and enjoy these while they last, replacing them with other
varieties as the seasons change. I do not think roses will be suitable for your
sunny balcony as it is liable to get far too hot for them and the blooms will
scorch. Growing mushrooms is quite a time consuming and rather difficult
business and the spawn is almost impossible to find so I would not pursue this
idea at the moment.
Q. In your articles you have mentioned various fruit trees, bushes and vines but
most of the exotic ones are not available in Lahore. I would appreciate it if
you could let me know where a Lahorite can find plants or seeds for these?
A. I understand your problem perfectly and the only answer is to import the
seeds yourself or through your local Horticultural Society if they have such an
arrangement. Quite a number of foreign seed companies now send seeds direct to
Pakistan without any problem, other than occasional theft of the precious packet
somewhere along the line and not necessarily here, which can be overcome by
taking out insurance on the order. Reputable seed companies do offer this
service, avoid those that don’t. Sorry but I cannot give you a list of such
companies here but suggest that you either search on the net or look through
second hand copies of gardening magazines which are often found in book stores.
Good luck in your quest!
Q. I have collected all of the wood shavings from the construction of doors,
window frames etc of my new house and want to use this is my garden. Should I
mix it with manure or spread it layer by layer?
A. I am pleased to see that you have taken this step as many people would throw
the precious wood shavings away. I would suggest that you either add them to a
compost heap and let them rot down over time or mix them, one third wood
shavings, one third well rotted manure and one third good soil and use this as a
mulch in your garden. Everything will rot down in time as long as it is kept
watered. The end result should be an excellent growing medium.
* A number of readers have requested that I send then the full series of 6
Edible Gardening articles. Whilst I highly appreciate your interest, I am sorry
that I can not help you in this but suggest that you contact the Circulation
Department at Dawn who may be able to supply you with back copies of the
relevant issues of ‘The Review’.
Please continue to send your questions to me at zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Sorry
that I can not reply personally.
Ends
Pic caps:
1. A natural garden.
2. Flowers are always a delight.
3. Cool in blue.
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