Begonia

Begonia semperflorens are commonly known as Wax Begonia, Fibrous Begonia, Bedding Begonia or Perpetual Begonia. It is the leaf coloration which attracts many people to Wax Begonia. The bronze-leaved Begonias are better suited to full sun locations and plants will flower from spring. These kinds are seen more often in the warmer regions of India.The single or double flowers are available in various shades of red, pink or white.

Begonias do best in direct sunlight for 4-5 hours and then indirect sunlight. If they come with a pot, do not re-pot it immediately. Repot it after a month or two. They need continuous supply of organic compost. So keep adding compost every month or two.
Do not over-water the plants. Check the top soil before watering. So let’s be clear here – Begonias need care and attention. You have to keep a watch on the plant to know if it’s alright. Water, sunlight & compost have to be in perfect mix.

Design Tip: Due to their beautiful & colorful leaves, you can pair Begonias with any plant.

Fern

Nephrolepis exaltata, known as the Boston swordfern, wild Boston fern, Boston Blue Bell Fern, tuber ladder fern, or fishbone fern, is a very popular house plant, often grown in hanging baskets or similar conditions. It is a perennial plant.

Fern Image with quote saying the love of Gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.

Although the plant prefers partial shade or full shade outdoors, it doesn’t grow in shade when indoors and responds best to bright filtered light. The plant is usually propagated by division of the rooted runners, as named cultivars will not produce true spores. It is safe for pets as it is known to be non-toxic.

Here’s a few frequently asked questions about fern!

Here’s a small DIY fun video on pot painting!

Juhi – Jui – Jasminum Auriculatum

Jasminum auriculatum is a species of jasmine, in the family Oleaceae. It is found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Andaman Islands. It is used for decorative purposes and festivals in India. It is commonly called “JUI” or “JUHI”.

Juhi is a beautiful flower with extremely heavy gardenia type scent. This species is not very common though it deserves a special attention. It is a stunning, small climbing bushy plant with simple ovate dark green small leaves and powdery satin white flowers. Leaves are opposite, ashy-velvety, sometimes hairless, simple or trifoliolate.

Lateral leaflets are much smaller, rarely exceeding 4 mm in diameter, the central one up to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad, ovate, shortly pointed. Nerves are few, lowest oblique. Bracts are linear, 4 mm long. Flowers are fragrant, in many-flowered cymes. Flower-stalks are up to 5 mm long. Calyx 3 mm long, pubescent, teeth minute.

Flowers are white, tube 1.5 cm long, lobes elliptic, up to 8 mm long. Berry is 5 mm in diameter, globose, black. The flower is held sacred to all forms of Goddess Devi and is used as sacred offerings during Hindu religious ceremonies. (Source – Flowers Of India).

Wondering how to train them? Here you go!

They need full sunlight and have a tendency to bloom in the evening. Add generous quantity of organic compost every month. If you like this post, you may want to check out our Ebook – 50 Flowering Plants for Indian Homes

Happy Gardening 🙂

Song Of India

Dracaena reflexa commonly called song of India or song of Jamaica is a tree native to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its richly coloured, evergreen leaves, and thick, irregular stems.

Song of India! What a Beautiful plant!!

The advantage of Song of India is that most of the times it comes in a sapling bag. So you get to pot the plant! Isn’t that amazing? Just add good amount of organic compost & soil while potting!

There isn’t much to care about song of India. Very easy to maintain. You can keep adding compost once in 2-3 months.

The only thing it requires is sunlight. It needs at least 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. So that raises the question whether it is an indoor plant? Yes of course it is! Just place them near the window or in the balcony where you get at least 3-4 hours of sunlight. Even when there is no direct sunlight, it needs bright light to grow.

Now, you must be wondering, why should you opt for song of india?

Because it is beautiful!! Also The fact is NASA studies have shown it to be excellent air purifiers.

So the next time you visit a plant nursery, don’t forget to get Song of India!!

Happy Gardening 🙂

Hydrangea

‘Hydrangea’ is derived from Greek and means ‘water vessel’, which is in reference to the shape of its seed capsules. The special feature of the flowers on a hydrangea shrub is that they can change from blue to pink or from pink to blue from one season to the next depending on the pH level of the soil.

Hydrangea also sometimes known as hortensia is a genus of 70–75 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia. Most are shrubs 1 to 3 meters tall. They can be either deciduous or evergreen, though widely cultivated ones are deciduous.

Hydrangeas are popular ornamental plants, grown for their large flowerheads. Some are best pruned on an annual basis when the new leaf buds begin to appear. If not pruned regularly, the bush will become very ‘leggy’, growing upwards until the weight of the stems is greater than their strength, at which point the stems will sag down to the ground and possibly break.

Other species only flower on ‘old wood’. Thus new wood resulting from pruning will not produce flowers until the following season.Hydrangea can be an amazing indoor plant, it will also decorate your outdoor and be a sight of true beauty with its contrasting colours.

Rangoon Creeper

“A flower is the way nature smiles”, and this quote is so true for so many plants! If you are wondering what flowering plant you want, especially if you have less experience with gardening, you definitely need a Madhu malti, aka Rangoon Creeper.


“Madhu Malti”, a name with so much sweetness, it literally means a small fragrant flower. And Madhu malti’s fragrance is only as sweet as it’s appearance. For it is a small, tender bloom which grows in a bunch.


A view worth watching, watching the strong creeper with its lush green leaves contrast with the flower’s colours. The perennial Madhu Malti, climbs (with support) makes beautiful arches so you could see a Rangoon creeper arched over your gates or peeping out of some balcony only to refresh you.


The peculiar flower, has elongated petals, and a striking colour combination that keeps changing. The flower buds bloom to a pearly white, only to change overnight into a silky light pink, finally maturing into a royal maroon. So, looking at the bunch of the beautiful flowers, we can’t help but be awed at the tiny details that nature has tended this plant with!


It does not require a lot of tending to, making it easier for most of the non-gardeners to have this creeper. The only thing you need, is the desire.

Happy Gardening!

All about Grow-Bags and Pots!

Hi! Welcome back to another episode of Reema’s Garden!

If you’ve watched my previous videos, you’ll know how we talked about how to manage the space we have for our garden and how to use the available sunlight to choose our plants. In today’s video we are talking about the differences and different uses of Pots and Grow bags!

Do comment if you have any questions and let me know what you think about this!

Have a great day ahead!

Your gardener friend,
Reema.

Start Your Garden with Vinca!

Hi! Welcome back to another episode of Reema’s Garden!

It’s time to start gardening ! If you are wondering how to start and with which plant, watch this video to see the benefits of having Vinca as your first plant!!!

Let me know what you think about it!

Your gardener friend,
Reema.