Roses are truly Red, but they have other colours to offer too

This is the final pleasure treat of our tropical winter. Yes, our roses are finally blooming. My mother always had a corner for roses in her garden and I have watched them grow since my childhood. I also tried planting them in our garden in early summer, for them to bloom in late summer when I lived in the west. Then, I tried to include them in my pot plant garden collection on the rooftop. During my moves I had to part with them, giving them away to my dear friends. Now, I have finally added them here again, this time and they have been kind enough to bring about a wonderful bloom right away, after three months of preparing, feeding, cleaning, pruning and weeding. Yes, they do need love and care, but they have a lot to offer, warmth, smiles and lots of joy. Just watch them closely, each one of them as they open up into large full blown roses, slowly but carefully. Their colours are just simple, alluring beauty.  Some are soft, as a touch of gentle dew, others are bright, as in bright, happy red, still others are a deeper romantic red. Some of them bloom as a single "solitaire", looking just like a solid colour of smooth marzipan, others are packed dense petals and keep on opening up as if unwrapping mystery. Some of them fold their petals neatly, working meticulously, as they open up. Their blossoms also differ, some they say "bloom like a fool", all of them together, and the climbing bush is filled with large rose buds, all ready to open up simultaneously while there are other small shrubs that bloom continously, one group after the other. Watch their colours and textures as they are lined up here, they are just breathtaking, each "a piece of beauty, bringing joy forever" !!

Waiting for the vines to bloom as Orange Jasmines, bloom through the tropical winter

This year our tropical winter has been draped early in dense fog with a cold spell for weeks, then mild warm,  then raining, then chilly again with a cold spell and  may be, mild warm will follow, thus is it has been, up and down and so have been the flower blossoms in our tiny collection. The phlox and asters flourished inititally and the marigolds were steady and handsome from the beginning and continuing sturdily with form and colour. But the 'mums' got stuck on the way and blossomed slowly. After all of this, finally, the Dahlias simply bloomed taking a grand approach. But interestingly during all this we found that the lovely green remained in the shrubs and plants as the fog and rain took away most of the dust. All of them though survived the harsh foggy, cold spell, chill rain in their own way. They all but loved the mild sun, which appeared from time to time and helped them through. I saw the flower buds in the Flame vines aproaching for the first time this year and also in the "night jasmines-Queen of the night", the plants know more than us when its time for the change. But guess what! The orange jasmines have now, also bloomed through the tropical winter. They don't bloom in the real hard winter and come in the springtime but here they blossomed several time throughout the year. Their orange like sweet fragrance was simply alluring and the flowers look just divine. The shrub is an evergreen variety and the green is truly an olive one-take a close look!

Majestic Dahlias and here they come

I would miss the cool winter grandeur, had I not mentioned the bloom of the Dahlias standing upright, proudly displaying their colours since the 18th century. Named after the Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl, they have travelled from Mexico via Spain to rest of Europe and then to  the other continents. Most majestic of the composite flowers, such as daisies, asters and marigolds, they are found in a large variety of colours, sizes and forms. Although, they love the sun and are easy to grow, in our part of the world they bloom under the cool winter and early spring sunshine. I had been waiting for their blossom this year, but the past few days were cloudy and we had a sudden wintery chill with rain and I thought may be we just lost their best bloom this year. But when I went up, this is what was waiting for me. "Wow, what a colour and size display, it was, I hope was able to do some justice to them as I line some of them up here. Have a look!" The asters competing with the dhalias, tiny as they were, yet there upright and smiling in their solid colour display. The marigolds too, still a unique gold-yellow, were no less a match and holding onto the competition rock solid.