A lot of people want to know about the flowering shrub (the picture below) about its name and how it can be propagated. This is Gulmohri,the Caesalpenia pulcherrima . The flower resembles that of the gulmohar tree and since the shrub seems to be the miniature version of the tree,it has been named so. It is also called peacock flower because of the peculiar shape of the flower,which resembles the crown on a peacocks head. The plant can easily be propagated by seeds. It is a drought-resistant shrub and bears flowers freely. Since I am away and wont be back by mid-January,please advise me till when can I plant pears and grapes. Suresh Kumar,on e-mail You can plant those till they do not start sprouting. In case of pears and grapes,it is normally till the end of January,or sometimes till mid-February. What is the best variety of peach that you recommend for this region? Where can I get it? Mamta,Mohali You can grow Early Grande,Flordasun,Parbhat or Shan-i-Punjab. You can get these varieties from Punjab Agricultural University. Can you suggest some readymade disinfectant that I can apply at the cut end of the plants? Surekha,Chandigarh Take blitox powder and add a little water to make a paste. You could use this mixture. When should I prune my phalsa bush and how? Manmohan,Chandigarh The phalsa bush can be pruned till mid-February,but only before it has started sprouting. For gardening queries ASK DR GREEN at satishnarula@yahoo.co.in
