Down to earth

We have been repeatedly advising you to select and plant the winter annuals correctly and at the right location.

We have been repeatedly advising you to select and plant the winter annuals correctly and at the right location. The flowers in the picture are mesembryanthemum,also called burf in local identification. This plant is exclusively for bright,sunny locations. The best place for them is at the edges of beds or on rockeries. The best thing about these plants with succulent leaves is that they need very less water. The flowers open in the morning with rising sun and sleep as darkness descends,all of them. They are carpet plants and hardly rise up on the ground. Their spreading habit fills the beds in no time.

I have been advised against growing winter seeds due to rains. Is this correct?

Raminder Singh,Chandigarh
At your level,it should not be a problem. Your requirement is very small for the home garden. You can even sow the seeds in pots or pans and keep them at a safe place where there is no direct impact of the rain.

I had sown radish,turnip and carrot in flat beds in my kitchen garden. Due to heavy rain these are now submerged. The water has been standing in the beds for two days now. What is your opinion? Will they survive or I will have to do the sowing once again?

Manish Kumar,Panchkula

From your description,I realise that the drainage in your kitchen garden is not proper. Also,had you sown your seeds on high ridges,there would have been every possibility of germination. Now,I am afraid,you will have to do the sowing once again.

I have a bed in my garden that has only a depth of nine inches and beneath that is concrete. Can I grow some plants in it?

Rachita,Panchkula

There are two possibilities. One,you can fill this with water and have aquatic plants like hydrilla,salvina,pistia growing in it or else you will have to make some provision for drainage of excess water by drilling a hole and then grow some seasonal flowers in it.

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I bought two mussaenda plants this season. Is this an evergreen plant? There are bunches of pink flowers growing on the top of the plant. When do they wither and when do the new flowers appear?
Mussaenda is not an evergreen plant and sheds leaves during winter. The pink brackets will be shed as the winter starts and will reappear in April.

For gardening queries,ASK DR GREEN at satishnarula@pau.edu

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