In many parts of the world, colder seasons are considered dull, grey, gloomy and cheerless. Absence of sunlight and lack of vitality mark not only the human sphere of activities in this season, but also that of our green friends. Lack of sunlight means deficiency of food supplies for plants, as there will be hardly any photosynthetic activity. In such circumstances, plants do what is best for them—they go dormant, and save the reserves.
However, tropical regions present a much better picture. Here winter means blooms in abundance. Plants turn into palettes producing bright flowers in unimaginable range of hues. Though the season is cold here too, plants do not go dormant like those in the other hemisphere. Our winter can be compared with summer of most of the cold countries.
On the contrary, most of the tropical plants get affected during harsh summer which burns them, and also during monsoons which spoil the blooms if any.
Hence winter months are most preferred for growing all seasonal plants and some perennials too. Among the favourites are Poinsettia, Kalanchoe, Dahlia, Chrysanthemums and Roses and many other seasonal plants like Petunia, Vinca rosea, Marigold, Salvia, Antirrhinum, Dianthus, Gaillardia, Pansy, Celosia, Aster and others.
Ideal season for plants such as Petunia and Vinca rosea is from early winter till late summer, as these plants hate excessive watering. During monsoons, they get afflicted with fungal infections and perish. Other seasonals or annuals do perform well during the mild winter in hotter regions of the world. Roses are one among the good plants to be grown during winter time. The only pest the roses suffer from during winter is powdery mildew which can be easily addressed.
Favourite of many in this season is Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima - cultivars) which can be seen in many colours such as Red, Deep Red, Bright Red, Light Yellow, Orange, Pink, Light Pink, and also double colours. Some varieties such as Euphorbia pulcherrima plenissima “Ecke's Flaming Sphere” (Fire ball) bloom like round thick balls in as many colours as in case of the aforesaid varieties. These plants are also called the Christmas Plants in the western countries and are highly popular. During Christmas, these plants are extensively used for decorations. These are very hardy and easy to grow, and mostly preferred as pot plants. However, they can also be planted on ground.
Plants such as Poinsettia, Kalanchoe, Chrysanthemums and Dahlias are highly sensitive to climate changes. They start producing blooms when they sense days becoming shorter and nights getting longer with temperatures plummeting. This mechanism is called ‘Phototropism'.
In the hill stations, the cycle is reversed. These plants perform well during the summer months and start blooming at a very short height during winters when the day is further short. In fact, it is observed that the plants grown in hill stations or cold places are provided artificial lighting during the winter months so that the stems get elongated and plants begin flowering at reasonable heights. When these plants are grown in summers of hotter regions, they grow tall without blooms. Hence, in such places the plants are misled into producing blooms by a shroud of black poly-sheet and artificial cooling.
(More on winter plants next week)
The author is available at: plantsland@hotmail.com
