Green blooms

Among the various new year resolutions made at the start of 2010, is one to go as green as I possibly can. The other one is to update this space more frequently. Tying both of these together so that neither gets broken , I am going to post a few initiatives around the house.

Starting with dumping my florist. Sorry Mr Lee on Lyndhurst terrace, but I am going to have to stop my regular trips to your sweet little flowery haven.

As much as one loves cut flowers, the cost of these beauties has increasingly become clear. Commercial, large scale flower farming comes with a host of problems- pesticide overuse, carbon emissions that transporting these beauties entails, human cost in the form of bad working conditions for the farm workers- pesticide exposure, water source pollution- to think of a few.

For some time now, I have been trying to sustain my love for fresh flowers in ways that are less damaging to the environment. Uploading a few pictures and ideas- most of which are pretty obvious, but I am putting them together anyway.

The first of course is to grow your own blooms, if you are lucky enough to have a garden.

I have been growing Hibiscus, Bogun Villa, Gerbera, Orchids and Anthurium on my small balcony for some time now. The plants are able to provide small single stemmed arrangements if not huge centerpieces on a daily basis.

Less is more ! A single stem is enough to give you enough flower power sometimes. It helps to work with various textures and materials in the form of pots containers and platters to complete the arrangement.

The next time you are out walking, try to notice flowers and foilage that grow in your own neighbourhood or city. A few wild flowers, originating from trees or shrub - Bauhinia, Gulmohur, Frangipani, the stunning Amaltas- very evocatively called `Sona Jhuri' in Bangla - there is a limitless bounty available with the changing seasons around. But do be kind with how much you pick..!

Last but not the the least, potted plants are a wonderful alternative to cut flowers. Combine plants with different colours shapes and textures for fun results.

Would love to hear of similar stuff you might have done at your home or are able to think of. Coming up more ideas, big and small to save, conserve, recycle and reuse.. Watch this space.

Lotus

Rise delicate one

from the liquid  womb

murky and quite.

Rise to the kindling

of  the heavens above

Rise to the skies. 

for you will float above it all

and eventually

keep the company of Gods.

On a good day like this a package arrives.

Brimming with pink and white lotus buds

You hear them slowly unfold  into blooms ..

and quietly remember a day not long ago that went something  like today goes.

A pinch of Pink

                                 

pink    [pink] Pronunciation Key - noun, adjective, -er, -est.–noun

1.a color varying from light crimson to pale reddish purple.

2.any of several plants of the genus Dianthus, as the clove pink or carnation.

3.the flower of such a plant; carnation.

Come spring and pink dominates the mountainside. In Fuchsias, purples, almost crimson and magentas to peaches and softer pinks of the Bauhinia, Cherry blossom, Camellia, Azalea the gorgeous Magnolia and a bunch of flowers I've yet to know names for. Brown hopeless trees burst with a passion unknown to December- populating their branches with blooms of every shade possible in the family.       The profusion of blooms tells you Holi is near. A festival of colours and deeply etched memories of loved faces smeared in shocking-pink Gulal. For all my love of the colour, I've always been too chicken to surround my self with too much of it. In its vibrant, more pure shades, pink  dominates and  hogs a lot of attention. It is clearly a colour for the less faint hearted. Unable to resist, I  tend to use a little bit of pink around the house this time of the year, but in very small pinches...   In a heap of blossoms on my puja thali.   In a little bit of bougainvillea at  the feet of a stone Ganpati.    In a rose bowl at the feet of my beloved Buddha. With black .. lots and lots of black.  Blacks and earthy browns  tone and also enhance the richness of pink. Like lotuses set at the feet of a black marble shiv-linga,  a rosebud tucked into neatly braided tressess. With blue for they go hand in hand.  Pink swathed trees always come with a blue sky above. like a pink sari drying on a turquoise blue roof top in Jodhpur.   With Jade green,  reminiscent of chinese silk, jewel tones set againts lustrous pottery. In a tiny gravy pot on the book shelf.    With some more celadon green and evening tea for two.