Bring home the water beauties

Heavy rains and plants rot. Or worse, seeds of your favourite plants, washed away from your garden, grow in a vacant plot or gutter next to yours where you can’t salvage them. Instead of sulking, why not have an acquatic garden this season, asks Rashmi Shrinivas

Never ending heavy rains this year have caused the top layer of the soil in many areas to be washed away.  Have your meticulously sown seeds of Tropaeolum, Phlox, Salvia, Snapdragon and the like washed away too and germinated in a nearby low lying vacant site? And there is no access to the vacant site where they proudly exhibit their beautiful blooms and you can’t salvage your favourite plants? 

Well, such things happen in this season. Instead of silently sulking, realise that this is the time to go for aquatic plants and indulge in Hydrophytes gardening!

The moment we make a mention of aquatic plants, involuntarily, we think of Water Lilies, which are the most popular aquatic plants in a home garden! Water lilies are botanically known as Nymphaea and Saluka in Konkani. They belong to the family Nymphaeaceae. The plant is named after the Greek Mythological Water Goddess Nymphaea. Water Lilies that were once restricted to village ponds, have now found a place in home gardens.

They resemble the Lotus to some extent. Tubs of suitable size and shape are also available. Plants are sold along with the clay soil it needs. These are the plants with roots in the soil of water bodies and the stem and leaves floating on water surface. Water Lilies are generally found in 3-4 colours in South India viz. White, Pink, Dark Pink and Bluish violet etc. They grow very well in full sunlight and at times in partial shade too. Leaves are generally round with radial notch in the centre. Though the leaves are spread on water, the flower is slightly protruding out from water and display beautiful bloom during sunlight. Most of them close into a bud by evening.

See that in the name of Vaastu, you don’t choose a spot devoid of any sunlight for this tub. Also, see that shade of other plants and climbers in your garden do not cover this tub. Do not try to decorate the tub with other attractive flowers like Gerbera, Chrysanthemum etc. which is detrimental to the growth of the plant. Just stir the water periodically so that the water does not stagnate and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you follow these steps, your mini pond will definitely be a spot of prime attraction in your garden displaying all its glorious blooms.

Water Lilies are often confused with Sacred Lotus, which in fact is totally different, though it is aquatic like the former. Botanically known as Nelumbium, it is also our National Flower! Lotus, known as Kamalada Hoovu in Kannada, is often associated with various Gods like Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganapati, Vishnu and Brahma etc. Lotus can easily be differentiated from Water Lily, from the fact that it has a central conical thalamus like structure, in which its elongated seeds resembling medicinal capsules are embedded. In rural areas, these tasty seeds are in great demand! In north, the dry seeds are popped like popcorn and used as food at the time of religious fasting. The petals of Lotus are not as delicate as that of Water Lilies and are bigger in size and are pink or white in colour. If you find that Water Lilies are too expensive and a burden on your pocket, you can go for less expensive Water Hyacinth, which bears attractive spikes of lavender coloured flowers. Out of the six petals each flower has, one has an attractive yellowish mark on it.

Botanically known as Eichhornia, this is actually a floating plant with broad thick ovate shining leaves that bear bulbous hollow stalks full of aerial tissues that help the plant to float on the surface of water. It is named after a 19th century Prussian politician. Though originally a native of South America, it is common in other areas like India too. In rural places, it is commonly found in the ponds where village kids swim. In cities, it is often found in large open drainage in the outskirts. Though the stench emanating from the open drainage is unbearable, these beautiful flowers just compensate the stink. Of late these plants are sold in nurseries since they are gaining popularity. It propagates by runners, which in due course becomes an independent plant. No special care needs to be taken. Only thing is that the tub is to be kept in sunlight. In some countries in Africa, they are considered as invasive species. In countries like Philippines etc their fibre is used in braiding, making hats, ropes, bags etc.

Another plant that is ideal for aquatic gardening is Pistia. Known as Antharagange in Kannada and Akashamuli in Sanskrit, it is a medicinally important plant too. Its leaves grow to form the shape of a rosette and look like a small flower made up of leaves. It is also known as Water Cabbage, Water Lettuce etc. The name Pistia is derived from similar Greek word meaning water, referring to its aquatic nature. It propagates through stolons, a sort of horizontal stems. Numerous such flowers floating in your tub will be the star attraction of your garden! However, its roots are known to support the growth of certain variety of mosquito larvae. So think twice before including this plant in your garden. This plant as well needs plenty of sunlight. Note: Unlike terrestrial plants, for water plants, the drainage hole of the pot is to be closed preferably with cement, so that water does not percolate.

So go ahead with your Aquatic Garden!