The right kind of sunlight

Urban gardening can be tricky if you do not understand your plants and their needs.

I bought this colourful plant with so many buds. It was lively for a few days and then it stopped blooming.”
“It was the brightest spot in the room. I watered it every day. Now it has all turned yellow.”
“I am a serial plant killer. Every plant I’ve cared for, has died.”
“Do they deliberately sell plants that will survive for just two weeks?”

I am often asked these questions by exasperated souls. Urban gardening can be tricky when you are a beginner without sound knowledge of plants and their needs. Once you understand, gardening becomes interesting and addictive.

Though soil, water, wind, temperature and nutrients are all important for the growth of a plant, the one paramount requirement is sunlight. Different plants require a different amount of sunlight. If you’ve been to rose gardens, you will notice them in open areas with no trees in the immediate periphery. Rose plants require ample sunlight, about six to eight hours in a day. So, if you buy a rose plant and place it in partial shade, it will have poor growth and will yield fewer flowers. On the other hand, African violets are indoor flowering plants, which require indirect sunlight. If you place them in the bright sun, they will wilt in a day.

You must be knowing that the sun doesn’t rise exactly in the East or set precisely in the West. It happens only on two days in a year, on the Spring and Autumn Equinox. The intensity of sunlight and the shadows it casts keep changing throughout the year. Gardening in crowded cities is a tad bit difficult because of this. Also, because of closely-knit buildings and apartments, you mostly get partial shade.

So, as part of your garden planning, you must note down how much sunlight your balcony/apartment/house/terrace receives during the day and in a year. If you plan to start a garden in the terrace and it gets six to eight hours of uninterrupted sunlight, you are good to go. If it is your back or front yard, again, note the amount of sunshine, including nooks and corners. If you plan the garden in a balcony, which doesn’t get ample sunlight, you can choose to keep succulents and houseplants.

A mix of sun and shade

Now that you have an idea about sunlight, let’s head to a nursery. Whichever nursery you visit, observe how plants are arranged there. My favourite place in Bengaluru is the Lalbagh garden and nursery. Once you enter the nursery, the left side is a long stretch with roses and other plants under direct sunlight. On the right, beneath the shade of huge trees, are plants that require much lesser sunlight. As you walk around, the description boards give you the names of plants and the light required — shade, semi-shade etc. Not all nurseries have display boards, but most of them have these arrangements sorted out. Once you know how much sunshine and shade your garden gets, you can select the plants accordingly. You should also know that if you have a mix of sun and shade requiring plants, You have to keep moving them between sunny and shaded areas as the seasons change. The saplings in the nurseries are grown in small containers or in plastic bags. They are just a few weeks to months old and their roots are young, which makes them easily transferable without damage. If it is in a bag, cut open the bag with scissors. If it is a pot, hold it in your hand and invert it. Holding the plant firmly between your fingers, gently tap it to free it from the container. If you are not confident of potting the samplings on your own, many nurseries offer potting services too.

If you do not want to start from saplings, but from seeds, you are in for a lot of joy. Nothing can match the jubilation of watching the tender green seedling pop its head from that small crack on the surface of the earth and take shape.

Next time we will look at plants that can make up your garden. Happy gardening and cheers from the Campsis Radicans — they’ve begun to bloom, you know.

Motley Garden is your monthly pot-pourri of observations and lessons from gardening and nature.

The author is a botanical artist from Bengaluru. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram as @neelavanam