Hi everyone, this is my first post in the #asianhivecommunity. I have been wanting to post here for a while but I keep forgetting to do so. With this post I hope to make a colorful start and a long and fruitful association.
Trees are starting to bloom in Bangalore. You'd find flowers of every hue coloring every month of the year from now on until the rainy season in July. From the 15 of January when the festival of the Sun is celebrated things brighten up and the roadsides are painted in hues of pink, purple, yellow, orange and red.
Bangalore a metropolitan city in India also known as the silicon valley of India has been my home for the last 40 years or more. However, Bangalore was known for its natural beauty and has been known as the garden city for hundreds of years before it became known as the silicon valley of India. The most of the streets of my beloved city are lined with flowering trees on either side and in their blooming season these trees paint the town red, pink, yellow or purple depending on the trees in bloom at that part of the year.
When I first came to live in this city I fell hopelessly in love with the pink and purple hydrangeas that were all over my university campus, then I saw the other flowering trees here I have never looked back. This has been my city, my beloved Bangalore ever since. Sadly the Bangalore then and the Bengaluru now are as different as chalk and cheese, yet there are still those areas of the city which remain beautiful despite its rampant and unplanned growth.
The plumeria is in bloom now. I like to call it by its other name frangipani since this is the name I by which I have know it forever. The fragrance of these flowers fill the streets of Bangalore where they are planted. My first memories of school were made pleasant by this special tree. Perhaps this was the moment when my love for nature was born.
The tabebuia rosea and the tabebuia argent have started to bloom now. One variety of the Tabebuia rosea or pink trumpet starts to bloom in December itself. These flowers are darker in color and look prettier.
The second variety of tabebuia rosea which blooms at the end of January or beginning of February is much paler in color and remains in bloom until March. If you think of the cherry blossom of Japan as a beautiful sight the tabebuias of Bangalore would easily put up a strong fight.
Java cassia the tree of my dreams is another reason why I chose this city as my home. It's another one of those cherry blossom like trees and will be the next in line to bloom.
The taebuia argentea or golden trumpets trees are short, (in comparison) gnarly trees which would make an awesome natural bonsai material. These trees are curved and bent like the fingers of witches portrayed in movies and illustrations. The trunk has a rugged beauty of its own and the golden flowers which peek out from the branches look even more amazing. I just saw some of the trees put out their lovely golden blooms during my recent walk in the park.
In February the mystical Jacaranda will be in bloom. These small bell shaped flowers in purple hue fade into a hyacinth and then to white color as they fade out. The trees near home are quite old and are very tall so they blend into the sunny summer sky. However, if you go for a walk under these trees you will find your path paved with a dense matting of purple flowers. I know of a lake here which is surrounded by these trees.
After this come a parade of yellow, red, orange, and purple flowers. It would be hard to name all of them but the popular ones are the gulmuhar or may flower, cassia fistula, African tulip or flame of the forest etc.
Every month would then be crowned by a flower or at times a couple of flowers until the rainy season begins. It's hard not to travel through the streets of Bangalore and not fall in love with this city.
Another flower that this city sports all the time is the morning glory. there are a hundred different kinds of wild morning glory ranging from blue to red. I saw a beautiful , rather rare kind of morning glory in a park yesterday where I went out for a walk. This vine has huge clusters of flowers which seem to attract birds and bees alike. I did not find any mature seeds within my reach on this wine. I have made a mental note to collect some seeds, make some seeds bombs to be dropped in our neighborhood in the rainy season. This would attract more birds to our neighborhood.
I plan to write a DIY blog of the seed bombs when I make them and post it here when I get my hands on the seeds. I hope to also show you the flowers of Bangalore as they bloom in their season. I have no greater joy than driving through the streets of Bangalore taking in the beauty of these flowers, its like a balm to my soul. The only problem is the bumper to bumper traffic which takes the pleasure out of the drive.
Nonetheless I do not plan to live in Bangalore for too many years. As I grow older I find the crowds and the noise here not so pleasant to my delicate senses. I'd like to enjoy the beauty and soak deeply into every bit of it into while I am here.
Take photos and make memories while in Bangalore! This is my plan.
Thanks for staying with me so far, I respect your time and interest. I appreciate your support and encouragement.