Sarika | Plants, Balcony Gardening & Simple Living

Aparajita Plant at a Glance Difficulty Beginner-friendly Watering Water when soil feels dry Where I grow mine Balcony Maintenance Low Best for Beginner plant parents Another easy plant to grow at home if you love flowers it would be Aparajita or Gokarna. Gokarna name originates from two sanskrit words "Go"+"Karna". Go is cow and karna is ear in Sanskrit.The s hape of this flower resembles cow's ear hence the name. What fascinates me is this plant has some mythological references Offering first flower to Shiva Aparajita has a special place in Indian traditions.  In different regions and families, the blue flowers are associated with worship and are offered to deities including Durga, Shiva and Vishnu. Its striking blue hue is often symbolically connected to Neelkanth (Shiva's blue throat). Aparajita is also known as Butterfly Pea and is popularly associated with blue herbal infusions. However, in this post I am focusing on my experience of growing the plant ...

 "Money does not grow on trees" This is probably most common dialogue in indian housholds.Either you are the actor delivering it most probably to your children or you are at receiving end getting it from your parents. Ironically we have a tree/plant named as money plant.And joy it brings to your life no money can buy. Money Plant at a Glance The founding member of balcony garden back in 2016 Difficulty Beginner-friendly Watering Water when soil feels dry Where I grow mine Balcony Maintenance Low Best for Beginner plant parents This money plant was part of my garden right from planning phase.It is one of those founding members It just elevates your garden to another level. As an experience player he has his own strategy when it enters the garden.His expansion proposals just too tempting to resist. Within no time from balcony garden it will enter your drawing room and then to bedroom, your kitchen and washrooms will also get captured and you will surrender happily to its char...

  “The Incy Winsy Spider climbed up the water..." And this is not a 6 legged insect. It's my dear Spider plant🌿 After t he snake plant , this is another plant that is extremely easy to grow at home. It may be less forgiving than the snake plant, but the spider plant is friendly and frank. If you water it too much, the leaves can turn black. If you don't water it enough, the leaves may turn yellow. It seems to tell you when it needs more attention—just enough water and it is happy again. It has enjoyed moderate direct sunlight as well as indirect sunlight in my garden. The spider plant talks to you through its leaves and gives you all the hints. You just have to learn its language—and then, in its own way, it becomes a friend forever. Spider Plant at a Glance 🌱 Difficulty Beginner-friendly 💧 Watering Water when soil feels dry 🏡 Where I grow mine Balcony 🌿 Maintenance Low 👩‍🌾 Best for Beginner plant parents How My Spider Plant Became Part of My Balcony Garden 201...

Snake Plant at a Glance 🌱 Difficulty Beginner-friendly 💧 Watering Water when soil feels dry 🏡 Where I grow mine Balcony 🌿 Maintenance Low 👩‍🌾 Best for Beginner plant parents Snake family in my balcony garden enjoying the Mumbai rains. This lazy morning, as I am sitting on balcony floor enjoying rains can’t help appreciate these modest snakes.  How gracefully they have grown their own little family over the last few years. Snake plants are one of the easiest low-maintenance plants to grow at home. They can adapt well to indoor spaces and balconies and don't require frequent watering, making them a good choice for beginner plant parents. There was no love at first sight. I have to admit thought I have fallen in love with these beauties over a period of time. If you search for 'easy plants to grow at home', the snake plant would probably be right at the top of the list.Yet, I always hesitated to give it a place in my garden. We were destined to be together , indeed!😇 O...