Aparajita (Gokarna): Easy Flowering Plant to Grow at Home

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.Shape of this flower is like shape of cow's ear hence the name.
What fascinates me is this plant has some mythological references

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

Offering my favourite shiva his favourite flower

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 at home and enjoying its beautiful flowers.

Growing Gokarna at home

Opened Aparajita pod with seeds

Back at my mother's place there was Gokarna vine.My grandmother was women of few words.I have seen her twirling tender gokarna stems across balcony grill giving it support,checking for dried leaves and carefully saving seedpods.

Last year on Ghatasthapana i.e. First day of Navratri festival i decided to have my own Gokarna and sow seeds of this plant.

To my surprise by Dushahara I could saw tiny sprouts .

Growth of this plant was phynomenon.By year end it surprised me with delicate bud which soon turned into beautiful blue flower.

Seeds showing up.

The first fower

I have witnessed this growth closely.Like first time mother I had captured every moments of its growth.

Now when I look at those pictures it gives such a satisfaction.

How Much Water and Sunlight Does Aparajita Need?

In case you growing it at your home instead of buying from nursery I recommend grow it from seeds.

Watching seeds grow into flowers is indeed a wonderful experience.

You can water is when soil feels dry.Make sure soil is well drained.If leaves look droopy and dull its time to water.

Direct sunlight for few hours a day is sufficient.

Aparajita Is a Beautiful Climbing Plant

One thing to keep in mind when growing Aparajita is that it is a climber. As it grows, give it a simple support such as a railing, trellis or garden grill. Watching the plant gradually find its way around the support is one of the things I enjoy most about growing it.

When I look at my garden it has Sadabahar,gulbakshi,Aboli,Gokarna,tulsi all these plants.

These flowering plants I have seen since my childhood in my neighbourhood.

No fancy colourful pots or hanging pots or designer balcony set ups.

Each house would have these plants as if their family members.Seed pods,cuttings would get shared freely among neighbours.

These are around for years and also they are part of our lives showing harmony and symphony.

This one surely has my heart as unknowingly it takes me deep down the memory lane where i get to meet my grandmother. 💕

If you're looking for more easy plants to grow at home, you may also enjoy my experiences with [Snake Plant], [Spider Plant] and [Money Plant].