The Bengali month of Ashar brings plenty of rain and humidity, an ideal time for planting and growing new seedlings. You can plant beli, jui, gandharaj, dolonchampa, hasnahena, rain lily, dopati (balsam), sthalpadma and alokananda (allamanda) in the garden or in pots now. These plants grow very quickly in the humid monsoon weather and are soon covered in flowers.

Fragrant flowers are most prized in the rainy season. The sweet scent of beli and jui fills the whole house. Gandharaj blooms best at the start of the monsoon and towards the end of summer, and its white petals and strong fragrance lift the spirits. Hasnahena spreads a sweet scent all around at night, and dolonchampa blooms beautifully in the humid monsoon weather.

Rain lily flowers beautifully in pots right after the rain. Dopati is a very popular flower of Ashar; plants in pink, red, purple, white and other colours are ideal for pots. The yellow flowers of the climbing alokananda can be seen blooming throughout the monsoon. Sthalpadma flowers at the end of the monsoon and in autumn, and its seedlings can be planted in Ashar.

In the monsoon, new flower plants can easily be raised from cuttings or branches. You can also plant fragrant flower seedlings or seeds at this time. Pots for flower plants must have good drainage so that water does not collect in them.

You can prepare the soil by mixing loam with organic fertiliser, cow dung or vermicompost. Take care that seedlings are not damaged by excessive rain.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.