Not just the early bird catches the worm in Tennessee

Robins and worms -- the iconic image! I am in Tennessee, it’s the end of November and the cold has set in. One evening there was a smattering of rain for about an hour and I just happened to look out the front door to find the neighbours lawns covered with birds pecking away and eating something. I could not see what species of bird they were till they flew onto our lawn. I was pretty shocked to realise that they were robins, the American robin which is much larger than the cute British Robin. When they flew onto our lawn I realised this was a strange phenomenon I was witnessing. I asked my son later what they were eating and he explained that they are quite starved during the winter as robins eat earthworms. The ground gets hard as rock with the cold and dry and the grass turns brown and goes dormant in the winter. So, they find it hard to get insects and worms to eat.

Amazing sight which can be enjoyed especially when it rains When it rains heavily, though, the worms have little choice. Earthworms get their oxygen from the soil in which they live in. When the soil gets soaked with water rather than air, they come to the surface to "breathe" just like we do when we're swimming. And that exposes them to predators: It’s a feast and a field day for the robins. It is one of the most common of all sights in spring and summer across most of the U.S.: the familiar American robin (Turdus migratorius) bobbing across a grass lawn or garden, cocking its head and pausing frequently, then pulling a long earthworm right out of the soil. While robins also devour beetles, caterpillars, fruits, and berries, it is the sight of that robin tugging at a worm that has been made iconic by cartoonists.

The American Robin is bigger in size than it's British cousin The robin I read up online, is the state bird of 3 states: Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The American Robin is a song bird and is one of the first birds to sing at dawn. Apparently they are migratory and a member of the thrush family. Worms are the ideal food for omnivorous birds such as robins and other thrushes. While birds will eat just about any type of worm they can catch, earthworms and insect larvae are the most common food. American robins ignore earthworm vibrations and any noise that they may make, but rather use their eyesight to detect earthworms, and other invertebrates, especially in spring and summer.

Robin and earthworm in the garden I really enjoy watching a robin on the lawn, it first cocks its head from side to side, so that it can better scan the ground searching for an earthworm. Having monocular vision, they don't see by looking forward as we and owls do. Experiments have shown that a dead earthworm in a hole will be seen and eaten by a hungry robin. "The early bird gets the worm" is true in the case of the American Robin, except following rain, as my story goes, as when the dry season sets in, with little or no precipitation, as the sun warms the ground and dries the morning mist, earthworms and night- crawlers retreat to cooler and moister soil out of reach of the hungry robin.

The Buddy Holly Show in London.

The Buddy Holly Show, worth every penny! My last week in London really perked up when I met up with my old Bangalore pals. Winter is a depressing time, as I cant spend enough time in my sons award winning garden. I always think of the love of plants inculcated in the boys, by my father and can see how much joy the garden gives him, like it gave my Dad. This time with winter in full blast, all we did was jet spray the patio and take off the stains left by the compost bags he had piled up there. Twenty bags of compost which he got at 2 quid a bag which he will use in the spring. Plus the bags of spring bulbs which we put down to flower in the spring. Cleaning up the garden too like raking up the leaves and fallen apples took several days of work. Every time I am visiting the UK, my dearest friend Averil Cutinho plans a show for us to go to and if the others can they join in. This time she decided on the famous Buddy Holly Show, which had come to the Fairfield Hall in EastCroydon. Usually we have to spend a huge figure to go to the West End theatres which are the mainstream professional theatres in and near the West End of London.

The father of Rock and Roll who died tragically at 22. Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, the West End s usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. London's theatrical heartland, often referred to as Theaterland or West End, it is roughly bounded by Piccadilly Circus to the west, Trafalgar Square to south, Tottenham Court Road to the north and Covent Garden to the east. All iconic names and touristy to visit, which I dont cause I studied in the UK and all that is old hat. So my son put me on the train from Woking to Clapham Junction and my friend Averil was waiting for me on the station. It was so exciting all bundled up against the cold and off we went to catch the train to East Croydon. There at the exit gate stood Coreen Moulton, another Bangalore friend who was not able to come with us as her father was greviously ill with pneumonia in the hospital. But we went out of the station and had lunch together at Box Park. A great little place just outside the station. “The whole park is made up of shipping containers,” explained my friend Averil. “ And every container was a little restaurant of different cuisines. " Go with Corrine and get yourself a meal while I sit here and keep our seats, " she said. The place was very popular judging by the crowds filling the place in the central seating area. Corrine and me went off to get ourselves a pizza each. Actually we preferred ordering a slice each and then sharing the massive slice.I took my favourite cheese and mushroom while Coreen took a ham and pepperoni and we shared our slices! Averil ofcourse wanted rice and so collected some Thai food with generous helpings of yellow Thai curry. The smell of the Kafir lime leaves in her curry was delicious.

Enjoying ourselves at Box Park with a pizza lunch After our meal and chatting for an hour, with my arms getting heavier with my gifts, Averil and I wandered down to the Fairfield Halls.It was 10 minutes from the station and I was glad I had my posh leather jacket on which had been just made for me in India by friend Coreen Fareed whose brand is called Gould. Ofcourse I had to wear Rashme’s blouses inside as layers to keep myself warm. Soon we landed in Fairfield hall and it was very enjoyable to get sucked into the ambience of a wonderful London theatre. The hall was packed to overflowing. London is always packed with tourists and theatre lovers any time of the year. And I dont feel I have done justice to my visit if I have not taken in a show. And what a show! The Buddy Holly Story is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. Called the jukebox musical, Buddy ran in London's West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Now the show is coming to lesser known halls and more people are able to enjoy it.

Three of us in Fairfiled Hall during the Intermission The Buddy Holly story tells the true story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, from the moment in 1957 when ‘That’ll be the day’ hit the airwaves until his tragic death less than two years later on “The day the music died”. the show features over 20 of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits including ‘That’ll be the day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Oh boy’, ‘Not fade away’, ‘Rave on’ and ‘Raining in my heart’, plus Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ and the big bopper’s ‘Chantilly Lace’. The incredible legacy of the young man with glasses, whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period during the golden days of rock & roll, continues to live on in the hearts of Buddy Lovers. I am familiar with the music cause Mum and Dad sang his songs and Dad played Radio Ceylon for us as we dressed to go to school. “The day the music died,” and ‘Raining in my heart’, were two songs along with Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ which we sing even today. When the artists on stage asked us all to dance with them,Padma and I stood up and l shook our booties as the rest of the crowd did too! I love London and I love the shows. Then we headed back for the Box Park as Padma needed to eat and we sat down while she polished off some Thai food while we had our Lattes. Then Averil dropped me off at Clapham Junction and David collected me once I landed in Woking. It was a great evening and I look forward to the summer when I plan to hit London again.

Berries in the garden over winter in the UK

A fabulous crop of Cotoneaster (Cornubia) berries. This time I am in the UK during the winter, which can be horribly cold and grey and ofcourse rainy most of the time. The air is full of falling leaves swirling around my head and floating to the ground. Piles of fallen brown and yellow leaves lie scattered all over the ground, under the trees which are rapidly turning bare and leafless. My son and I spend hours raking and filling the garden waste bins with clippings and fallen leaves and apples. The garden which was a vibrant palette of colour in June and August, is now looking depleted of it’s summer vigour and flowers and the last of the apples are being pecked off the trees by the hungry birds. The rose bush which was a burst of colour in June is devoid of roses but is covered with rose hips. Something quite rare in India. But as I hoe down the beds to remove any left over weeds, what I have noticed are that winter berries bring a splash of colour to stark and frosty gardens, when a lot of trees are otherwise bare. They are a vital food source for wildlife during the coldest months in the UK and can be foraged to make some delicious seasonal treats for humans too.

Beautiful Christmas holly already out On my morning walks I see the hedges of some homes covered with berries of different kinds. So,what is a berry? The botanical definition of a berry is a fruit produced from the ovary of a single flower, fleshy throughout except for the seeds. The common definition of a berry: a small fleshy fruit found on plants. Shrubs with autumn berries bring colour both from the berries themselves, and the birds they attract. On my walk as I turn the corner to walk through the park I go past a cottage which has a tall holly hedge. Hollies (Pyracantha) have constant beauty despite lacking conspicuous blossom. One can clip them to any shape or size. The Pyracantha produces buckets of fruit and brightens up the garden size or shape. They grow as hedging or like one garden has let one become a stately tree. All varieties are good, but interestingly only females bear berries. Holly berries are not just for Christmas – they’re good for the birds in your garden in January when there’s not much else for them to eat. If the glossy green leaves of the Holly are not to your taste, this useful shrub can be found with variegated foliage caled the ‘Golden King’ – which despite its name, is a female plant. Holly, which is traditionally used to decorate homes at Christmas, is on the increase in the UK, because of warming temperatures. Along my walk a whole hedge is of the Cotoneaster (Cornubia. Many Cotoneasters carry a generous crop of red berries and it’s quite a large cultivar, with fruits which are carried in such huge clusters that they weigh down the branches. The beauty of the plant stopped me in my tracks to snap a picture. Partially evergreen, the foliage makes an attractive background to the fruits without hiding them. In the depths of winter when food is hard to find, they’re almost as beneficial as feeding tables for the birds. And berries can look as pretty as bigger flowers — prettier, sometimes. They bring autumnal colour and winter cheer when there isn’t much else to enjoy in the garden. So to increase berry power in your garden,check out the berry fruiting shrubs in a garden centre. Crab apples have lovely blossoms and showy fruits as well. As I walk past an old quaint house called the Old Oak Cottage, which has a crab apple fruiting right up infront, I whip out my camera to get a picture. Sadly the house looks all forlorn and empty with a big ‘For Sale’ board up in front. I think to myself the old owner must have passed. Every time I walked past I enjoyed taking pictures of its beautifully maintained garden. Now the birds were eating the fruit which looked so inviting in the cold. Another hedge made entirely of Dog rose (Rosa canina) a British native, has soft pink flowers in summer. Now the shrubs were covered with bright scarlet vitamin rich rose-hips over the winter. They can be bought as a bare rooted specimens and planted over the winter, as part of a native hedge. These shrubs provide cover for nesting birds, as well as in winter a food source for the birds.

The Sunday Park Run in the UK

The kids take off at the start of the race The weather here is amazing now in November. Just chilly enough to be called winter and yet not that cold which I hate and sit morosely indoors nursing endless cups of tea. So come Sunday and my son and family set off to the park to enjoy a Park Run. It’s a run that everyone participates in the UK on a Sunday morning. Hundreds of families with kids come out and are all at the starting line at the exact 9am as planned. “ Come on Mum!” said my son David. “ You too can run with Natalie and help her on.” Everyone seems to be health concious, judging by the numbers who had showed up.

The four of us @ the run Ofcourse I could but we had Arthur in his pram who would have slowed us all down, so I decided to stand and watch. We had reached just in time and David and Nat ran towards the start with barely a minute to go. If it’s 9am in the UK the start is at 9am. Not like us in India, where the start is supposed to be at 6am and we are still waiting for others at 6:10am, start our warm ups at 6:15 maybe and then take off for the 5k or the 7 k as charted out. As I stood at a corner a pair of grandparents came upto me with concern and said --” Better pull the pram up on the grass ‘cause they are going to come running here like bats out of hell and knock you down.” Glad I took their advice and dragged Arthurs pram up with their help because in seconds the runners had come towards me full pelt.

David and Natalie at the 500 metre mark Little ones, big ones, the crowd was mixed and ofcourse like David and Nat -- a parent running with a child. Once they passed us the grandparents advised me to walk across with them and stand at the 500 metre mark where they would run past and we could yell out encouragement. So Arthur and me raced across and stood watching till David and Nat came racing by. Nats lovely shiny hair was slipping so she was trying to tighten her top knot. Arthur and I yelled “‘ Come on Nat, come on Dave” and they ran past with huge smiles across their faces.

Volunteers cheering on the participants Then as they ran past we about- turned and went back to the point where the race first began. Parents whipped out cams like me taking pictures and the little ones did not seem to be tired at all. The weather was wonderful, I would feel the same running in such great weather. At the third point Nat wanted a sip of water, so they had to stop and grab the water from under the pram. That definitely slowed her down and I tried to explain later to her that a water stop was not an option if she wanted to cut on her timing.

Arthur all bundled up against the cold in his pram The final run was upto the pavilion in the centre of the lawns where their timing was recorded and they all got to know if they had cut on last Sundays run timing. Nat was so excited as she had --” I got my personal best, my personal best,” she chortled with joy with her Dad. I had promised her a dosa breakfast if she ran well and so we all jumped into the car and headed home. In minutes she had her shower and she and Arthur and her Dad were at the dining table waiting for their hot and crispy dosas which I made from the MTR mix I brought from Bangalore.

The final finish was a run up to the pavilion Arthur ate his with Tennessee honey that I had brought the previous time I had come and Natalie and David ate theirs with channa that I had cooked the previous day. How excited she was that she had done her ‘personal best’ in her timing while I was secretly thrilled that my son who had been a champion when younger is back to running and turning healthier and losing all his excess fat.

The drink of water that cut her timing Natalie too is thrilled to come from a back ground where her Great grandfather was Mysore State champion and her Grand mother a Delhi State Champion and her Dad an Asian level and Karnataka State champion. “ It’s in your DNA Nat,” I said. “ You can easily run and do much better next time.”

Danes are 100% the happiest people in the world

Brunch at the Ritz Carlton which we all enjoyed Two and a half years ago my sister’s flat had to be tenanted. So we put up our board on the gate to invite tenants interested in the beautiful three bedroom flat. The board was made and the carpenter called to fix it on the front gate. Then whoever passed the board and were genuinely interested, would either call to see it, or call to ask the rental we wanted. An American came from NASDAQ which is on St Mark’s road. He came with a retinue of brokers, hovering around him like flies. He wanted a place where he could see his favourite evening hangout -- Bang in the Ritz Carlton. I did not even know the name, just that it disturbed us with its booming music.

I'll take one said the waiter and we posed He seemed slightly weird and entitled and that’s not what I want in a tenant. Several others came and went. Either the vaastu was not what they wanted or I was unhappy with the number of family members. Indians always have extended family and a retinue of servants and we were not looking for more disturbance. Then came a young engineer from Siemens, who went around the apartment taking pictures. He was not too bothered about the parking, but wanted to look out of the windows to see the view. Lucky for us he loved the plants in the garden and our crab claws or heliconias were in full bloom when he came. Plus we are really lucky to have a huge house next door with a tree filled garden. That clinched his deal and inspite of looking at 21 houses which he said were superior to ours, he agreed and took it.

Posing infront of the pool “At least put up curtains for me,” he said, “As I have to furnish the place now.” He was thrilled to find Pepper Fry online and in a few weeks furnished the entire house. Simple clean lines and he was so house proud. Best part he was Danish who are apparently the happiest people in the world. He was and the three of us loved him and he loved us back in return.

The delicious rugbrod that I enjoyed @ my cousins in Denmark! Since I studied in Denmark I was familiar with Rugbrod. A wonderful rye bread which my cousin in Denmark, introduced me to, when I spent weekends with them. It’s black and Mari Ann taught me to eat it with goose pate. I love pate but had never tasted the goose variety. The wind engineer baked his loaf of bread and cut it neatly in half and brought me half, every single time! The door bell would ring and there he was, holding half a pound of warm and delicious, just-out-of-the-oven, rugbrod. Whenever he went back to Denmark on work, he would bring tins of pate for me, without my even asking. And when he travelled, Pushpa the help and me would look after his wonderful tomato ‘farm’ on the balcony. He grew the most delicious cherry tomatoes and harvested a large crop, every once in a while, ripe off the plants.

The pool at the Ritz Carlton is impeccably maintained The house was impeccably maintained. So much so my husband would take friends to see it and say -- look at how he keeps the house. Clutter free, minimalistic and spotless. I think it’s in their DNA to keep the place clean. Infact even after my help would clean his home, he would spend the weekends cleaning even more with his vacuum cleaner. A three bedroom house for one man, you ask? He lived in the kids room because the view from there was the greenest in the flat. The Master bedroom held his gym equipment which he hardly used, as he went to the Ritz Gym every single day. All the bedrooms were well furnished as throughout his stay he had relatives come down to visit.

His tomato farm on the balcony How he loved India and he wanted to show off all the parts of the country to his rellies. Agra, Jaipur, Goa, Mahaballipuram, he travelled everywhere and enjoyed the experience. But ofcourse it was not all hunky dory for him in Bangalore. He went through four drivers and finally got one that could understand English. He laughed and told us, the cost of hiring an English speaking driver is much more than a regular local. But he preferred a hired car to owning one which we have realised is the most sensible option if one does not live in the country. Plus all the Indian engineers he hired were book smart, not hands on and that he found to be a huge difficulty. I teach journalism and I can see the same problem with young journalists to be -- they are fine academically, but useless hands on. The young guy enjoyed the gym in the Ritz Carlton. “ Come you must see where I went every single day for two years,” he said. The gym was top -of- the- line and membership really expensive, but he loved the place and enjoyed the ambience of the pool as well. “I swam a lot too,” he said, “ there is a kiddy area upfront and the 25 metre pool is at the back. “ All around sat foreigners on the sun beds reading and sunning themselves. “Look at us, we want your brown colour and I have seen shelves of stuff, to help you guys get ‘white’.” Such a paradox really, but the world over, we brown skins hunger for skin whitening, while they want the warm tan that we sport.

Genuine affection among us all. The three of us were treated to a wonderful brunch by the young guy at the restaurant which was surprisingly packed to capacity. He is going to leave us in December and he wanted us to hav e one last meal together. We went in to eat at around 11:30 and I think left only by 4pm! There was nothing that we did not try and nothing we did not talk about! And ofcourse I asked for fruit instead of the huge selection of desserts. Lovely to see a firang enjoying our spicy food. Infact he laughed and said he ate more spice than me. Sometimes you are destined to get a genuinely nice person who comes and lives in your flat and enjoys his stay. While there are others who grumble at the slightest issue. Lucky for me all my tenants and my sister’s too, who are mine by default, have been lovely people. Infact we had a HC lawyer trained in Cambridge who has moved into his own home now, but, will always come out and completely support us, for free, should we have a problem with any- one else. These are the sons we have in the country, since our own elder sons have left for greener shores. And that makes us very confident and comfortable.

What are considered 'wild' flowers in the worlds gardens?

Dandelions can be pesky, but look at their flowers! I belong to a gardeners group based in the UK, but it has members from across the globe. Today there was the picture which I have copied below, with a question by a member asking if the flowers and plants were ‘wild’ and if they need to be pulled out and relegated to the compost heap. The responses were so controlled and commendable. “ Depends on what you consider wild, they look like perfectly beautiful flowers,” said one.

Is this a weed asked one gardener! Another said, “ The birds and bees would love the flowers for their nectar and pollen, so why destroy them?” Others said “ It is a weed, pull it out before it spreads.” I felt the same. Today the world is waking up to the common concept of what are considered weeds in a garden and how wild flowers and gardeners understand that weeds are actually food for the birds and bees and nature at large. This is an important part of the circle of life and could not have been included by the creator, if not to be part of it.

Delicate and dainty and considered a weed! My little grand- daughters woke me up to this concept of looking at weeds with a more benign eye. They just could not understand why Grandma and Dad spent so much time weeding and taking out the prettiest flowers in the garden! Pure white daisies, golden yellow dandelions, delicate pink Impatiens, the reddish or white scented clover, the golden buttercups. They found the flowers lovely and did not understand our adult need to remove what we called ‘weeds’. Now there is a new wave sweeping the world where gardeners are asked to have at least one ‘wild’ area in their gardens for the bees and birds to enjoy. And so many are even buying what are called ‘wild’ flower packs and sowing them in one section of their gardens, to attract the bees and butterflies.

Love 'em white daisies which pop up all over lawns in the UK It takes me back to when I was a child and our garden here in Hayes road was a beautiful rumble-tumble of plants, where scores of butterflies and bees flitted all day. Instead now the roadside flowering beds have the flowers we enjoyed in our garden. Ours is manicured and boring, which the dogs anyway destroy with their pee, allowed by nasty pet owners.The joys of community living. Reading up on the various ‘weeds,’ the first one I read up on was the Dandelion. They are a family of flowering plants that grow in many parts of the world. You may be most familiar with the dandelion as a stubborn weed, that never seems to leave your lawn or garden. I have taken out over 250 plants over a month in my son’s garden in Tennessee.

The beautiful red clover which grows wild in the US The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion's tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves. Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant and their seeds are often carried as many as 5 miles from their origin. Botanists consider dandelions to be herbs and people use the leaves, stem, flower, and root of the dandelion for medicinal purposes. The common daisy is also known as the lawn daisy and the English daisy. Hundreds of them grow in the UK on my sons lawns, both up front and back and in all parks and gardens sprinkling their emerald green lawns with specks of white. And, like the Dandelion my son there dislikes them. I am rather partial to the pretty white flower, The flower is born on a long flower stalk, which rises above the base rosette of leaves. The leaves grow close to the ground and are spatulate, or spoon-shaped. Like the dandelion they leave a hole when I pull them out ‘cause of the spreading leaves.

The pretty little buttercup which can be found across the UK Another favourite of mine in the UK is the buttercup, which is a herbaceous perennial. The first time I saw the delicate, golden-yellow cup-shaped flowers in my sons garden I just fell in love with their delicate beauty. They belong to the ranunculus family, which has around 400 species of flowers, however, the most popular one among this family is the five-petal, bright yellow buttercup which is considered ‘wild’. When I spent four months in Tennessee, helping with my little grandson Aiden who was suffering from repeated ear infections, he loved spending time in the back garden pulling out the clover flowers growing on the lawn and running up on his fat little legs, to give them to me, with a huge smile. Several species of clover are extensively cultivated as fodder plants. The most widely cultivated clovers are white clover, and the red clover. Gown in the agricultural areas as fodder for the cattle, it grows freely, shooting up again after repeated mowings; which annoys my son no end! However, it is palatable to and nutritious for livestock; it fixes nitrogen, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers; and it grows in a great range of soils and climates; and is appropriate for either pasturage or green composting. No wonder the compost that I make in the US yields fantastic returns.

The spectacular California poppy now grown in homes as a domestic flower But what I will never forget on my trips to edit Britisher Tom Bates books in Berkeley, California was the Golden Poppy or California Poppy. This stunning flower is the California State Flower. The California Poppy is a perennial and one of the earliest wildflowers to grow in gardens. My memories emblazoned across my brain are, of California's rolling hills , set ablaze with its golden blooms. Now I have seen many homes in the UK grow them inside their gardens along with their wild scarlet poppies. So what can we call wild and weeds is my question? And my little grand daughters Alaina and Natalie nod their heads sagely, holding my hand and looking at the flowers when I visit.

The exotic orchid is all the rage in Bangalore, India

A unique display at the Orchid exhibition in Lalbagh My exposure to orchids was as a young woman in Shillong. Dad was posted for two years in the Air Force station there and we enjoyed the most beautiful part of India, in my opinion. Nothing can beat the untouched and magnificent hills and mountains that the North East commands and the wonderful flora and fauna of the area. Ofcourse it was on our family trip to Bhutan a protected state, but not a protectorate, of India that we really saw the splendid diversity of hundreds of species of orchids. What amazed us as kids was the mind boggling varieties that grew everywhere, even in old tin cans on people’s roofs. It was there that my Dad and Mum’s interest and love for orchids grew.

A mottled beauty at the exhibition On our return to Bangalore, Dad brought with him a collection from Shillong which grew and flourished under his care and love under a large Raspuri mango tree up front of the garden which had been planted by his father. The plants were either tied to the branches of the tree or just placed in moss and hung from the branches. They grew and flourished in the shade and humidity and ever so often we would get an excited call from Dad or Mum to “ come see the Blue Wanda has flowered.” It was time for celebration for them and we enjoyed their happiness. In Goa too one finds orchids flowering in the trees in the jungles, clinging to rotting branches and their roots free flowing in the air above. The most common are the Fox Brush orchids which throw out a long and breathtaking inflorescence, hanging from the trees. Stupidly we would carry them home to Bangalore where they clung,barely alive in the heat of the city and died.

Wish Dad and Mum could see these! But today there is a huge variety of domesticated orchids, and a growing community of orchid lovers in India and particularly Bangalore. I recollect carrying one from the Singapore airport for my Dad on one of my conference trips. Today those Phalaenopsis or Butterfly orchids are grown the world over and my son has 10 year old specimens that bloom and happily grow in his kitchen in London. But he spends time and love on them to keep them that way.

Crowds at the exhibition and the tickets were not cheap! Visiting the Orchid exhibition at the Mari Gowda hall in Lalbagh recently the huge variety of orchids being grown in Bangalore was displayed. Crowds visited and the display got immense coverage in the local newspapers. A friend and fellow jogger - Everest D’souza displayed his collection and won a second prize at the event. Prizes encourage the grower to enjoy the hobby even more, as we humans enjoy recognition. Most orchid roots have NOT to be stuffed into potting soil so, look for a porous mix like cocopeat, coal and tile. Direct sunlight should be avoided. Some common types of orchids that thrive on bright light are Cattleya and Vanda, while low light is preferred by Phalaenopsis, among others

The variety of species on display entranced the crowds. It is estimated that there are more than 1,300 species of orchids found in India, primarily in the Northeast -Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh -and also in Sikkim and south India. Most orchids are perennial and if raised in the right conditions, they should last eight weeks with flowers, after which the blooms slowly start dropping off. They eventually re-flower. A word of caution: Never cut off the aerial roots, and never, ever remove the shoot on which the flowers bloomed. They may reflower. Growing orchids can be addictive. But you can take proper care of your orchid only when you know its genus.Most orchids you get in nurseries are hybrids, created specifically for flowers. They are easy to care for at homes and offices. However, a few things should be kept in mind, like light and humidity. If you can imitate a plant's natural habitat, it will thrive.

Yes! It's a black beauty that had people queing to oggle it. The most commonly available orchids, such as the Moth Orchid, Phalaenopsis and Cattleya are so popular because they grow well at home. Phalaenopsis hybrids are usually considered the `beginners' orchids', simply because they re-bloom under the conditions most windowsill growers can offer them. They require lower light. The Vanda, is one of the most beautiful group of orchids. “Vandas could be mostly found on trees. And unlike most plants, they do not grow in soil, but air. Their roots attach to trees or rocks, and they draw moisture and nutrients that wash over them in the forest,“ says Everest an orchid enthusiast with 300 plants.

Prizewinning orchid which was very unusual and stunning Beginners often make the mistake of assuming that orchids need to be potted in soil like other blooming flowers. That would be a grave mistake. Most orchid roots need far more air than potting soil would give them. So, look for a porous mix. Direct sunlight should be avoided. Some common types of orchids that thrive on bright light are Cattleya and Vanda, while low light is preferred by Phalaenopsis and Pahiopedilum, among others. Orchids should be given as much light as they can tolerate.Varieties with thicker and erect leaves can tolerate more light than those with thinner or more horizontal leaves. Too little light is one of the common mistakes beginners make.

The Phalaenopsis are the most loved and sold extensively in stores across the globe Most orchids like about 70 percent humidity in the atmosphere, which is more humid than most homes. So, you have to make an effort to provide your plants with extra humidity . Orchids usually appreciate misting with a spray bottle. If the plant has aerial roots growing up and out of the pot, those roots will like getting some moisture. At home, you can keep the the planter on a tray. Fill it with water and gravel. As the water evaporates, it will provide some extra humidity to the plant. For anyone keeping orchids on a windowsill in the kitchen which is usually more humid than the rest of the house, this technique really helps. Orchids need nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium for growth. You can purchase a ready spray or fingers of nutrition which can be inserted into the pot like my son does.They are the best, though expensive. But I did buy a 2$ frothy nutrient spray from Home Depot for my son in the US and his orchid which was sad looking has thrown some aerial roots he says excitedly. Everest says he uses butter milk which has been left to stand for a few days and gets the best results with that.

Look at that golden beauty quite unusual and not the regular variety Overwatering kills far more orchids than underwatering. When in doubt, just don't water. The potting mix also has a lot to do with how often an orchid needs watering. Most orchids are sold in mixes that allow for weekly watering. Don't water until the soil is approaching dryness. To water an orchid, just submerge the pot in a bucket for a few seconds, then lift it out and let the excess water drain off.