Ornamental Plants

Orchid Expo: Alajuela

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One of José Luis’s orchids at Xandari.

From Friday the 24rd of October to Sunday the 26th, Alajuela had their annual orchid exposition, which includes displays and awards as well as a few lectures on growing orchids and a section for sale or auction. As James and I have written before, Xandari has a wonderful collection of this family of flowers in addition to the general gardens thanks to the industrious efforts of our head gardener, José Luis Ballestero. He has a little greenhouse near Xandari’s restaurant with about a hundred plants that are often in varying stages of development, depending on how much time he has to prune them.

The three photos above are examples of some of the orchids on display in Xandari’s common area, like the reception, lobby, and restaurant room. At the expo this weekend, there were dozens of species and hundreds of individual plants, including hybrids, miniature flowers, and some fantastically strange Continue reading →

Cactus plant

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Cactus plant

Cactus plant

Cactus are unique plants found naturally growing in tropical regions, dry areas and deserts. Belonging to the family of cactaceac, instead of leaves from which water can easily evaporate, members of this family have spiney succulent body parts that help to control the water levels. Continue reading →

Hibiscus Flower

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Hibiscus flowers are very common in the Hill Ranges of Kerala. There are multiple hybrids in a wide range of colors such as white, red, orange and pink. Hibiscus plants are also used in Ayurveda medicines. Continue reading →

Petunia Flowers

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Petunias are a low spreading plants with downy leaves and multicolored flowers. These attractive plants are members of the solanaceae family. There are about 35 different species of petunias. Continue reading →

Rose – Sympathie

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Rosa Sympathie has double, dark red elegant flowers with a velvet appearance with strong, glossy green leaves. These roses are common in the gardens of the High-Ranges and bloom throughout the year.

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Plumeria – Temple Tree

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Plumeria, native to Mexico and Central America, is a large shrub or a medium-sized tree widely growing in tropical and sub-tropical climates around the world. In Kerala these plants are commonly found near temples, cemeteries, gardens and parks. Also called Frangipani, the sweet fragrance of plumeria flowers are reminded of a blend of jasmine, rose and honey suckle. Although without nectar, the flowers are used for making scents and perfumes.

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Painted Nettle (Coleus blumei)

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Painted Nettle is native to Southeast Asia and is commonly found in the nurseries and gardens of the high ranges of Kerala. The smooth leaves are brightly colored with green edges and splotches of color ranging from blood-red to brown. In medicine it is used to treat stomach pain, digestive problems, dysentery and even elephantiasis.

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Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

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Nasturtium plants are native to South America, but this fast growing climber is now widely growing in the High Ranges of Kerala. These plants are commonly found in gardens and the leaves and flowers are used to increase resistance to bacterial infections.

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Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis)

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The Spider Lily is an amazing plant which is commonly found in the hill stations of Kerala’s Western Ghats. These plants can  grow in wet areas, in water, as well as dry areas. The beautiful white flowers have  long narrow reflexed petals. The flower stem is long and each stem has several flowers. Continue reading →

Wax Begonia

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Begonia flowers are particularly popular for planting in flowerbeds and window-boxes. These bushy plants produce single or double blooms in wonderful strong colors like white, yellow, orange and pink. In high-ranges  these flowers are  popular in all gardens.

Jamaican Blue Spike

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Jamaican blue spike is a tropical plant, naturalized  in India and Srilanka. These plants are common in the Western Ghats of India, growing widely along stream banks and road sides as well as cultivated gardens. The flowers bloom year round, making them an attractive food source for butterflies, moths and other pollinators.

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Heliconia Caribaea

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Heliconia caribaea is tropical plant naturalized in the Western Ghats of India. In Kerala, it is commonly popular for its beautifully colorful flowering bracts. It is often grown as a decorative flower for bouquets as it can last for 6-7 days. The flowers are highly modified into a shellfish claw shape and only the sunbirds feed off their nectar. Continue reading →

Musa Laterita Plant

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Musa Laterita is a plant that resembles the banana plant naturalized in Kerala for its fibre cultivation. The leaf stem of the plant is cut and left to wilt, then soaked in water and crushed to separate the very strong fibres. These fibres are woven into rope or cord and can be even made into paper.  The fibre is prized due to its strength, flexibility and water resistance even to salt water and hence it used for marine ropes, well-drilling cables, etc. Continue reading →

Railway Glory (Ipomoea cairica)

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Railway Glory is a tropical, perennial climbing vine with tuberous roots, spreading extensively in the hills of India’s Western Ghats up to 1000m. The plant blooms throughout the year, growing aggressively over fences, shrubs and trees. The attractive flowers are purple, pink or rarely pinkish white. In Kerala it is commonly planted in gardens and around houses for insulation against the summer heat. It is also known by the names Cairo Morning Glory and Coastal Morning Glory. Continue reading →

Peacock Flower (Caesalpinia Pulcherrima)

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The Peacock flower is a tropical to sub-tropical plant found commonly in the Western Ghats of India. It has a lot of similarities with the Gulmohar tree and hence one can often mistakenly identify one for the other.  Continue reading →

Malabar Plum (syzygium jambos)

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This flower is the white variety of the Malabar Plum (Rose Apple) which is medium sized, tropical flowering tree that grows up to 15 meters high. This is the flowering season (March to May) for this tropical plant which yields white colored rose apple fruit.

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Queen Flower (Lagerstroemia speciosa)

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The Queen flower is a small to medium sized tropical flowering tree growing to a height of 20mts, native to southern India and the Philippines. It has smooth rounded leaves and beautiful lavender flowers which will add beauty to any landscape.

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