TrumatterLiving: For the love of flowers
9 easy, hand-tied spring bouquets, How to grow daffodils on your terrace, Container spices- all in our debut issue that celebrates this world's greatest romance called spring.
To begin with- this newsletter as well as the publication- Thank you. Hundreds of you joined in, in this ride with one measly “coming soon” post displayed on my front page- if this is not love, what is? Everyday we celebrate; we display love, unaware, and that is truly the greatest form of love.
The other day, my husband reminded me to drink two glasses of water before I slept because I had a few glasses of whisky and I have headaches. My best friend and I send 20 bucks to each other to check UPI functions. A beautiful soul and my pal sent me a bunch of flowers on my birthday without even me knowing. Pramila bought puran poli because I like it. My mom in law always keeps a container of homemade ghee for me. And I sing to my roses because who doesn’t like lullaby? There is so more to love than meets the eye in advertisements… and this is what we are celebrating all month!
Our love for all things wonderful and how they give us so much love and joy in return.
And over time I have realized that most of us really love flowers. And plants!
Flowers make us happy. Plants make us happy. Grow them, sow them, display them- the entire process is born out of pure love. And I love how they cheer a space up almost instantly.
When I was working a 9 to 7, I often used to take a detour and pick a bunch flowers from the florist while returning home. The entire process of standing next to fresh flowers and choosing them, and seeing the florist wrap them in newspaper was so very satiating. No matter how ridiculous the day was at work- not that there were many- with a bunch of fresh flowers in my hand, it was impossible to not feel happy. And I have had fresh flowers in my home for as long as I can remember.
I also think, this is a habit I picked from my paternal grandmother. Roma Ray was a star in her time. Is it at hers that I first saw vintage floral pins and hibiscus paired with green bay leaf and it opened my senses to the wonderful world of flowers. In the following pages, I have noted for you a collection of bouquets that I have constantly fallen back on to add joy to my space and I hope it opens up the same world for you.
All aboard team Bougainvillea
What’s better than bouquets? Free bouquets. Get out, get some sun and forage flowers from around you. That way your bouquets are always unique, always local and takes the burden away from roses!
Now, talking about roses, they are truly versatile. That’s for sure. But other than keeping a bunch of just rose- which is as ubiquitous as schezwan chutney- how about adding a bit of interest?
Below are 3 of our favorite rose arrangements!
Roadside Rockstar Quartet
While bougainvillea is the queen of the roadside rockstar boulevard, I do think we can put 4 more flowers in the lane to share the fame. Ixora, Moringa, Crepe Myrtle and Madhumalati
And if you note carefully, all the arrangements are ridiculously simple to achieve. Something these magazines don’t tell us either! You know what else they don’t tell us? How to actually do terrace gardens that we all seem to love and enjoy.
So in our first issue I got two amazing people to share their love for plants and flowers with us. Shilpy tells us how to grow daffodils at home. Yoshitha shows us how to ace growing lemon grass, spring onions and coriander. Here’s the garden chutney you are looking for this spring!
The Borderline Botanist aka Shilpy tells us how to grow Daffodils on your terrace
Whenever I think about William Wordsworth’s ‘ I wandered lonely as a cloud’ I think about how a crowd of golden daffodils would have appeared in his imagination and inspired this famous poem.
I had never seen daffodils before. And growing them from bulbs and seeing them bloom in my own garden was such a beautiful experience
General rules of growing daffodils at home, in India
To enjoy daffodils in early spring, sow the bulbs in autumn soil. October to November is considered to be the best time here in India.
Daffodils like moisture but they don’t like to sit in wet and soggy soil mix. If you are planting the bulbs in containers make sure it has good drainage holes and is preferably a terracotta container.
Daffodils like cold weather. Make sure they get at least three hours of sunlight if you are placing them in semi shaded area. They don’t bloom in dark areas.
Daffodils grow best in nutrient rich soil mix. You can get ready made soil mixture from garden stores if you are a novice. Or you can mix your garden soil with some fertilizer.
Easy peasy!
Yoshitha’s container spices!
How to grow lemon grass, coriander and spring onions at home & it works!
Spring onions: Just cut 1-2 inches of the bulbs and put them in water near a window with plenty of sunlight and change the water everyday. Once tall-ish, harvest your spring onions
Lemongrass – Cut 2 inches of the bulbs and put them in water, change water everyday. Once the roots are about an inch long, pot them in well-draining soil. Make sure to give the plants plenty of sunlight.
Coriander: Soak coriander seeds in chamomile tea for not more than 24 hours. Cool the tea from hot to warm so it doesn’t cook the seeds. Strain and add in potting soil! It’ll sprout and thrive and eventually be that amazing chutney!
A little trivia from Yoshitha
The first time I tried growing lemon grass, they died because of lack of sunlight, but they are thriving now. This time, I have cut a 5L Bisleri bottle (which I had saved for upcycling) into half, made holes at the base with an agarbatti :P, put a plastic tray at the bottom and put it in one of the million delivery cloth bags you get in Bangalore with every delivery. I’m planning to soak some of them in coffee decoction to give a rustic color, hem the top with a twine and use them for my other plants. Disposable plastic boxes from fruit deliveries online are next in line for more plants.
Want more gardening ideas?
Want more of apartment gardening? Follow our garden section for great ideas that are achievable, costs nothing and is very fulfilling!
Like this newsletter? I will be delighted if you share it. Have feedback? Write to us and we will be happy to hear you out. And if you are reading this line, you are awesome. Thank you for sticking around. You know how to love a soul! Or two
Love, Rukmini
It's beautifully presented :)
Loved it.