Climbers require less maintenance and last for years. Try varieties such as the 'Bengal Clock Vine' or 'Morning Glory', suggests Rashmi Shrinivas
Perennial climbers are favourites of garden enthusiasts, especially of those living in metropolises. It is a well-known fact that climbers occupy very little terrestrial space and can be directed to grow as per availability and the choice of the gardener, if suitable support is provided.
Since city-based gardeners face shortage of terrestrial space owing to escalating land prices, they naturally tend to like creepers which can easily be grown vertically, the most. Perennial climbers last for years and hence busy city dwellers need not squeeze in more time from their busy schedule to tend to these climbers.
It is because of this reason that they are most preferred. While many of them display beautiful flowers of bright colours ranging from reds, oranges, yellows, maroons, pinks etc, that are most popular, few of them bear blue flowers, which too are liked by a section of people.
Their small number makes them all the more desirable among a section of garden enthusiasts. Blue is the symbol of peace and represents calmness and spreads serenity! Even in colour therapy, blue colour is used to calm down the nerves.
Though there are a few other blue flowered climbers, 'Bengal Clock Vine', a sturdy perennial creeper of the family acanthaceae (Much known crossandra or kanakambara family), is best suited for Indian climatic conditions.
It is gaining popularity among shopping mall owners and private gardens as a compound cover, false roof, etc. Botanically known as thunbergia grandiflora, its large flowers in clusters of various shades of blue and some time in white are really attractive. This creeper is named after a 19th-century Swedish botanist Thunberg. Grandiflora refers to the large flowers it bears! It is perhaps of the fact that it twists around the support in clockwise direction that it is generally called 'Bengal Clock Vine'. It grows in any type of well drained soil and is gaining popularity among garden enthusiasts since it needs little maintenance. It has a woody stem with elongated heart shaped coarse leaves with dented border. It can reach a height of almost 40 feet if suitable support is provided.
In fact, a friend of mine had grown it in a corner of her compound, which could grow well with vertical support and a horizontal skeleton for a false roof.
Another creeper equally attractive, if not more, is 'Morning Glory'. It belongs to the large genus Ipomoea (meaning worm-like, referring to curled flower bud) which has a number of species bearing beautiful flowers in different colours like blues, pinks and white too.
But it is the variety with dark blue large flowers with velvet tinge in the centre that steals the show. Belonging to the botanical family convolvulaceae (In Latin, convolvere means twine around), its flowers have tube-like corolla, with five petals faintly demarcated at the edge.
Leaves are tri-lobed and the stem is sturdy enough though it looks slender. This creeper grows in any well-drained soil and does not need much maintenance except daily watering.
This is well suited to cover fences, compounds, pillars or pergolas. Since I could not provide suitable space for this creeper in my little gardening space, I had planted it in a pot.
Even then, it grew well and spread on my grill and bore beautiful flowers! In fact, this creeper grows as a wild one in hill stations like Yercaud and Wayanad, where it remains fresh even in the evenings.
Though yet to gain popularity, some gardens like Karnatak University Gardens at Dharwad, some community gardens in Bangalore, etc have opted for this creeper. Propagation is by cuttings.
Unlike most other Ipomoeas, this variety does not bear any seeds. Hence one should be careful not to buy seeds of this.
Because, some varieties of wild Ipomoeas (called bhanwaro in Konkani) also bear as big a flower as this, in light blue colour and bear seeds, which are often sold as seeds of some creeper or the other.
Perennial climbers are favourites of garden enthusiasts, especially of those living in metropolises. It is a well-known fact that climbers occupy very little terrestrial space and can be directed to grow as per availability and the choice of the gardener, if suitable support is provided.
Since city-based gardeners face shortage of terrestrial space owing to escalating land prices, they naturally tend to like creepers which can easily be grown vertically, the most. Perennial climbers last for years and hence busy city dwellers need not squeeze in more time from their busy schedule to tend to these climbers.
It is because of this reason that they are most preferred. While many of them display beautiful flowers of bright colours ranging from reds, oranges, yellows, maroons, pinks etc, that are most popular, few of them bear blue flowers, which too are liked by a section of people.
Their small number makes them all the more desirable among a section of garden enthusiasts. Blue is the symbol of peace and represents calmness and spreads serenity! Even in colour therapy, blue colour is used to calm down the nerves.
Though there are a few other blue flowered climbers, 'Bengal Clock Vine', a sturdy perennial creeper of the family acanthaceae (Much known crossandra or kanakambara family), is best suited for Indian climatic conditions.
It is gaining popularity among shopping mall owners and private gardens as a compound cover, false roof, etc. Botanically known as thunbergia grandiflora, its large flowers in clusters of various shades of blue and some time in white are really attractive. This creeper is named after a 19th-century Swedish botanist Thunberg. Grandiflora refers to the large flowers it bears! It is perhaps of the fact that it twists around the support in clockwise direction that it is generally called 'Bengal Clock Vine'. It grows in any type of well drained soil and is gaining popularity among garden enthusiasts since it needs little maintenance. It has a woody stem with elongated heart shaped coarse leaves with dented border. It can reach a height of almost 40 feet if suitable support is provided.
In fact, a friend of mine had grown it in a corner of her compound, which could grow well with vertical support and a horizontal skeleton for a false roof.
Another creeper equally attractive, if not more, is 'Morning Glory'. It belongs to the large genus Ipomoea (meaning worm-like, referring to curled flower bud) which has a number of species bearing beautiful flowers in different colours like blues, pinks and white too.
But it is the variety with dark blue large flowers with velvet tinge in the centre that steals the show. Belonging to the botanical family convolvulaceae (In Latin, convolvere means twine around), its flowers have tube-like corolla, with five petals faintly demarcated at the edge.
Leaves are tri-lobed and the stem is sturdy enough though it looks slender. This creeper grows in any well-drained soil and does not need much maintenance except daily watering.
This is well suited to cover fences, compounds, pillars or pergolas. Since I could not provide suitable space for this creeper in my little gardening space, I had planted it in a pot.
Even then, it grew well and spread on my grill and bore beautiful flowers! In fact, this creeper grows as a wild one in hill stations like Yercaud and Wayanad, where it remains fresh even in the evenings.
Though yet to gain popularity, some gardens like Karnatak University Gardens at Dharwad, some community gardens in Bangalore, etc have opted for this creeper. Propagation is by cuttings.
Unlike most other Ipomoeas, this variety does not bear any seeds. Hence one should be careful not to buy seeds of this.
Because, some varieties of wild Ipomoeas (called bhanwaro in Konkani) also bear as big a flower as this, in light blue colour and bear seeds, which are often sold as seeds of some creeper or the other.