Mughal Gardens Rashtrapati Bhavan Visit

My dad has been promising to take me to the Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan every year, for years, but we finally managed to go only this year. I had visited the place as part of an excursion in the third grade once before, and have memories of it being really beautiful - especially the round garden. On this visit I was truly able to recognize the value of the work put in by the malis (gardeners) and landscapers to make the President's Garden look like a paradise on earth (guarded by angels dressed as cops...ha ha ha).

The Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi consist of seven gardens. They are the Herbal Garden, Bonsai Garden, Musical Garden, Main Mughal Gardens, Rose Garden, Circular Garden and Spiritual Garden.

Citronella Plant

1. Herbal Garden: This is the first garden you enter after passing through security. This garden showcases plants that are used in the manufacture of various products. Some of the plants in this garden were lemon grass and citronella (mosquito repellents), Damask rose (used in perfumes and soap making), aloevera (skin creams), garlic and some other medicinal herbs.

Jade Plant

2. Bonsai Garden: This garden displayed about two hundred bonsai versions of trees, some of them being the Chinese orange, jade plant, banyan tree, bouganvilla, mango tree and tamarind tree. I feel sad for these trees as they are not being allowed to grow to their full size, and are being stuffed in a small pot all their life. Here, I discovered that a plant I call 'round-round' because of its round leaves, is actually named the 'jade plant'.

Giant Chrysanthemums

3. Musical Garden: After coming out of the bonsai garden, we passed a huge musical fountain that danced to the tune of patriotic songs like 'meri desh ki dharti sona ugle' (the earth of my country grows gold). The fountain was surrounded with a charming garden of coloured giant chrysanthemums, dahlias, giant pansies and lots of security. Surprisingly, I noticed a cage about 100 metres away with deer and turkeys.

Flower Wall

4. Main Garden: After climbing a flight of red sandstone steps, we entered the beautiful Mughal Gardens with the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan as the backdrop. The sky was bright blue, the sun rays reflected of the sparkling fountains and the air was filled with a heavenly fragrance. The garden looked truly magnificent with the wide variety of vibrant flowers blooming in the warm spring sunshine. Some of the flowers included giant chrysantamums, giant marigolds, dogflowers, giant pansies in all colours of the rainbow, red and white lilies, different types of roses, tulips and much more.

Green Rose

Of special interest was the 'Green Rose', which was camouflaged in its bush. People were crowding and craning their necks to see it, making the cops nervous. Another flower called the 'Kiss of Fire', was attracting glances and silly comments. There was also the flower wall, which consisted of a small patchwork of plant beds, which were displayed vertically (see photo above).

Oklahoma Rose

5. Rose Garden: After exiting the main Mughal Gardens, we entered the small rose garden, also known as the Pardha Garden. It is surrounded by high sandstone walls, on which golden begonias and sweet pea were growing. The rose garden consists of around 16 rose beds, on each side of a long path. Some of the varieties of rose growing here were the Louisiana, Christian Dior, Oklahoma, Pasadena, Montezuma, and Summer Snow. Along the path, were hanging baskets of really small multi coloured pansies. I felt really cozy and comfortable in this garden.

Dog Flower (Snapdragon)

6. Circular Garden: The rose garden opened into the circular garden, also known as the Butterfly Garden. It was built like a bowl on several levels, and had a giant fountain bubbling in the centre. Some of the flowers planted here were giant marigolds (gainda), giant chrysanthemums, giant pansies, dogflowers, roses and lilies; in almost every colour imaginable. The borders of the circular garden were planted with sweet pea and dahlias, and had butterflies and honeybees flitting among the lush green leaves. Even the grass on the pathways seemed like silky green cushions. This garden was truly magnificent, and is one of the main reasons I wish I could be the President of India some day.

Mehendi Plant

7. Spiritual Garden: This garden had trees and plants which are of use in daily life, or which are mentioned in ancient Indian religious texts. Some of them were henna (mehendi), amla, shikakai, ritha, tulsi, haldi (tumeric), mirch (red chillies), pudina (mint), methi, dhania, jasmine (motia/mogra), Ashoka tree, Peepal tree, Tamarind tree, Banyan tree, and many more.

Before leaving, I purchased one bag of general compost (35) and half a bag of vermi-compost (Rs.20) for my plants at home. I also bought one Rashtrapati Bhavan bookmark (Rs.5), and a wooden clock souvenir(220). The arrangements at Rashtrapati Bhavan were pretty decent, considering the fact that no entry fee was charged. Bottled drinking water was also free.

I wished I could have taken some photos though...but this was not permitted. I suppose this would be because a massive crowd posing for photos would have damaged the beautiful flowers and landscaping. Have you been to the Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi? Which is most beautiful garden you have seen?

Bougainvillas In Spring

Bouganvillas In Spring

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's Party !" "

Here is a pic of my magenta Bougainvilla plant in full bloom.


Bougainvilla is a tropical plant that grows all year around in regions with hot weather. In Delhi, this plant loses all its leaves in the cold winters and starts booming only in mid - March. It requires very little water and lots of sunlight. The best way to get lots of Bougainvilla flowers on your plant is to trim the ends of the stems regularly.

What do you say ?

Periwinkle flower - Sadabahar

Periwinkle Flower - aka Sadabahaar (hindi)

My first memory of this pink flower (which I later found out was called the periwinkle) was at my Grandmas place near the beach. Every morning a worker would fill water from the well in a brass pot (matka) and water the sandy flower beds from which the periwinkles sprang up. I loved watching them nodding at the sun and dancing in the wind. Periwinkles grow perpetually all year through and are also available in shades of white and purple.

The technical name of this plant is Catharanthus pussilus which comes from the Greek word meaning ' pure flower'. Previously it was known by the botanical name of Vinca Rosea. It is also known as Madagascar periwinkle. Today, the leaves and roots of the periwinkle are used in the pharmaceutical industry and in ayurvedic medicines to treat different diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

Sadabahar or periwinkle is very easy to grow. Just pluck a branch from another plant and stick it in well drained soil. Soon roots will grow and the pink flowers will multiply. I picked a four inch branch one year ago from someone's garden and today I have a flowerbed overflowing with sadabahaar periwinkle flowers. Looks very pretty from the road too.

Another way to grow a periwinkle plant is to pick the little pods with seeds from the stem and plant them. Many folks think of them as a weed though and use weedicides to get rid of the plant. A very happy smiling kind of flower, I simply love to see the periwinkle grow sadabahaar (perpetually) in my garden.

Pink Carnations

Pink Carnations - My Favourite Flower !

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." Gautama Buddha



Yesterday, my Dad brought home a bouquet of 20 pink carnations which a client had gifted him for Diwali. I simply love carnations especially if they are pink and was really overjoyed to see the flowers.

I checked up on the flower at wikipedia and I found out that pink carnations are a symbol of a mother's eternal love. According to Christian legend, carnations first appeared on Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears fell.

"Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. " ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844.

So, do you have a favourite flower ?

Lucky Bamboo Plant - a Feng Shui Gift

Is the Feng Shui good luck charm - the Lucky Bamboo Plant also known as the Fame Plant any good ?

Two months ago my sister gifted my brother a lucky bamboo plant for his birthday, which I ended up having to water and take care off. It was planted in a pretty wine glass filled with tiny coloured pebbles and plain water till the brim. She said she had heard it would bring fame and prosperity to the owner and had picked it up from Giggles a gift shop in Connaught Place.

For the past 4,000 years the Chinese have been growing the lucky bamboo plant which was used in Feng Shui to cure common ailments. Today, it has become a very popular gift item and I've seen it in many shop windows, restaurants and even my bosses' office desk. This plant is not a bamboo at all but a Dracaena from the lily family which is grown locally in South Asia and Africa.

The best thing about the fame plant is that it requires very little care - grows indoors in indirect sunlight and needs only water and no soil. My sister told me to use only Bisleri water or filtered water as the leaves would turn yellow with tap water ( as it is has chlorine and other chemicals). I even heard about folks tying red ribbons on the plant stems for good luck, but that just seemed real silly, so I avoided it.

The lucky bamboo plant is also supposed to be poisonous for cats and dogs. At first I kept it at a higher level so that my cat would'nt chew the leaves, but my cat still managed to get up there. Fortunately, to my delight he turned his nose up in the air and ignored the lucky bamboo plant.

I ignored the advice to use mineral water and in a few weeks saw the tips of the leaves turning yellow. I later read on the internet that tap water would do fine as long as it's kept for one day in the open. This is so the fluoride and chlorine present in the water can evaporate leaving it pure. I followed the new instructions and continued to use tap water, and saw a marked improvement in the growth of the plant.

Question of the day
Has the lucky bamboo plant or Feng Shui fame plant actually brought me any money or made me famous ?

In a way yes, my blog finally got spidered by Yahoo search, my website hits did increase plus my brother and I did get a few new assignments.

Lucky Bamboo Plant Feng Shui Fame Plant India