Pages

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Poinsettias!


On a recent visit to Haflong, my hometown, I went around
town taking a whole lot of pictures. I was happy to see
the poinsettias still blooming. The photo above is the
new(er) building of the Circuit House.

All across India, a Circuit House stands for comfortable
rooms and basic food. Catering to bureaucrats mainly, the
room rent is cheap too. Some of them also have picturesque
views and this is one of them.

Part of the old building (built during colonial times) can
be seen in this photo. The garden is a riot of colour!

The bright red of the poinsettias amidst all that pink!!

There's another lovely garden beyond these small trees. The
C. House stands on the edge of a hill opposite the beautiful
Barail Ranges overlooking the Diyung valley.

Poinsettias are popular hedge plants too!


There's more at the back yard.

On the edge of this property near the lake, they bloom...
Maybe not as bright and not as beautiful as the ones seen
on top but that red is enough to cheer us up.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Kanak, These are such pretty pictures. I always enjoy going on tours "with you!" The pink and red are very cheerful and I thank you for sharing today.

Chandramouli S said...

That's lovely, Kanak. Like Mildred, I love your tours too! Here in Chennai, Bougainvillea is substituted with Poinsettias.

Lona said...

It always amazes me as to the size poinsettias get in warm climates. Here in the cold climates they are annuals or over wintered.
What a beautiful riot of color with the pinks. Lovely gardens and the colonial building is wonderful.
Lona

tina said...

Very bright and cheerful. They remind me of pelargoniums, a lovely balcony plant too.

Susie said...

As usual Kanak, I always enjoy your posts and pictures. It looks like that new camera is getting a good work-out!

I love the reds among the pinks!

HelenJ said...

I'm not sure I will ever get the chance to go to India to see everything for myself, so I'm so happy for the tours you're taking me on.

These Poinsettias are lovely! And hedge plants!?! =)

Take care
/Helen

Anonymous said...

The Bob Seger story has been posted just for you Kanak!

Anonymous said...

I've never seen Poinsettias growing in their natural habitat before. They are so large and rambling! Here they are an indoor plant, popular only over the Christmas period then thrown away because it is difficult to get them to flower again.
Thanks for that - very interesting.

Tira said...

Lovely photos. The architecture of those old colonial buildings is so timeless, always pleasing to the eye.

Linda Lunda said...

WOW!! They are so big!!!!
Here we only have them for Cristmas,inside our windows, a short time... then they get uggly and die.
Linda

Sunita Mohan said...

For a minute I really thought those were bougainvillaeas! I havent seen poinsettias rambling so happily across the landscape like that in Mumbai or even further south. Must be the special Haflong atmosphere :)

Unknown said...

Mildred and Chandramouli, so glad to read this! More tours coming up and all floral too!

Lona, I just wanted the photo of the flowers at that time. But now I wish I had taken a good shot of the house. Come to think of it, how long will these buildings stand? Many of the colonial bungalows were built on vantage points with a wonderful view of the valley.

Tina, you're right. 'Cheerful' is the word for them.

Thanks Susie, it's the most used item! And the reds do stand out, don't they?

Helen, I'm so happy to read this. I feel exactly the same! I know it sounds strange but I've seen them used as hedge plants in other towns too. Mainly because they need very little care.

Loved the story, Mildred. My husband and sons loved the story too! Thank you so much!

Easygardener, my pre-Christmas post on the same plant had quite a few comments. Many were surprised to see them growing tall in their natural habitat. Which is why I wanted to do a post on this.

Your poinsettias look more exotic, I think.

So true Nicole. Compared to the old structure, the new one is an eye sore!
Thanks for stopping by.

Linda, they grow really tall. Glad you liked the photos.

Sunita, hi! I've seen them growing like that in Shillong too. They may be growing tall in other states of the n.e too but I haven't seen them. I'll ask some of my friends.