Gifts From The Garden

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration
of the five senses.~ Hanna Rion








Everytime I'm at my parents' garden, I marvel at the tenacity
of the plants. Willing to hold on, despite not getting the care
they've been used to, all these years. When you shower love on
your garden for years there's so much that it gives back. It's
as if the months of neglect, the luxuriant growth of weeds, the
sporadic cleaning and watering does not stand in the way of
'giving back' in much the same way as unconditional love does!







My mother's hurried sowing of chillies one afternoon in April
is now ready for several pickings. This purple variety is a
favourite of chilli lovers in this region. The purple is so deep
that the chillies look almost black.







Look who's keeping me company as I click away? In the background
you can see the chillies facing downwards. But in the next photo
they're all upright!










The green ones are not wholly green. Half of the fruit is black!






The green/black chillies have white blooms. But a closer look
reveals a careless brushstroke of purple at the back.






These pink guavas taste best when the pulp is scooped out
with a spoon. The skin isn't soft (unlike most guavas) and
the green skin is of a dark shade.






The blooms of an edible variety of Clerodendron--C. colebrookianum.
Attractive to pollinators it has a strong smell. In traditional
medicine, the leaves of this plant are used to bring down high
blood pressure.





Many of the plants are in full bloom.






Caught this squirrel early in the morning. Usually an army descends
to raid the guava trees.






A skipper on a ginger leaf.





The ginger patch. We love to garnish our meat dishes with
fresh ginger leaves.






A ginger cone ready to bloom. The recent rains are the cause of
that mud-splattered look!