Garden Affair : Gardening and wellbeing

 Gardening as a practice of cultivating and arranging plants and shrubs is just not a hobby it has psychological implications . According to world wide research there is one out of every four person who  would be suffering from one of the mental illness which could be anxiety disorder, depression or any other mental disorder by  the year 2030 . Gardening as a therapy had played vital role in curing the mental illness. 

  

                                                               

The idea of  using gardening to promote health and well being which is also known as therapeutic culture has proved to be helped many individual come out of  the depressions, anxiety and thereby improvement in mental health .Horticulture therapy is playing vital role in improving well being of  

  people who had been suffering from chronic health conditions, drug abuse and tobacco use .                                                                 

                                                                                                                 

It is the time for link up party Garden Affair where we can share posts related to Gardening , Nature and birds. The link up party will remain open for a week starting from Sunday . 

                                                       

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Spring is knocking

The global climate change has effected the winter season drastically with late arrival of cool weather  and spring. The month of spring starts today with this auspicious day of ' Basant panchami ' which is believed to be first day of spring , although the presence of coolness in the air had derailed the spring arrival. The rise in temperature had envisaged the audacity of early spring blooms in my garden.  

                                                                          

                                                        

                                                                  China Aster is unfurling blooms 

                                                         Kalanchoe plant coming out of dormancy 

                                                                         

                                                                      Osteospermum blooming

                                                                               

                                                         

                                                          Mesembryanthemum and petunias blooming 

                                                                       

                                                                                                                       

 Common kingfisher spotted by the lakeside 

                                             

Garden Affair : Growing saffron at home

   Saffron is one of the most expensive as well as popular spice consumed in the world. It has distinctive flavor which is used in sweets and savory recipes. In India around 90 percent of Saffron  is produced  in Kashmir . 

                                                            

            Saffron is  actually a stigma obtained from the flower Crocus sativus which belongs to Crocus family, It is actually the stigma that is edible and is popularly known as 'Kesar' in Hindi in India . 

                                                             Saffron grown in my Garden            

It is a bulbous plant that is suited to be  grown in cooler environment which is reason it is grown in the hilly areas of J&K of India. 

                  It was my first experience to grow Saffron flower in my home garden . Here is my detailed experience in chronological order   to grow saffron flower from bulbs : 

Saffron    flower bulbs were sown at the starting of winter  in the sandy soil which is composed of more part of organic fertilizer and some part of river sand so that there is no chance of water retention.                                                

                                                                               Saffron flower bulbs

              I chose a earthen pot to grow bulbs as they maintain the cool temperature of soil for longer time.  I watered the pot every once in a fortnight and it was around at the end of month the tip of bud showed  .                                      

                                                                     Saffron bulbs  sown in earthen pot

The bud showed up from one of the bulbs  after sowing of Saffron bulb a month ago  it was  thrilling experience to capture the first ever flower of Saffron grown in my home garden.                                                                             

                                                                    

It bloomed completely  in a time span of two to three days , it can be clearly observed that red stigma in the purple Crocus flower is saffron . 

                                                                          

It is the time for link up party Garden Affair where we can share posts related with Gardening, Nature and birds. The link up party will be open for a week starting from Sunday. 

                                                               

                                                                

           

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter