The blooming month is January... Over the years, I have been curiously watching and specifically taking note of the Shoe flowers or rather, The Hibiscus. Its a very common shrub occurring and growing comfortably on this western coast of the Indian peninsula. I have quite a collection in my own garden and in my neighborhood. The climate is nice, crispy and cool in the mornings and evenings lush and breezy. The rest of the day is pretty warm and sunny, specifically in the summer when the weather is highly humid and hot. And it is this favorable climate, that brings these beauties to the bloom in this very season.
Have you ever wondered why this flower is called a Shoe Flower???? The reason is that it was traditionally used to polish shoes in Asia, and in some backward villages, It STILL IS! called a shoe flower. That was pretty simple.
Structurally, the Shoe Flowers mainly has five petals with a long stalk-like structure in the center. Multi-petal flowers also exist; these are mainly hybrids or grafts, of man-made variety. These flowers vary in colors from bright red, white, yellow, pink, orange and various other shades of these colors. The flower is mostly light colored on its petals and as it proceeds towards the middle long stalk, the color is of a darker shade. It is this darker shade that attracts insects to gather their food. The Hibiscus flowers have been a good source of sweet nectar for the honey bees, butterflies, and even ants.
The plant grows best in a moderate climate of warm and cool temperature. Too cold temperatures are not favorable for this plant. When the weather is cold, the hibiscus plant needs less water, and too much water can kill the shrub. The Hibiscus plant needs moderate sunshine, But not intense sunlight. The plant should be planted in a location where you get direct sunlight for a few hours since this plant needs the just moderate amount of sun. When the flower is to bloom, plenty of water is apt. Also, the flower blooms in direct sunlight. However, the hibiscus plant needs daily watering for a healthy bloom. Finally, the flower blooms for just a single day. Then it closes itself mushes before gravity takes hold and it falls off from the stalk. Sometimes a single stalk may have two or three buds or even more which may not flower at the same time. Take caution if you need to pluck a stalk, it may have buds still waiting to bloom!
The plant is a bush of lush green leaves which may have branches growing in different directions, the branches tend to turn to face in the direction of the sunlight. The bush may grow in any haphazard manner, therefore the plant may need a bit of pruning now and then. The best time to prune is before the monsoon season, in the months of May and June. The Plant grows best in the ground, but a vase can house a small plant. I have them in vases as well as in the ground and some shrubs have grown two metres tall.
The soil must be loamy and coarse but not fine. See that the soil is not too dry and stony. If dry then the plant withers off easily. See that you keep the soil moist by watering the plant daily. Also, do add manure every two weeks by digging a trench around the main stem of the plant. Adding the manure and then watering the plant so that the nutrients from the manure get absorbed by the tap root system of the hibiscus plant. It yields more flowers when natural organic manure like compost is used.
The Hibiscus or Shoe Flower plant adds to the beauty of your garden with a variety of colors and shades. The Shoe Flower can be used as an offering to the creator as a token of appreciation for his wonderful gift of nature bestowed unto us, adding some magical color to our daily lives. Above are graphical samples from my own garden.
Shoe Flowers (Hibiscus) - The Gallery
The soil must be loamy and coarse but not fine. See that the soil is not too dry and stony. If dry then the plant withers off easily. See that you keep the soil moist by watering the plant daily. Also, do add manure every two weeks by digging a trench around the main stem of the plant. Adding the manure and then watering the plant so that the nutrients from the manure get absorbed by the tap root system of the hibiscus plant. It yields more flowers when natural organic manure like compost is used.
Hibiscus plant is also medicinal in nature. Drinking the tea prepared from hibiscus leaves have wonderful benefits.
ReplyDeleteHistorically, hibiscus tea has been used in African countries to decrease body temperature, treat heart disease, and sooth a sore throat. In Iran, hibiscus tea is used to treat high blood pressure.