Rain Flower - A wonder of wonders!

Nature is amazing and there is no end to the discoveries we make about it. My Garden is my lab where I see, feel and explore the Nature. And true to its enigmatic nature, here is another trick that nature has up its sleeve for us to see. Immediately after peak summer, we had a brief spell of rains. Lo and behold, I found the quiet green tender stalks bearing a matchstick-tip like pink buds. This morning, the buds have bloomed and lo, the flowers are there to see. 

Some searching on the web and I discovered the flower to be Zephyranthes, and more commonly known as fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily, Atamasco lily, and rain lily. True to its name, the rain lily is a wonder. I seriously wonder how they distinguish rain water from the water that we pour. I water the plants including the rainflower everyday very religiously but its only the rainwater(any time during the year) which makes the flowers blooom. 

Its raining in the garden

Its raining for the last couple of days and the effect on the garden is really wonderful. Green leaves and bright flowers. A host of birds and butterflies descending when there is a brief reprieve from the heavy downpour. Its saved me the task of watering the plants. I was really worried about the tomato seeds which i had sown recently. Mercifully, they have all sprouted and weathered the spell of rains. In any case, its a welcome break from the hot, very hot summer.

Goat manure for the garden

Recently, I came across an article that goat manure is gold for the garden. Living in a semi-urban area, it was not difficult to get some goat manure from the neighborhood cattle rearer.
Since it is naturally dry and pelleted, goat feces can be easily handled, stored and directly applied to the garden.
Goat feces do not normally attract flies or breed maggots. 

A solar light for the garden - Review on D-Light's KIRAN

With an obsession to going green, I ordered for D-Light company's KIRAN, touted as the world's cheapest Solar lamp (price being Under $ 10). After doing some online research, I found the solar lamp KIRAN online. The price is Rs.550 (INR). Here is a review on the product:

POSITIVES:

• It harnesses solar energy and is a one-time expense
• It looks really nice and can fit into your bedroom or drawing room more than the garden
• Light-weight (feather-weight)
• Single unit
• Has 2 lighting modes