“If winter comes, can spring be far behind” was written by ‘Shelly’ in a poem called ‘Ode to the West Wind’. Let me modify with due respects to the poet, “if aphids come, can mealy bugs be far behind”. Plants are delicate and have to be cared for. With the onset of summers, the heat starts to take its toll. It is not only the scorching sun which causes burns, but the water in the pots evaporates faster than one can imagine. Besides, most of us who use plastic pots, the contents inside reach high temperature, half boiling the roots. Shade does help, but the plant has to fight its own battle. ‘Hot West Winds of Rajasthan’ need not have an ode written for them. A week back, we had a massive Aphid attack on our waterlilies. So, during my morning/evening inspection, I make it a point to shuffle through the leaves of all plants for a thorough check. This is the time when insect attacks take place. They are called “Mealy Bugs”. Aphid’s sister. Mealybug...
Some of you must have heard the name of a flowering plant called “fuchsia” also called Chinese lantern/dancing dolls. My wife and I had fallen in love with this plant when we were posted at a remote place called Chakrata during my Army tenure. It is a plant of the hilly region; the poor plant did not survive one summer when we moved to the Sun City on posting. This was around 1993. Time went by and we returned back to the Suncity after retirement in 2021. Our hobby of gardening continued and we established a small garden. One day while scrolling the net, I found a seller selling this plant called fuchsia. Without even reading any review, I ordered it. It came as a weak plant and battered plant. However, it was not the one we were looking for. The shape of the leaves was different. I raised a query with the supplier, who refused to replace it. Being a plant lover we welcomed the new plant in our garden. It was not fuchsia but a “bleeding...