Snowflakes
have been a part of our garden for three years now. Initially, we just had the
white ones, we added the yellow ones later. In winters, the situation became
grim, when due to severe cold we had almost lost them. However, their tubers
stayed hidden in the shallow earthen pot and have now come to bloom.
Among the
many plants that have found a home on our rooftop garden, few are as delicate
and fascinating as the “Floating Heart.” Unlike the water lilies, the Floating
Heart attracts attention and is quite different. Their small floating leaves,
slender stalks, and small flowers that look like tiny stars or snowflakes rest
gently on the water.
What makes
this plant special is the life it attracts. A bee visiting the flowers,
transforms an ordinary moment into a lesson in nature's interconnectedness. The
plant, a living participant in a small ecosystem supporting insects, fish,
birds and countless unseen organisms.
Botanically
it is from the Nymphoides species. Common names are Floating
Heart or Water Snowflake. Water Snowflakes are native to Asia, Europe, Africa
and Australia. They are found growing in shallow waters of ponds, marshes,
lakes and slow-moving streams. This shallow pot provides it the ideal place to
grow.
The flower
just takes your heart away. They resemble snowflakes, with five petals
surrounded by fringed edges that give it a lace-like appearance. The feathery
protrusions look like small hairs attached to a brush.
Floating
Hearts prefer full sunlight for about 5-6 hours for best flowering and vigorous
growth. The plant prefers calm conditions. A mixture of garden soil, clay and
compost is what we grow them in while topping up the water as and when the
level goes down. Too many nutrients can encourage algae growth. A simple
schedule I follow is to keep adding a handful of compost every three months. We
avoid chemical fertilizers as they disturb the balance of fish and other
aquatic life.
We do not
“over-clean” the tub. A little natural growth of algae supports insects and
other organisms. Once the plant gets settled, everything falls into place. This
plant adds variety to our rooftop garden. With patience and care, even a few
containers of water have become a refuge for life. Floating Heart carries a
message that when we create space for nature and nature returns the favour by
creating this beauty.
Now that it
has come to bloom, we would try to keep them safe to keep growing in our garden
season after season.
Would you
friends like to have water snowflakes in your garden? I wonder!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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