April is the cruellest month, T S Eliot rightly says. As winter in the city takes a sudden leap towards summer in the month, giving us a mere glimpse of spring, it takes away the opportunity to decorate our gardens with one of the most exquisite flowers – rose.
For anyone with green fingers, roses add a sense of regality to the garden space. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but also symbolise an array of positive emotions. But for most of the year, the city is deprived of this beautiful gift of nature.
Horticulturist Tofiq Pasha Mooraj says, “It is certainly not easy to plant roses in Karachi. Firstly, the climate of the city is very humid and secondly, pests pose a threat to the flower.” The plant grows relatively well in certain areas of the country, including northern areas and Islamabad, according to Mooraj.
‘Rose-nthusiasts’ in Karachi shouldn’t lose hope. Although Karachi’s arid climate isn’t, for the most part, conducive to the growth of roses, the best time of the year to plant them is between November and January, Mooraj suggests. And “potted roses are available throughout the year in nurseries. For those who wish to plant their own roses, they should do it in the monsoon season.”
Zahra Ali, a kitchen gardening expert and environmentalist says that bare-root roses come from Punjab to Karachi between November and February. “With knowledge [of the plant] and passion, one can grow roses in Karachi without any chemical help,” she states.
Concurring with Ali, Mooraj says that like other plants, roses need to be taken care of, especially during hot spells. “If the plant keeps getting balanced nutrients and watering, it will not die,” he says. For those who grow organic roses, he advises, “Plant chives along with them and you will never have to use a pesticide on your roses again. For encouraging healthy growth, add banana peels to your soil.”
But since the weather in the coming months will not be ideal for growing roses, which other plants can we grow that may resemble, if not replace the glorious rose? Hibiscus, which is also called ‘China rose’, is a plant that can grow in every season, according to Mooraj. Portulaca, also known as the ‘office-time flower’ resembles a rose, and can be grown in both winter and summer. But no matter which of these options you opt for, Mooraj rightly says, “There is no alternative to a rose… a rose can never be replaced.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2014.
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