Botanical Name: Combretum indicum
Bougainvillea – a plant loved globally for its strikingly vibrant flowers. Found in every household, street or palace, this plant has found a sweet spot in everyone’s heart. But wait! Why am I talking about Bougainvillea when the plant of the month is Madhumalti?
Because, it is one of the wisest alternatives to this popular plant in your garden. Bougainvillea despite its beauty, comes at a special price. Not just monetary but ecological too. From being invasive in a few regions to being extremely hungry for nutrients, this plant can prove to be very demanding.
Not even mentioning the thorny stems that makes it nearly impossible to approach the plant with ease. Unlike other flowering plants, bougainvillea isn’t very welcoming for butterflies, bees owing to its lack of fragrance or closed patterns of flowers.
On the other hand, Madhumalti, also known as the Rangoon Creeper, isn’t just and ordinary climbing plant. Attractive flowers, which blossom like a bouquet of different shades of pink, red and white, can fill your garden with a sweet, unforgettable scent. A fast-growing native plant of India, Madhumalti can reach heights with its impeccable foliage.
The vanilla-like fragrance creates a welcoming environment for pollinators from birds to butterflies. Not just that, they change in colour with age and it is thought that this is a strategy to gather more pollinators. The flower is initially white and opens at dusk to attract hawkmoths.
Besides providing immense value to a garden and its ecosystem, Madhumalti holds high cultural, religious and medicinal significance. It is said to be a flower of Lord Vishnu and used widely in the Chinese medicine.
Blooming almost all year long, Madhumalti can make a great addition to creating a perennial garden.
By Dipti Agarwal
Founder and Chief Gardening Officer, Peepal. Resident of Kemps Corner
Mobile: +91 7400068705.
Email: dipti.agarwal@peepal.one |
Website: https://peepal.one/
Instagram: peepalindia
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