Remember flowers from the backyard?

Hybrid Roses, Hydrangeas, Plumeria,  etc are the must haves for any flower lover’s garden today.

About 15 years back, not many of us knew the names of these exotic variety of flowers. There were another host of flowers then, which were synonymous with daily life.

Come, let us take a walk together looking out for the much loved flowers that have been growing in our gardens…, from as long as we can remember

“Kanakambaram” flowers..Commonly known as Priyadarsha in hindi. These flowers do not have a fragrance, but their bright colours made them the top contender for decorating long slender hairstyles.

In terms of frgarance, nothing can beat the “malli” or Jasmine flower pandals… Many houses have jasmine flower shrubs next to the fence or the boundary wall… the long slender stems crawl up a supporting pandal or wall, and are soon covered with dew drop like flowers. Their fragrance during the night is heavenly

“Arali” or Nerium flowers are the next… they come in pale pink or pure white colors. Long leaves and tall shrubs are characteristic of these flowers. They are widely used for pooja and temple worships.

“Shenbagam” or Golden Champa (Michelia Champaca) flowers… Their fragrance is striking and is even known to attract snakes (though not sure if snakes have noses or can smell.. I guess it is another old grandmothers tale). Yellow champa trees are more common than the rarely found white champa.

There are many more to this list. Evenings were spent in hand picking these flowers, stringing them together, and then storing them away wrapped in a damp cloth. As kids we used to look forward to decorating long plated hair styles with these stringed flower garlands

Lets hope these flowers continue to be grown in our backyards, to bring joy and dreams.