Hello, My name is Vivek.M; that's pronounced Vee Wake. I live in
Bangalore, India; with: one Dad, one Mum, one younger blister and a
furry brown dog called Putty.

I am a student doing my EEE; My hobbies are playing chess, monkeying
with the computer and fiddling with electronic gizmos, IRC'ing more
than is good for my health, playing computer games ( Starcraft and
Total Annihilation ) and reading ( Sci-Fi: Robert Heinlein, Orson
Scott Card, Kurt Vonnegut, Asimov, Clark; Murder-Mystery: Agatha
Christie and John Le Carre; Action-Adventure: Alistair McLean, Desmond
Bagley, Rafael Sabatini; Oh! and heaps of other stuff. ). I'm also
trying to pick up a wee bit of Metal-working. Err..it does look like a
long list, but I'm no expert at any of it!!

I've just started gardening and the only stuff I've ever grown are a
pair of watermelons though I've helped my father..well not really
*grin* He grows all boring stuff!!


The news-groups have been good fun so far; I shall do my best not to
get in-to too much trouble.. Well, I promise not to SPAM under any
circumstance and will strain every nerve not to flame..But, you musn't
preach; your moral values are your own. I'll follow the stuff in the
charter and hold true to it's spirit.

I'd better clarify the above: There was this issue with someone's
computer and it got discussed with advice on how to fix the issue and
stuff; not really off-topic but not exactly on the ball either.

Now it's very likely that I would have told her how to fix it and what
software to use and how to pirate the darn thing. See what I mean?
I'm not breaking any laws but ..

Software piracy, religion..I don't believe in God, Good and Bad, Right
and Wrong; I'm absolutely a-moral and have resolved these things to my
satisfaction. If you flame me I won't be able to respond because that
would be even more off-topic; I shall assume you are a ass and leave
it at that. If you really wish to Err..discuss my wayward ways *grin*;
well, post in alt.philosophy and mail me; we'll fight each other till
our fingers fall off!! :).


Anyway! Phew! Introductions are tedious! Gasp!!
My email vivekm.. [at] cybersp.... allows only in-coming. If I need to mail
you in return I'll use Yahoo, so don't start in surprise.

That's about it I guess. Oh and I tend to lurk a lot..classes, exams,
home-work, other hobbies, my pathetic gardening knowledge *grin* so
feel free to mail me on Yahoo..If you want help on computers or a few
web pages done or some Perl programming..chess games..etc etc..

We don't have much of a garden right now though Dad had great stuff
growing ( hollyhocks, tons of asters, coxcomb, gladiola, sunflower and
heaps of veggies ). Right now we have some Banana, 1 small mango tree.
We have about 4000 sq feet of garden and another 3000 sq feet of roof.
I'll be going to buy some seeds tomorrow; hopefully I shall get some
nice stuff.

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:2ktn92pd5sbekgvg0m0dci2t8dgp3pci3v [at] 4ax.com...
<snip intro>

> We don't have much of a garden right now though Dad had great stuff
> growing ( hollyhocks, tons of asters, coxcomb, gladiola, sunflower and
> heaps of veggies ). Right now we have some Banana, 1 small mango tree.
> We have about 4000 sq feet of garden and another 3000 sq feet of roof.
> I'll be going to buy some seeds tomorrow; hopefully I shall get some
> nice stuff.
Begs the question....

What *can* you grow on a roof?

"One and Only" <fukoffspammer [at] fuku.com> wrote in message
news:4g4743F1l8qraU1 [at] individual.net...
>
> "Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
> news:2ktn92pd5sbekgvg0m0dci2t8dgp3pci3v [at] 4ax.com...
> <snip intro>
>
>> We don't have much of a garden right now though Dad had great stuff
>> growing ( hollyhocks, tons of asters, coxcomb, gladiola, sunflower and
>> heaps of veggies ). Right now we have some Banana, 1 small mango tree.
>> We have about 4000 sq feet of garden and another 3000 sq feet of roof.
>> I'll be going to buy some seeds tomorrow; hopefully I shall get some
>> nice stuff.
> Begs the question....
>
> What *can* you grow on a roof?

loads :~))
http://www.ljconline.nl/garden/indexgarden.htm
jenny

Yeah ! Seriously ! Heaps even ! Anyway It's June end here and the sky
is dark with the monsoon.

I've bought the following ( Flowers: Chrysanthimum, Antirrhinum,
Cockscomb, Candytuft,
Sunflower, Aster, Salvia, Larkspur, Hollyhock; Veggies: Pumpkin,
Radish, Egg Plant and Bell Pepper ).

No doubt this was a brilliant move on my part, *grin*, anyway, i should
have started this earlier like in Feb, but i didn't want to wait till
next Feb ! I'm resigned to nothing sprouting, but i now know what stuff
is available in that place and can research stuff on them.

The seeds were cheap ( paid pound 1.50 for the lot ); I need to see how
many sprout !
There's another seed shop, but we weren't going that way.

If i plant the stuff in beds ( on the ground ) the light will be low
and I'll have to protect the stuff from the rains ( Chrysanthimum needs
moist soil ). I'm thinking of using 1 liter milk packets and placing
them on the roof till they sprout and the main leaves pop up and then a
wee bit more; then I'll move them to beds. Or can i scrap the 2 stage
process and just directly heave emm in to the soil ? I could aereate
the beds by digging deep ( 1/2 a foot deep ) and making emm fluffy and
soft and covering them with plastic.

The roof receives a lot more sunlight ; no trees and shadows.
Temperature: 18-32 deg Centi and light-level: dull grey sky. But we do
have patches of brightness !

Are there any wily tricks and cunning strategem's that i can use to get
good results.

Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ? Have
you given it a incline; won't the plants slow down evaporation of water
from in-between the gravel? What about in winter? Have you had any
problems with the roof? And how did you figure out the load bearing
capacity off the roof - structural engineer?

Vivek.M <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> writes
>Yeah ! Seriously ! Heaps even ! Anyway It's June end here and the sky
>is dark with the monsoon.
>
Sounds a bit like Leeds this morning.
--
Kay

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:1151163150.733356.261240 [at] b68g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ?

It was meant to be a terrace when built. It's concrete and I just added pots
and gravel :~))

>Have you given it a incline

No. Any excess water runs away through drain[pipes at the corners.

>won't the plants slow down evaporation of water from in-between the gravel?

Ys :~)) I have a theory that the gravel keeps the roof damp and therefore
make the lead coping dry out less and therefore keeps the roof in better
condition.

>What about in winter?

About half the pots stay where they are. Some tender plants are bought into
the greenhouse.

>Have you had any problems with the roof?

Not where the plants are. The upper roof of the second floor with no plants
ect started to leak and had to be repaired!

>And how did you figure out the load bearing capacity off the roof -
>structural engineer?

I got in touch with the architect and the builder. It's 150 kilos per square
meter. My original plan was to have a shallow pond with the water being
pumped round, but that was too heavy :~((

Most of the heavy pots are around the edge or on top of a load bearing wall
about 2/3 way down the 'garden'.

What's your roof like??
Got any pictures??

Jenny

In article <4g58hnF1dass0U1 [at] individual.net>,
"JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl> writes:
|> "Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
|> news:1151163150.733356.261240 [at] b68g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
|> > Hey Jen, neat site !! How do you prevent dampness in the roof ?
|>
|> It was meant to be a terrace when built. It's concrete and I just added pots
|> and gravel :~))

Designing flat roofs for such use is the key.

|> >Have you given it a incline
|>
|> No. Any excess water runs away through drain[pipes at the corners.

The normal problem with those is bowing in the centre, forming a
semi-permanent lake - see above and below!

|> >won't the plants slow down evaporation of water from in-between the gravel?
|>
|> Ys :~)) I have a theory that the gravel keeps the roof damp and therefore
|> make the lead coping dry out less and therefore keeps the roof in better
|> condition.

Yes. The normal reason for leaks in lead is that it cracks after the
expansion and contraction due to extremes of temperature.

|> >And how did you figure out the load bearing capacity off the roof -
|> >structural engineer?
|>
|> I got in touch with the architect and the builder. It's 150 kilos per square
|> meter. My original plan was to have a shallow pond with the water being
|> pumped round, but that was too heavy :~((

That's about half standard office loading. Anything designed to have
another story (in the UK!) will be that or higher. Roofs not so designed
may not be.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

"Vivek.M" wrote > Hello, My name is Vivek.M; that's pronounced Vee Wake. I
live in
> Bangalore, India; with: one Dad, one Mum, one younger blister and a
> furry brown dog called Putty.
> ((snip))
> I've just started gardening and the only stuff I've ever grown are a
> pair of watermelons though I've helped my father..well not really
> *grin* He grows all boring stuff!!
>
>

Bangalore, that's the "Garden City" isn't it?
Very beautiful as I remember, lots of plants and green everywhere (unlike
some parts of your country).

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

>> Vivek.M <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> writes
>> >Yeah ! Seriously ! Heaps even ! Anyway It's June end here and the sky
>> >is dark with the monsoon.
>> >
>> Sounds a bit like Leeds this morning.
>
> How's your mango tree and bananas? :-)
<Tackle hugs The Janet and sits on her> <grin>

>Bangalore, that's the "Garden City" isn't it?
>Very beautiful as I remember, lots of plants and green everywhere (unlike
>some parts of your country).

Well, our family has been here for eons; well, ever since my
grandfathers time. Since 95, because of the software boom, the
population has sky-rocketed with real estate prices going through the
roof. I used to love the place when we first moved, as a kid. The
roads used to be deserted and we used to play cricket in the by-lanes
and wander all over. There used to be a huge park ( at least it looked
huge at that time, now it looks a little small ) which was
un-developed ( brambles, a broken down old brick shed and a huge dirty
gutter in which black tadpoles would swim ); Now it's a place for
plump ladies to jog!! There's heaps of traffic and everyone wants to
sit in Coffe Day! Hopefully we'll sell and move out once i'm done with
college. I've been trying to con Dad in-to buying some land ( 'bout 20
acres ); he seems keen on it, so.. *grin*. Partly why i decided to
learn gardening..The countryside can be very nice, unlike the citys
which are glorified slums, with little islands of opulence.

>On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl> wrote:
>What's your roof like??
>Got any pictures??

I'll post pics if things go as planned, next week end or perhaps the
week after.

Our roof is similar to yours in that it's got two distinct levels.
Both the ground floor and first floor roofs can take another level,
however the roof has got something called surki ( left over brick
powder, fibre from some plant, jaggery, cement and other stuff ) put
over the roof slab and compacted. It's water proof and we haven't had
any problems in ages..it's also inclined, but not sure if i can let
water stand on it. In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
make sure the whole area is dry.

BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Nope, it's a valid word alright. I came across it in a P.G.Wodehouse -
The Manoeuvres of Charteris.

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1936/ ( just search for
berrain ). Great story too, if you like PGW.

It goes something like this:

'Why on earth are you slacking in here on this ripping afternoon?'
'Slacking!' said Charteris. 'I like that. I'm doing berrain work,
Babe.
I'm writing an article on masters and their customs, which will cause
a profound sensation in the Common Room. At least it would, if they
ever saw it, but they won't. Or I hope they won't for their sake _and_
mine. So run away, my precious Babe, and don't disturb your uncle when
he's busy.'

Charteris isn't Irish and i haven't come across a dict that had that
word and i've always wondered.. though the sense does come across.

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:627s929m9qclvs07am97e07031590jkh43 [at] 4ax.com...
> >On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl>
> >wrote:
>>What's your roof like??
>>Got any pictures??
>
> I'll post pics if things go as planned, next week end or perhaps the
> week after.
>
> Our roof is similar to yours in that it's got two distinct levels.
> Both the ground floor and first floor roofs can take another level,
> however the roof has got something called surki ( left over brick
> powder, fibre from some plant, jaggery, cement and other stuff ) put
> over the roof slab and compacted. It's water proof and we haven't had
> any problems in ages..it's also inclined, but not sure if i can let
> water stand on it.

Pots will probably only be damp underneath. You could stand them in trays -
this would be a good idea anyway as a water reserve for the plants. You can
use almost any container to grow stuff.

>In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
> roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
> make sure the whole area is dry.

I presume you have a LOT of rain at monsoon time??

> BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
> means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.

A P.G. Wodehouse word :~))
http://www.google.nl/search?hl=en&newwindow=1&as_qdr =all&q=%22berrain+work%22

Jenny

>Pots will probably only be damp underneath. You could stand them in trays -
>this would be a good idea anyway as a water reserve for the plants. You can
>use almost any container to grow stuff.
Yeah, we have some empty plastic buckets and left-over paint cans that
could be used. Look good too :)

>>In fact i'm fairly sure i'll get killed if i try a
>> roof garden. Dad won't mind the odd potted plant, but i'll have to
>> make sure the whole area is dry.
>
>I presume you have a LOT of rain at monsoon time??
Yeah, a fair bit! It's not too bad though. I'll try K's suggestion for
plastic sheeting. It will protect the leaves from the force of the
rain and keep the ground from getting too soggy. Been busy the whole
day ( Sunday :) ) mucking around the garden, making beds - though it
was drizzling. I'll let the water dry a bit before planting. Hopefully
tomorrow will be a bit sunny!

>> BTW would anyone know what the word "berrain" in "doing berrain work"
>> means? Is it English or Irish? I'm sure it's a valid word.
>
>A P.G. Wodehouse word :~))
> http://www.google.nl/search?hl=en&newwindow=1&as_qdr =all&q=%22berrain+work%22
LoL! yeah, i did check that; in fact i read about it in that very same
novel. Nice short-story, that.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote ...
after Vivek.M replied to me:
>
>> >Bangalore, that's the "Garden City" isn't it?
>> >Very beautiful as I remember, lots of plants and green everywhere
>> >(unlike
>> >some parts of your country).
>
>> Well, our family has been here for eons; well, ever since my
>> grandfathers time. Since 95, because of the software boom, the
>> population has sky-rocketed with real estate prices going through the
>> roof. I used to love the place when we first moved, as a kid. The
>> roads used to be deserted and we used to play cricket in the by-lanes
>> and wander all over. There used to be a huge park ( at least it looked
>> huge at that time, now it looks a little small ) which was
>> un-developed ( brambles, a broken down old brick shed and a huge dirty
>> gutter in which black tadpoles would swim ); Now it's a place for
>> plump ladies to jog!! There's heaps of traffic
>
> Hey, Bangalore sounds more and more like Leeds
>
A touch more tropical as I recall Janet. :-)

Anyway, if you think Bangalore is bad don't even think of Madras, Bombay,
Delhi etc.
Cochin is nice though, especially outside the city on the backwaters, in
fact Southern India outside the few main towns is very beautiful.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

> On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl> wrote:
>What's your roof like??
>Got any pictures??
I've put up the pics on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68561759 [at] N00/
They aren't all that great :(; Just some silly Banana and Mango. Lots
of work needs to be done and the garden is topsy-turvy. Been weeding
and digging. Anyway maybe you could give me some cool suggestions!

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:pvuea2l0tj3optus3jhbv1d4nc9he8afhi [at] 4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:46:50 +0200, "JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl>
>> wrote:
>>What's your roof like??
>>Got any pictures??
> I've put up the pics on Flickr:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/68561759 [at] N00/
> They aren't all that great :(; Just some silly Banana and Mango. Lots
> of work needs to be done and the garden is topsy-turvy. Been weeding
> and digging. Anyway maybe you could give me some cool suggestions!

First impressions:

- looks a LOT greener than I have imagined :~) I have perhaps a warped idea
of how India looks as I've never been there :~))
- what on earth is a 'tadpole drain' ??
- back yard looks OK - at least you have soil, I only have concrete :~)
- What's the soil like? Looks a bit compacted.
- like the 'weird' shrubs - any idea what they are?
- why not plant the stuff in pots out into the yard?
- You are lucky to be able to grow some of those things outside - they are
houseplants here.
- love the mango !!!! how much fruit do you get?
- is watering a problem? do you have taps on the terraces?

jenny

The message <8s6t921n36nrahdjq5mik0s8200b2loeo3 [at] 4ax.com>
from Vivek.M <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> contains these words:

> Nope, it's a valid word alright. I came across it in a P.G.Wodehouse -
> The Manoeuvres of Charteris.

> http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1936/ ( just search for
> berrain ). Great story too, if you like PGW.

> It goes something like this:

> 'Why on earth are you slacking in here on this ripping afternoon?'
> 'Slacking!' said Charteris. 'I like that. I'm doing berrain work,
> Babe.
> I'm writing an article on masters and their customs, which will cause
> a profound sensation in the Common Room. At least it would, if they
> ever saw it, but they won't. Or I hope they won't for their sake _and_
> mine. So run away, my precious Babe, and don't disturb your uncle when
> he's busy.'

> Charteris isn't Irish and i haven't come across a dict that had that
> word and i've always wondered.. though the sense does come across.

Presumably it is 'brain work'. Just spelt like that to convey the way he
draws the word out?

Janet G

>Presumably it is 'brain work'. Just spelt like that to convey the way he
>draws the word out?
>
>Janet G
Oh yeah!! Janet your a genius! Many thanks!!

Hey Jen, greetings and salutations,

>- looks a LOT greener than I have imagined :~) I have perhaps a warped idea
>of how India looks as I've never been there :~))
*grin* India's huge so, many different things to many different
people. People/shoddy/noisy/dirty/traffic/dust/heat - that's what hits
you most when you first arrive; It's definitely NOT like the West with
sqeaky clean roads and everything spick and span! Bangalore may be
greener and cooler than the average Indian city and it's been raining,
or perhaps it's the darn camera; The plants certainly don't look all
that green to my eye!

The place where i live is nice, even though our house is on a arterial
road! Lot's of parks and a nice playground; I just have to cut across
the road and walk down a bit.

My advice if you do visit is to go straight from the airport to Sikkim
(very nice place)! Try to stick to villages since the citys don't have
anything the west can't offer ( well, unless you have a taste for
grime or idiotic over-priced artifacts ).

>- what on earth is a 'tadpole drain' ??
Well, many years back when i was a kid, the roads used to be deserted
and that park used to be mostly trees and shrubbery. It had a broken
down old room; the storm water drain used to be covered in undergrowth
and we used to fish ( tadpole and tiny fish ) in that :). Err.. hence
the tadpole drain. There used to be heaps of snakes, geckos and birds;
we used to take dogs in there and root around the place!

>- What's the soil like? Looks a bit compacted.
Clay; not particularly hard to dig, but it hardens if i don't water
and it's hard to powder properly! Do you need to powder the soil
properly? I notice that when i water the upper layer hardens and i
worry that the flowers won't be able to break through. Can i rake the
soil while the seeds are germinating? I can see tiny green shoots in
some areas..

>- like the 'weird' shrubs - any idea what they are?
No idea. I asked my parents. Mum uses it for pooja's (prayers) and
stuff..I'll ask around and try to get a handle on it.

>- why not plant the stuff in pots out into the yard?
>- You are lucky to be able to grow some of those things outside - they are
>houseplants here.
>- love the mango !!!! how much fruit do you get?
It's a very new tree, so not much..about 10 mangos so far. There's a
huge tree on the pavement which cuts down on the light.

Great minds think alike! Unfortunately the head of this household acts
like a deranged loon when it comes to his precious pots!! The whole
back-yard had veggies growing about 5 years back. Dad doesn't find the
time now and i was never a keen gardner. The pots have seen better
gardening days, so :) i'll have to leave that for the time being or
he'll slay me! Once i've shown him i'm serious about gardening he'll
come around (i'll need to get some of my flowers and stuff going
before he'll allow me near existing pots).

>- is watering a problem? do you have taps on the terraces?
Heck no! Plenty of water. We have a huge water tank on the terrace,
however if the roof gets wet and damp, then i'll get killed (that's a
understatement)! Right now there are a shortage of plants in the yard.
I'll tackle the roof later. Hopefully once the flowers sprout i'll
transplant them to key areas. The yard i'm keeping for veggies - It
gets a decent amount of sunlight..so..The weather is lousy (dark skies
and intermittent sunshine). I'm planing to sprout my next batch of
flowers in a boxed container on the roof; Once they are big enough
i'll move them elsewhere.

Vivek. M <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> writes
>Clay; not particularly hard to dig, but it hardens if i don't water and
>it's hard to powder properly!

Good soil if you can incorporate lots of humus - garden compost. Here
I'd suggest putting a 6inch layer of compost and letting the worms mix
it in, but don't know what you have in the way of worms - they're not
particularly fond of 'hot' or 'dry'.

>Do you need to powder the soil properly? I notice that when i water the
>upper layer hardens and i worry that the flowers won't be able to break
>through. Can i rake the soil while the seeds are germinating?

No - you risk upending some of the seedlings and letting their roots dry
out.

>I can see tiny green shoots in some areas..

--
Kay

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:0riha298kcvg7hp17jviegp6506d2u8jmj [at] 4ax.com...
> Hey Jen, greetings and salutations,
>
>>-Bangalore may be greener and cooler than the average Indian city ....

Went a googling and found this :~)
http://www.popular-india.com/modern-india/bangalore-travel.h tml
Bangalore was designed as the garden city of India way back in the 16th
century.
"The garden city of Bangalore indeed blooms with a passion of befriend you
with the southern passion,
and unfurls the spiritual and intoxicating fragrance of Indian Tourism".

>>-Can i rake the soil while the seeds are germinating?
>I can see tiny green shoots in some areas..

probably best to wait until you can clearly see where the plants are.

> i was never a keen gardner.

So what changed your mind?

Jenny

>> "and unfurls the spiritual and intoxicating fragrance of Indian Tourism".
*grin* Talk about spouting rubbish! Some places are nice ( backwaters
in Kerala, Lakshwadeep, temples around Bangalore [fantastic carvings
and there's no mention of that], Konkan railway journey, Goa. ) Don't
expect much of a night life and don't expect anything wonderfull in
the city's except maybe nice food (they are just glorifed slums with
pockets of affluence). Err..this is just my perspective..*grin* one of
the wonders of the internet is that you can speak your mind without
having to worry about consequences :) hehe

>> i was never a keen gardner.
>So what changed your mind?
Well i do like eating tasty stuff ( raspberry, strawberry, plums ); I
originally wanted to plant fruits that i don't get here, but that
didn't work out because of blasted plant import regulations! <scowls
furiously!!>

Other than that, it's a usefull hobby. I hate digging and trench work,
but i like watering and pottering about when it's sunny and it will be
fun once the whole place is sprouting stuff and looking green and
nice. Plus there are lots of cool things you can do; like trying to
grow stuff with LED's (artificial lighting) and hydroponics! I
downloaded a patent from USPTO; a design for a LED light stick for
plants! I don't understand most off the working, but building the LED
stick itself is very simple. But first i need to figure out basic
gardening. JB's RHS link is superb! It's got everything! Check out:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problems_archive_total.asp

And you can grab everything for offline viewing if you use Firefox
with the scrapbook plugin! Super stuff!

Vivek.M wrote:
>>> "and unfurls the spiritual and intoxicating fragrance of Indian Tourism".
> *grin* Talk about spouting rubbish! Some places are nice ( backwaters
> in Kerala, Lakshwadeep, temples around Bangalore [fantastic carvings
> and there's no mention of that], Konkan railway journey, Goa. )

I've done that railway journey, from Margao to somewhere in the sticks near
Gokarn - it really is a treat... some stunning views through the Western
Ghats; an incredibly long tunnel, and crossing an amazing wooden trestle
bridge like you'd see in John Wayne films, spanning a wide estuary.

Didn't like Goa but really enoyed Karnataka... yet to try Kerala, but it's
on my To Do list one day.

ObUrg: was interesting to see front gardens in Colva, Goa planted with
"hedges" of Sanseveria.

--
Sue
Pendragon Hamstery
Portsmouth, Hampshire UK
--http://www.pendragonhams.com--

"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
news:qh2ka2lnh7ecf64uig35imt27fg6e46o17 [at] 4ax.com...
> Well i do like eating tasty stuff ( raspberry, strawberry, plums ); I
> originally wanted to plant fruits that i don't get here, but that
> didn't work out because of blasted plant import regulations! <scowls
> furiously!!>

Are these trees & bushes not available in india ??

> And you can grab everything for offline viewing if you use Firefox
> with the scrapbook plugin! Super stuff!

Got broadband 24/7 connection :~))
Jenny

> On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 19:50:49 +0200, "JennyC" <Jenny.squirrel [at] chello.nl> wrote:

>"Vivek.M" <vivekm1234 [at] cyberspace.org> wrote in message
>> Well i do like eating tasty stuff ( raspberry, strawberry, plums ); I
>Are these trees & bushes not available in india ??

They may be, but i have no way of knowing. I heard that nursery's in
Ooty stock saplings, but it would have been easier for me to order it
online (more time gardening, less time sitting in traffic), rather
than actually visiting Ooty, which might as well be in Greenland for
all practical purposes! I'll wait till i'm a earning member. For now,
flowers! and veggies *ugh!*

>> And you can grab everything for offline viewing if you use Firefox
>> with the scrapbook plugin! Super stuff!
>
>Got broadband 24/7 connection :~))
LoL! How did you guess *grins*. 256K, so it's barely broadband, but
who the hell cares! I love my ISP they are superb; No trouble at all
and it's a government organization!

>On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:50:02 GMT, EastneyEnder <tulips [at] hamsterspam.com> wrote:
>Didn't like Goa but really enoyed Karnataka... yet to try Kerala, but it's
>on my To Do list one day.
>ObUrg: was interesting to see front gardens in Colva, Goa planted with
>"hedges" of Sanseveria.
I think i know what you mean about Goa; my sis went trekking with some
college friends and had a ball of a time - she decided to drop the
whole beach/party scene. It's funny, but you've probably seen more of
India than i have. Intrepid traveller i'm not!

Sanseveria, hmm - snake plant. They look rather similar to stuff i've
got at home.