Bangalore Flower Power!
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“Look!” said my baby niece, pointing around excitedly. “Poo everywhere!” Ok so words in Tamil and English don’t exactly mean the same all the time, but who cares, cos it’s bloom time in Bangytown again! My favourite time of the year, when the excitement of an oncoming summer mingles with the joys of a flower laden spring. And boy, are those trees flower laden these days! Everytime I pass the copse of golden Tabebuias at the cauvery circle, a big yellow hand reaches out from them and slaps me in my face. Aside from the mysore turmeric factory, they are definitely the yellowest sight Ive seen in my life. And thanks to the good doctor Neginhal who planted a huge bunch of them in the 80s, Beansville now has a lot of people looking like they’ve been slapped in the face by a brilliantly yellow tree at the end of February. In contrast, the delicate blossoms of the Jacaranda are cooling, inspirational, and well, purple. Paint them together in a picture and I’ll bet your drawing Miss will chide you for being unrealistic. Just send her to the nearest Tabebuia for a good slapping and she’ll come back a changed woman.
Neginhal was one of few horticulturists who actually had a vision for the tree cover of Bangalore. He managed to ensure that at least one species was in bloom at any point of the year. Flowering trees unfortunately aren’t very hardy, which is why you shouldn’t park under them in the monsoon. But for the rest of the year, aren’t you glad they are around?
Here are some spots with breathtaking views of some of my favourite trees in Bangalore:
Clockwise from top left:Pink Ipe, Golden Trumpet tree, Jacaranda, White Ipe, Burmese Cassia, Gul-Mohur, Indian Laburnum, African Tulip tree, Cork Tree
Pink Ipe (Tabebuia impetiginosa) (Dec- Jan) – Pink, pink pink. Uff, what a! For me, they are synonymous with Christmas in Bangalore. The best collection of these beauties is in the Cubbon Park looking towards the Vidhana Sauda from the Central Library.
Golden Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia chrysotricha) (Feb) – Riotously yellow, they are a traffic hazard in February because of their breathtaking beauty. One of the best pure stands of this Argentinian wonder is at the Cauvery Circle in Guttahalli.
Jacaranda (Feb-Mar): Delicately beautiful, this tree carpets roads and yards all over town with fragile purple flowers. One of the most ethereal sights to see every march or so. Cubbon Park as usual has a prize collection, apart from houses all around town.
White Ipe (Tabebuia roseo-alba) (Mar): Lovely pinky-cream flowers, though not as riotously abundant as its other cousins. Edward V’s statue on the Chinnaswamy stadium road has a lovely specimen.
Burmese Cassia (Cassia renigera)(Mar-Apr): delicately pink and loverly loverly, this summer bloomer is best viewed at Edward V’s statue in Cubbon Park. Lucky dude got all the nice trees.
Gul Mohur (Delonix regia)(May-Jun): Synonymous with summer and mommie dearest’s birthday, this is definitely one of my favourites. Happy happy memories of my brother and I atop my grandmother’s huge Gulmohur, making fake nails with the calyxes of the flowers, and having sword fights with the huge flat seed pods. Best viewed at IISc, Bangalore.
The Indian Laburnum (Cassia fistula)(Jul-Aug): A madly yellow tree, has coin shaped sprays cascading down from short delicate branches. A sight for sore eyes. Sore eyes after this sight too! Not as frequently found in Bangalore as in Kerala, but there are a couple of beautiful specimens in lalbagh and Cubbon park
African Tulip Tree (Or pride of India) (Spathodea campanulata) (Aug-Sep): Gorgeous fat red blooms nestled in a sea of dark green. A bird paradise, and a wonderful sight at Dasara
The Cork Tree (Oct-Nov) (Millingtonia hortensis) : A tall, tall tree where kites and vultures roost, that casts a fragrant carpet of white tube-shaped flowers on the ground. Best viewed on Sankey road near palace cross.
Tags: Bangalore Trees
April 13th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
I’m impressed! After reading your post I can tell you are chuffed about your writing. If only I had your writing ability. I look forward to more updates and will be returning. Cheers!
April 27th, 2010 at 2:34 am
Gulmohar is definitely my favouritest flower in the world! Growing up, it was the colour of long, lazy summers, and cycling around in the GKVK campus aimlessly.
I no longer live in Bangalore, but when I visited a couple of weeks back, the gulmohars were out – that, to me, is a sign of home, sweet home
PS – Stumbled here upon a recommendation. Awesome blog!