4 'O' Clock Fregrant Flowers

Mirabilis Jalapa is a perennial flowering plant from the most commonly grown ornamental species Mirabilis. These flowers have a peculiar aspect to bloom after 4:00 p.m. hence it is commonly called as Four O'clock flower. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to this fragrant flower. The flowers bloom during evening due to drop in temperature and not because of time. If you live in a tropical region then why not grow this beautiful night flower in your garden.

(1) Vital statistics of Four O'clock flower:

Botanical Name : Mirabilis Jalapa
(In Latin "Mirabilis" means "wonderful" and "Jalapa" is the "name of a town in Mexico").

Common Names : Four O'clock, Beauty-of-the-night, Marvel of Peru

Class

: Magnoliopsida

Order

: Caryophyllales

Family

: Nyctaginaceae

(2) Four O'clock plant description:

The plant grows upto 2-3 feet tall and just as wide. The stem of the plants are succulent.

Leaf :
The leaves of four O'clock flower oval shaped and slightly pointed.

Flower :
(1) The four O'clock flower is trumpet shaped.
(2) The four O'clock flower is 2 inch long and 1inch across the end.
(3) The four O'clock flower have calyx but no petals.
(4) An individual flower can have broken or bi-color. Four o'clock flowers are typically pink, red, white, magenta, yellow, cream and bi-colored.
(5) One plant can have flowers of different colors simultaneously.
(6) As the plant matures it has a peculiar aspect to change color. E.g. pink flower variety plant can change gradually to white color.
(7) The flowering season is from July to October.
(8) The flowers bloom after 4:00 p.m giving a sweet scented fragrance
(9) The Mirabilis Jalapa flowers are hermaphrodite i.e. they have both male and female organs. They are pollinated by Insects.

Seeds :
The fruit is single seeded. The matured seed is black, spherical in shape and wrinkled surface. The seed is extremely poisonous.

(3) Place of Origin/ Habitat of Four O'clock Plant:

Four O'clock flower is native to tropical South America. Nowadays you can find these flowers both in tropical and temperate regions. It is believed that Four O'clock flower has been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540.

(4) Tips to grow Four O'clock flower:

The bloom season is from July to October that is from summer to fall season.

Propagation :
Four O'clock flower can be grown using a seed or tuber.

Plant the seeds during the spring or four weeks before summer season in a pot in shade and shift the pant to a sunny place after the frost has gone. Plant the seeds 12 inches apart.
Tip: Soak the seeds overnight in water before planting to germinate faster.

Plant the tuber when the summer season starts. If you live in a temperate region; after September when the plant has stopped flowering lift the tuber and store it in a frost free area for the next season possibly April when the summer season starts.

Soil Type : Sandy, loamy or clay soil

Sun Exposure : Full sun to partial shade

Soil Moisture : Moist, well-drained

Pest :The leaf is susceptible to rust.

Pick the seeds often so that this flowering plant doesn't become a weed in your garden.

(5) Seeds of Four O'clock flower

An old fashioned favorite, Four O'clock are a fast growing bush plant which are easy to grow from wild flower seed. They grow to about 36" with oval lance shaped leaves and trumpet shaped, fragrant flowers. Flowers may be shades of red, pink, yellow, white or striped. Mirabilis is a wonderful addition to an evening garden. Once even one flower opens, a rich fragrance is released into the surrounding air. The blooms open in the afternoon, thus the common name "Four O'clock."

MORINGA was one the greatest gifts which Nature bestowed on man - this was known to the ancient world and they regarded the tree as a “Cure-all Tree”. They also saw the moringa tree as an “Elixir of long life”, “the Tree of Immortality”, “the Tree of Life”, “the Never Die Tree”, “the Miracle Tree that brings harmony to life”, and “Mother’s best friend”.
Other common names for moringa are: Horse-radish tree, Ben oil tree, Drumstick tree (referring to the large drumstick shaped pods).
Moringa, like most other trees and plants, lost its fame when science became more experimental and analytical - with rational thinking which also led to an increased remoteness from Nature. Today, however, as the whole world is been plagued with numerous degenerating health problems, together with the spiritual and  physical transformations sweeping across the entire universe, many concerned scientists are working very hard, trying to fashion out better and less hazardous ways of living in this computer age. This has led to a more intense experimental and research works that are aimed at verifying those traditional wisdom together with those healing plants that were known for their multidimensional functions to the ancient people.
Moringa oleifera has just been “rediscovered” as a multipurpose tree that has amazing nutritional, therapeutic and prophylactic potentials.
Let us at this juncture examine this “Miracle Tree” in detail:
Botanical Name: Moringa oleifera
Family:               Moringaceae.
Description:
It is a fast growing draught-resistant tree that can grow up to 7 meters in one year. It is one of the world’s most useful trees ever known to man, and it is cultivated in most parts of the globe: Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, Asia, Tropical America, etc. Here in Nigeria, it is propagated by stem cutting or seeds by the Hausas in the North and taken as vegetable; while in some parts of the South, it is planted on farm boundaries, in fences, or as single trees in homesteads for livestock.
There is no part of this “Tree of life” that has not been found very useful.

Parts of the Tree Used:
The whole plant, the leaves, the stems, the bark, the roots, the immature pods, the seeds, the flowers, and the flowering tops.

The Nutritional Benefits of Moringa:
Moringa is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree with a wide range of nutritional values.

The Leaves:
The leaves as vegetable are highly nutritious. The fresh leaves are eaten as greens, in salads, cooked as vegetable soup or used for seasoning foods during dry season when few other green, leafy vegetables are not available. The leaves can also be dried, ground into powder and stored for many months without any significant loss of nutritional or therapeutic values.

Scientific analysis has shown and confirmed that moringa leaves are indeed a powerhouse of essential macro- and micro-nutrients. The leaves are believed to contain approximately 46 types of anti-oxidants, 90 nutrients, 18 amino acids (out of which 8 are the essential ones). It is on record that gram for gram, moringa leaves contain: more vitamin C than oranges, more vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more potassium than banana, more iron than spinach; and the protein quality can equate with those  in milk and eggs.
The leaves of Moringa oleifera are rich sources of dietary fibers, starch, beta-carotene, minerals (zinc, magnesium, and selenium), iodine, lutein, zeatin, etc.
With the exceptional content of all the essential macro- and micro-nutrients, the powder extracted from leaves of moringa is used as a nutritional supplement:
- To combat malnutrition and related diseases.
- Mineral and vitamin deficiencies in pregnant and lactating mothers,            children and adolescence.
-To boost the immune system in HIV and AIDS patients.
The immature pods are highly nutritious, containing all the essential amino acids together with other vital nutrients. The immature pod contains green peas or green beans that can be eaten raw together with salad.
The matured pods yields up to 40% edible oil known as Ben Oil. The oil can be used as olive oil substitute. The Oil is clear, odorless and edible and very useful in cosmetic industries.
The leaves of moringa can also be ground and used for scrubbing utensils and cleaning walls.
The Healing Benefits of Moringa
Hippocrates, the Greek doctor who is today regarded as the father of medicine, once treated his patients with fasting, detoxification, sunshine, rest and relaxation, herbal baths, herbal infusions, aromatherapy, etc. This great doctor believed that many human illnesses are caused by a chronic condition of deep inner disharmony. Also, he taught that a disorder in one part of the body will eventually be reflected in the whole organism. Therefore, if an illness is to be cured completely, the inner harmony of the organism must be restored.
Moringa is one of the herbs that are known to have not only multi-directional activities in the human body but also help in restoring balance and promoting inner harmony and therefore radiant health.One thing more,its flower when cooked tastes like Mushrooms.
One can read total research on Sahjan Plants in the following link:http://leafpower.wordpress.com/moringa-benefits/ .

Gardenias(Gandhraj)

Gardenias are waxy, white and very fragrant flowers Gardenias are one of the most popular exotic flower.

Gardenias symbolize purity and sweetness. They indicate secret love. They convey joy. They tell the receiver “you are lovely”.

Some interesting facts about Gardenia or Gandhraj:

• Gardenias are grown for their beautiful foliage and they make great cut flowers.
• Gardenias flowers from about mid-spring to mid-summer, i.e., May through July
• Many of the gardenia species are strongly scented.
• The genus Gardenia is named after Alexander Garden, a physician in Charleston of South Carolina.
• Gardenias can be used as screens, hedges, borders or ground covers.
• In France, Gardenia is the traditional flower which men wear as boutonnieres.
• The most popular cultivated species is the Cape jasmine, native to China.
• Each gardenia flower is followed by 6-sided berries of rich orange-red with long, elegant stems.
• Gardenia thunbergia produces a woody fruit which has hard, angular seeds inside.

About Gardenia Flower and Plant

Gardenias are very fragrant creamy-white flowers with glossy, dark-green leaves. Gardenia flowers are solitary or in small clusters, white or pale yellow. The gardenia flowers are with a tubular-based corolla with 5-12 lobes petals from 5-12 cm diameter.
Gardenia plants are evergreen shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The Gardenia plant leaves are opposite or in whorls of three or four. They are dark green and glossy 5-50 cm long and 3-25 cm broad, with a leathery texture. They are simple, entire, hairless, with wavy margin.

Growing Gardenias

• Gardenia plants need high humidity.
• A loose, well-drained organic soil is recommended.
• For best results plant gardenias in full sun, partial shade, or shifting shade.
• Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball.
• Thoroughly mix one part soil and one part planting mix.
• Check that the top of the original root ball is slightly above the level of the surrounding soil.
• Take the soil mixture and make a gentle mound of soil sloping away from the plant so that the water drains away from the trunk.
• Remove any air pockets, if present.
• Water the plant with a root stimulator.

Gardenia Care

• Do not over-water gardenias.
• Fertilize with an acid fertilizer.
• Check for aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips and scales.
• Also check gardenia plants for bud drop, a common ailment.

Parijat or more commonly also known night queen is a fragrant flowering plant. This plant is very famous for its heavenly fragrance that is prominent only during nights. When you have a plant growing in the vicinity its fragrance is spread far and you can recognize that there is a parijat plant growing nearby. As the evening sun sets the fragrance can be felt in the whole vicinity. The parijat flowers are very beautiful and colourful. The off white flowers with orange bright stems look different from other white flowers and of course with their heavenly fragrance these flowers can be recognized easily due to their different unique colored flowers. When the flowers drop one can see a beautiful bed of flowers and the area surrounding the plant looks like a bed of flowers

According to mythology, this is a heavenly tree brought to earth by the god Krishna. A quarrel over it ensued between Satyabhama and Rukmini, Krishna's wives. But Krishna planted the tree in Satyabhama's courtyard in a way that when the tree flowered, the flowers fell in Rukmini's courtyard. Another romantic story woven around the tree is about Parijataka, a princess. She fell in love with the sun but when he deserted her she committed suicide and a tree sprung from the ashes. Unable to stand the sight of the lover who left her, the tree flowers only at night and sheds them like tear-drops before the sun rises. Medicinal Uses: Apart from contributing to the beauty of gardens, "Parijat" has also got medicinal properties. The juice of its leaves is bitter and saline in taste. Taking its juice is considered to be useful in the treatment of fever. Its bark, if taken as medicine is known to give relief in & swelling of lungs. The oil produced from its bark brings relief to pains the eyes and used for hair tonics. Fresh juice of its leaves mixed with honey provides effective relief in the treatment of chronic fever. The decoction of its leaves prepared over low fire gives relief in the treatment of chronic ‘Citica pain’. The juice of its leaves mixed with little sugar is used for treatment of stomach diseases of children. Application of six to seven of its tender leaves with little flesh gin- ger juice, churned in water, brings relief in case of high fever. Its flowers, though bitter in taste act as appetiser and soothe the stomach. Its seeds are used in the treatment of skin diseases and piles. Myths related to Parijat Plant: There are several myths such as a huge tree in the Barabanki district of UP is easily mistaken as Parijat tree and few claim it as the real one but its matter of research that is it true or not. According to a news Mr. Navin Patnayak claim to have same tree in is office compound.Here is the link"http://www.orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=34668". If that is parijat tree than what about these common trees which most of people already have.I mean which is the real Parijat Tree?Answer is that these plants are not real one .Its originally the tree found mostly in Africa and brought in India by the Arabian traders.The scientific name of that tree is "Adansonia digitata". One can see similarities between the flowers of Barabanki,Mr Navin Patnayak but both of the are same as "Adansonia diigitata" At Barabanki flowers and Leaves.

A Tree in Africa{leaves and flower}

Naveen Patnayak's Flower

The information on the internet are little bit misleading.Now one can say proudly that the Parijat tree which are the Gems of Indian Gardens and most of the people serve this thinking this a real parijat tree is infact the "real tree" brought by the Lord from heaven.Below their sheds Hanuman resides.