My Articles

By Adnan Younis, University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan

Hortist: Gladioli are herbaceous perennials with long, sword-like leaves and tall spikes of showy, colorful flowers. Numerous cultivars have been bred with extended vase life, floral novelty, or extended flowering periods. Recent focus has included transformation for potential creation of a genetically modified organism (GMO) cultivar. Most of the Gladiolus spp. are originally from South Africa, although they are widely distributed to as far north as Russia and into the Mediterranean. Winter-hardy species from Russia include G. imbricatus and G. palustris. It has been reported that several species are adaptable to cultivation. Modern G. hybrids are derived from S. African species. Modern gladioli are primarily grown as summer-growing cut flowers and tender annuals.

There are several environmental factors that affect the winter hardiness trait, including low temperatures, variable snow/ice cover, low light periods, and secondary invasion by pathogens. Winter hardiness is a necessary trait for herbaceous perennials growing in northern climates and is important for floriculture crops as well as consumers. Underground storage organs in geophytes, e.g., corms, bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, etc., allow herbaceous perennials to survive cold winters. The underground structure of perennial Gladiolus is a corm or fleshy storage stem from which shoots and roots grow. Gladiolus is a genus that has not been studied to any great extent in the area of winter hardiness. Most or all cultivars are ‘non-hardy’ in Minnesota and other northern latitudes.

By SAIF MALIK, 19:25 13 March 2011

The horticultural wonder which has already engulfed one home and is on its way towards another.
Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) has been determined by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the largest blossoming plant in the world. The single wisteria vine covers over an acre in size. It has more than a million blossoms and weighs 250 tons.

By SAIF MALIK, 11:25 20 February 2011

Menton is situated on the French Riviera just over the Italian border. It is best known for its annual Lemon Festival. "In the late 19th century, in an attempt to boost Menton's winter tourism, hoteliers proposed organizing a town parade. The project was designed with wealthy holiday-makers in mind and eventually Menton became THE place to pass the winter months. Kings, princes and artists alike filled the luxury hotels or their own magnificent villas.

Menton became the continent's premier producer of lemons in 1929 and the first flower and citrus exposition was organized at the Hotel Riviera gardens. It was so successful that the following year, the exposition extended into the streets with wagons beautifully planted with oranges and lemons. In order to develop tourism, the parade was given a title reflecting the feel of Menton and in 1934 the Lemon Festival or Fête du Citron was officially born.

By SAIF MALIK, 00:20 19 February 2011

Xochimilco means “Garden of Flowers.” In the pre-hispanic Mexico, there was a lake called "Lago Texcoco” in the valley where Mexico City stands today.  Centuries ago, Xochimilcas (One of the migrant tribes) dug a series of canals on the edge of this lake and invented a new agricultural practice called “Chinampa.” Chinampas were rectangle artificial islands (measured roughly 30 x 2.5m) built by

•  heaping the shallow lake mud ,
• staking the large reed mats  by fencing them with wattle,
•  layering the fenced-off  area with mud, lake sediment and decaying vegetation, eventually bringing it above the level of the lake,
•  then planting willow trees at the corners to anchor and secure them deeply.  

These plots of land appeared like floating islands - hence, their name “floating gardens."

By SAIF MALIK, 17:53 16 October 2010

Great Britain and United States of America are different in many ways including the seasonal differences, like a different autumn. Here different autumn means that autumn spreads the gloomy message across the whole Great Britain, while in United States it’s still the season of collecting smiles if garden little wisely. This big difference, on seasonal or gardening grounds, is also quite visible in the literature of both nations. If we critically get through the poetry of these nations, we come to know that the specs of their poets towards autumn are totally different. Like British nature poets, on comfortable and lyrical ground with spring and summer, turn dour and unenthusiastic when autumn is the topic. Keats, in his ode “To Autumn” writes that

Then in wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies.....

By SAIF MALIK, 02:15 18 September 2010

Autumn is on the verge of beginning and the splendid autumn grasses have motivated  me to publish on them. These ornamental grasses are splendid in autumn but they can really transcend any season. Many of these grasses like Ravenna, Calamagrostis and tall Miscanthuses, can be left standing all winter. They perform elegantly in the garden for almost ten months of the year when they are cut back in very early spring to spur them intio another season's growth. Some of Carexes and other few retain their color for the whole year.

By SAIF MALIK, 16:40 22 April 2010

A floral clock is a large decorative clock set into a flower bed in a park or other public recreation area or any institution. A floral clock may be a flower bed divided into sections, each of which contains flowers that open at a different time of day, sometimes arranged in the shape of a clock face. The most famous floral clocks have been made in Geneva, Switzerland. Later in different parts of world floral clocks were made.

By SAIF MALIK, 15:33 23 March 2010

I remember that sunny morning of April 2008 when I visited Keukenhof with my colleagues from Pakistan. Keukenhof is the world's largest flower garden where approximately 7,000,000 (seven million) flower bulbs are planted annually.

It's located in South Holland in the small town of Lisse, south of Haarlem and southwest of Amsterdam. Bus can be catched from train stations of Haarlem, Leiden and Schiphol to access this bulbous paradise.

By SAIF MALIK, 14:13 20 March 2010

In the upcoming billions of years, it will be obligatory for the humans to migrate to other planets because of expected nuclear wars, and furthermore the sun will become too hot for Earth to carry on life. In this context, Mars is ideal with an environment appropriate for human colonization and potential for modification into a stable ecosystem in the far future.

Picture Source: asc-csa.gc.ca

As a result of human colonization on Mars, it is obvious that these colonies can not be totally dependent on Earth for life support especially with relations to the food perspectives. The concept of greenhouse used on Earth to provide a confined space maintained at desirable environmental conditions for plant growth, can be extended to applications on the surface of Mars also. Furthermore, the psychological benefits associated with the sensory value of fresh food and of cultivating plants make greenhouses important components of manned missions to Mars.

By SAIF MALIK, 14:17 09 March 2010

According to UN estimates, the urban population of developing countries is likely to get double till 2030. As a consequence of which, demand for food, employment and urban infrastructure, and pressure on urban resources is going to increase at an alarming pace. Besides the escalating food demand, issues like poverty, unemployment, hunger and malnutrition in urban and peri-urban environment are of great concern for the central and municipal authorities.

                                                                                                    Picture Source: Freshplaza

Like other developing nations, Pakistan has to face these challenges ultimately. There is a crucial need to develop some solid strategies to ensure adequate food supply, proper distribution systems and essential infrastructure to overcome the increasing urban food insecurity and related environmental concerns for the sake of sustainable motherland.