Peepal

05/05/2026

Which flowering plant comes to your mind that looks good and smells good too?

Could be any from jasmines to roses. However, there’s one such plant which never fails to impress - the one and only Kamini (Murraya paniculata).

Be it forming a dense hedge in any landscape to an ornamental potted plant adorning, Kamini marries the best of both worlds - beauty that smells good.

Forming a beautiful bouquet that usually blooms at night, it can fill your room with its sweet orange-like scent (hence it’s popularly known as the Orange Jasmine too). It’s sleep therapy right there in your backyard. Kamini is also considered highly effective for its medicinal properties and being pollinator-friendly.

Native to India, this hardy evergreen plant, can thrive in any climatic condition. Kamini also produces small edible fruits which later can be used for propagation through seeds.

If you’re looking to add interest in your garden, start with Kamini!

04/04/2026

We spoke about the significance of canopy trees in our earlier post. Today, we are highlighting a native tree which holds utmost spiritual, scientific and cultural significance in India - Kadamba (Neolamarckia cadamba)

Being a fast growing evergreen tree, Kadamba’s canopy has several tangible and intangible benefits. Reaching heights of upto 45 meters, its dense coverage made of thick leaf structure creates a deep shade and safe environment for all living beings.

Its fragrant, golden-yellow spherical blossoms carry both spiritual and cultural value, being used in rituals, perfumes, and offerings.

Kadamba has been integral to our culture. From being known as Haripriya (beloved to Lord Krishna or Tree of Love) to being a sthala vriksha (sacred temple tree), this tree has been depicted as a symbol of selfless love, care, wisdom, and even enlightenment.

It is a powerhouse of medicine, aesthetics, culture, mythology, commerce, and much more.

There’s no being as selfless as a tree. From shade to fruits, a tree shares or rather parts away with every single thing it owns. Kadamba is an embodiment of this.

30/03/2026

What use are trees with fruit or flowers if none offers rest or shade? Better one such tree than a thousand vain ones—value lies in usefulness.

(arkāḥ kiṃ phalasaṃcayena bhavatāṃ kiṃ vaḥ prasūnairnavaiḥ
kiṃ vā bhūrilatācayena mahatā gotreṇa kiṃ bhūyasā|
yeṣāmekatamo babhūva sa punarnaivāsti kaścit kule
chāyāyāmupaviśya yasya pathikāstṛptiṃ phalaiḥ kurvate||)

This ancient wisdom captured in our Vedas sums it up. The purpose of a tree is to provide shade beyond all other material and intangible benefits. A tree canopy meaning the upper layer crowns consisting of branches, leaves, foliage, provides several environmental, physical, mental and social benefits.

From shade to shelter, tree covers helps in reducing the urban heat island effect with its natural shade, thus cooling the surroundings. Be it acting as a safe haven for all living beings, to purifying air, regulating temperatures, intercepting rainfall, a tree’s canopy acts as a natural umbrella to protect us from all adversaries.

Choose the tree species mindfully that meets your aesthetic and scientific landscape needs both.

26/03/2026