Plants that you should consider

There are a number of things you can do to attract butterflies and birds to your garden. Here is a basic list that may be useful as a starting point for people living in peninsular India. Please remember that this list is neither complete nor comprehensive because habitats vary so dramatically across our country. I’ve tried as far as possible to list local species but some, like the Lantana, have naturalised in our country and have therefore found a mention.

Grasses

A number of butterfly species lay their eggs on grasses – but not of the cultivated kind. Unless you have a very large plot, it is unlikely you’d want to allow these to grow. However, if the possibility exists, it is nice to let a patch of garden in a corner somewhere actually grow wild.
Bamboos are food for some butterfly species and refuge for many birds and other creatures. Keep them a little distant from your house if you’re petrified of snakes, though.

Shrubs and Creepers

• Bougainvillea glabra – Bougainvillea
• Bryophyllum spp. – Kalanchoe
• Calotropis spp. – Rui/Aak
• Capparis spp. – Capers
• Cassia alata – Candle Bush
• Euphorbia spp. – Euphorbia Family
• Hibiscus spp. – Hibiscus Family
• Ipomoea spp. – Glory Family
• Ixora spp. – Ixora Family
• Jasminum spp. – Jasmine Family
• Lantana camara – Lantana bush
• Murraya koenigii – Kaddipatta
• Punica granatum – Pomegranate
• Quisqualis indica – Madhumalti
• Tagetes erecta – Marigold
• Ziziphus spp. – Ber Family
• Citrus spp. – Cultivated citrus plants

Trees

Even if you live in the heart of a city like Mumbai, you will be surprised by the variety of birds you can see if there is enough greenery around. I’ve seen the beautiful Paradise Flycatcher in Breach Candy which is, barring a couple of tiny green pockets, as concrete a jungle as you can get.

• Aegle marmelos – Bael
• Annona squamosa – Sitaphal
• Cassia fistula – Amaltas
• Cocos nucifera – Coconut
• Ficus bengalensis – Banyan
• Ficus elastica – Indian rubber tree
• Ficus racemosa – Gular
• Ficus religiosa – Pipal
• Mallotus philippensis – Kamala Tree
• Mangifera indica – Mango
• Michelia champaca – Champak
• Millettia pinnata (Pongamia pinnata) – Karanj
• Phyllanthus emblica – Amla
• Saraca asoka – Ashoka
• Tamarindus indicus – Tamarind
• Terminalia catappa – Badam
• Thespesia populnea – Bhendi

Although the links above all point to wikipedia, a very good resource I have found for Indian plants is Flowers of India. The site aims at having comprehensive information about Indian flowering plants with their common names (especially in Indian languages), pictures and details of habitat and distribution.

Erosion of soil is a very real problem that can crop up when we encounter sloping land on a site. In this article, I’ll outline the measures taken on two different sites where erosion needed to be controlled. The first was done entirely via plantation and the second (where the foundation of a building had to be supported) involved terracing of the land — in conjunction with plantation of course.

Slope Stabilisation with Vetiver

In the year 2003, a client of mine wanted to buy an 11 acre plot of land along the Narmada river. It was a lovely location but the soil was very soft and powdery and the land was scarred by deep fissures where rainwater flowed down to the main river. What made it downright dangerous was that these steep gullies were collapsing at points and something needed to be done before parts of the plot got cut off and became inaccessible.

At the time, I suggested reducing the angle of the slopes and planting local reeds that grew along the riverfront to hold the soil. The first part worked but the second did not. The wild plants refused to grow where we wanted them to and something else needed to be found. That’s when she decided to try growing Chrysopogon zizanioides — Vetiver (also called Khus).

What happened next was almost miraculous. The Vetiver took hold of the soil and bound it in a way that not only stopped erosion but allowed rainwater to seep into the soil instead of letting it all run off to the river. As a result, even the trees growing in the gullies got healthier and what looked like an almost barren landscape then, is now a great example of how working with mother nature is far more productive than trying to fight her. And plantation costs a fraction of what it would if we used “man-made” solutions.

What makes Vetiver different from other grasses is the fact that it’s roots do not form a horizontal mat like the others but grow downwards as far as 4m (13 feet). Another good thing is that it propagates in a way that makes it easy to control – so it doesn’t become an invasive weed.

To know more about Vetiver and how to use it for erosion control, go to the Vetiver International Network Website and download their manuals, videos and presentations.

Terracing the Land

Now, while I’ve been extolling the benefits of natural solutions, there are times when we simply have to use brick and mortar solutions when structural demands have to be met. The [RaBV] bungalow at Nasrapur was built on steeply sloping land and we not only had to prevent erosion but also make sure that the building’s foundations had rock solid support even if an earthquake struck. In such a situation, simply planting Vetiver, or any other vegetation for that matter, would never have been sufficient.

The first thing to do in the design was to follow the slope of the land as closely as possible. The main floor level was split with the living room sunk by about 0.6m (2 feet) from the rest of the house. Then, the verandah which projected by 2.4m (8 feet) beyond the house line was almost 1.8m (6 feet) above surrounding ground level so instead of filling it up, a little earth was excavated and an extra level – like a basement – was created below the verandah. Not only did this reduce loading on the peripheral foundation wall in a big way but is also served as a space for garden implements, a separate room for rainwater harvesting tanks and parking for a motorcycle.

The verandah effectively then, became the first terrace. Then, to buttress the foundation, a second terrace was created just in front of the basement. Here, we planted only shrubs and bushes – nothing with strong roots that might weaken the stone wall at some future date. Finally, we built a retaining wall to support the second terrace.

Maybe it was unnecessary to go so far but, when there is going to be no second chance to correct a mistake, you tend to err on the side of caution. Around the bungalow, on non-critical slopes, local vegetation has been allowed to grow naturally and has taken root well enough to protect against erosion.

There is a raging debate among naturalists about the desirability of cultivating exotic plant species and there are no easy answers. My own view is that we should try our best to avoid introducing any new species into an existing ecosystem but there is no need to get worked into a froth if a species has naturalised over a substantial period of time. Yes, there are places where exotic species have become very invasive at the cost of the local varieties and there may be a case for culling them – but such a discussion is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, we are going to focus on the use of exotic and native species in the context of what is appropriate landscape architecture in a predominantly hot country like India.

Improving Comfort Levels

Trees are often the first line of defence when it comes to passive cooling of a bungalow or other low-rise structure. They provide shade which prevents the build-up of heat not only on the ground but also on the walls of the building. Shade on the ground means the breeze coming in through your window is cooler and shade on the walls means less heat gets transferred indoors. Aside from shading, trees also cool by transpiration to the extent that they can, if properly located, reduce ambient temperatures by as much as 5° compared to the surroundings.

So what kind of trees should we plant, and where?

While the finer details vary across different parts of the country, broadly it is safe to say that the hottest sides are the South and West so, if you can concentrate on protecting these directions with dense evergreens, you’re good to go. On the East, you might want to have high-branching trees that won’t block your early morning sun and on the North – depending on whether you get direct sunlight penetration or not – you could grow colourful, possibly deciduous trees. You have to be careful during plantation that you leave enough distance between the tree and your foundation because many of the large trees have strong spreading roots.

Trees, even in urban areas (albeit to a lesser extent), are part of an ecosystem and need to treated at as such. If they are native, they will invariably be well integrated into that ecosystem along with the local fauna like the birds and butterflies. An introduced plant is unlikely to be so well assimilated and may therefore not contribute in a positive way. There are plants that have been naturalised over a long period of time but I’m referring to those that have been introduced because they are ornamental or because they grow rapidly. Usually the ornamental ones are fragile and drop their branches on your head at the beginning of the monsoon and the fast-growing varieties with their short life-spans often sap the soil so severely that nothing else grows there for years after they’re gone.

Usage of Water

This is a very important factor to take into consideration especially if you’re thinking of sustainable landscaping. Many ornamental trees and bushes are extremely high-maintenance and don’t even get me started on lawns. They may look very pleasing to the eye but, with few exceptions, they guzzle frightening amounts of water and are often heavily sprayed with chemical pesticides — which naturally leech into the groundwater.

Here, a very important argument for using native species is that they will, by default, survive with the naturally available moisture and precipitation. Of course they may need some amount of watering when they are saplings as also during the hot summer months but, in general, their water requirements are a small when compared to exotic ornamentals.

The microclimate of a particular location or site is controlled – to a great extent – by it’s landscape and terrain. In a predominantly hot country like India the plantation of trees plays a vital role in preventing the build-up of heat. They shade the ground (and the walls of low-rise buildings) with their canopy and, combined with their transpiration, trees can lower temperatures in their immediate surroundings by as much as 5°C. Also, in conjunction with shrubs they can help in channelling prevailing breezes and improve comfort levels indoors as well as outdoors.

It is important, from the point of view of sustainability, to preserve what we can of a site’s natural ecosystem. This includes not just the flora and fauna but also the natural drainage patterns. We all know how landscaping can transform the aesthetics of a place but not many of us realise that greenery does more than just look pretty. Out choices affect what birds, butterflies and other creatures will survive not just in our own property but in the immediate surrounding areas as well.

For example, if milkweed plants like the calotropis sp. grow commonly in the area and we say, “oh, they’re ugly – let’s get rid of them”, then we’re not merely removing a species of plant but also banishing a number of small creatures – many of them attractive – that depend on the calotropis for their survival. I am not for a minute advocating that one should allow one’s garden to grow wild but merely pointing out that landscaping involves more than just choosing pretty plants.

Plant Appropriately

It is not merely enough to know where you are going to grow something; it is equally important to know what you are growing and how it affects the local ecosystem.

The subject of exotic versus native trees has generated a lot of debate but my own personal opinion is that, whenever possible, it is better to plant a local tree instead of one that belongs to a different ecosystem.
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Reduce Hard Paving

City folk seem to have an obsession with paving every inch of land they see. This leads to a huge increase of rainwater runoff which, in turn, overloads the storm-water systems and results in flooding – sometimes with disastrous consequences. Soil, especially when well planted, allows a large percentage of the rain that falls on it, to penetrate the ground and recharge the water table beneath. This, in turn, allows plants to grow more naturally, gives us sweet water in the dry season and, in coastal areas, prevents the egress of saline water.
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Give Nature a Home

Nature’s creatures respond very quickly to favourable conditions, so if you want to attract birds, butterflies or other creatures, it is just a matter of finding out what they need. Only remember that nothing exists in isolation so if, for example, you plant flowers to attract butterflies, you’re going to have predatory creatures like spiders trying to eat them (the butterflies, not the flowers) and you’ll have to be grateful for both!
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Prevent Erosion

Sometimes you’re faced with a situation where erosion becomes a major problem. Usually, through landscaping, you should be be able to either eliminate the problem or, at the very least, bring it under control. In 2003, a client of mine bought a tract of land along the Narmada river where the soil was so powdery that even a little rainfall would create a channel in the ground. Today, that site is a great example of how to deal with soil erosion in a totally natural and eco-friendly way.
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