Indian Flora of Jaipur

One of the things I liked best about India is how flora made it's way into daily life- garlands of marigold and roses for temples, sweet wristlets of fragrant tuberose (Or what was that?) or to tie in your hair. Nature and flowers seem to be a part of daily life more so than in the US.

We stayed for a little over a week in Jaipur, the pink city of Rajasthan. The is the closest state on the border of Pakistan- the weather was actually a little cold in November- sweaters and jackets were definitely needed. Jaipur was sooo different from Bombay- it's arid, dusty and has a completely different feel. I think this would be the easiest place to garden in India- although it gets to 140 degress in the summer sometimes! No cloche needed!

Flowers always floating in this huge urn outside of this amazing shop Hot Pink at the Narain Niwas Hotel in Jaipur...they were so fragrant. I didn't see a lot of different rose varieties in India, basically just this pinky red type. At the flower market, people would make garlands of these fragrant yummies. I bought a few and hung them around my hotel room along with the traditional marigold garlands. If I lived in India I would always have them in my house...


These were the front garden for the luscious Samode Palace outside of Jaipur. This former palace was amazing...nestled in between the bosomy hills, it's strategically a perfect location for a palace. Formerly a Rajput castle, it is now a heritage hotel. Most of the palaces in Rajasthan are now heritage hotels, actually. In a super short nutshell, they belong to various Rajput warrior clans who have no more wars to fight, but have these big palaces, so they turned them into first class accomodations. The detail inside these palaces is amazing, as is the vibe when you walk past walls with so much history. Love it.


This is the grassy couryard at the Raj Palace in Jaipur. I would totally walk on the grass and try and pretend it was my home. What a dork. I did the same thing at the Golden Palace in Thailand. Yes, this is how I spend my free time! It was really an amazing example of architecture. The grass by the way, was a close cut Bermuda grass that reminded me of that rolling little patch of lawn at the Getty Museum. Emerald green and superfine blades of grass. I was really hoping they weren't using a lot of fertilizer. Note also the potted plant. I didn't see any potting soil in India....I think everybody just grabs soil from the earth. That's what my mom does and I always try and tell her to at least mix in something else to improve drainage.



These below are these sweet little clay figurines at the Narain Niwas hotel in Jaipur. If I had my way, I would have brought back so many ceramics, including the sweetest little lanterns made from clay- perfect for the garden!





PS- I am so remiss in actually blogging about India and all the adventures! I'm not sure anyone cares anymore, but I'll plug away anyway. I've been sort of absent for the past couple of months. More later.