As Kansans moves into winter, our gardening efforts slow. Many of us move on to a second hobby or just rest and plan for the spring. Others move with the warm weather and continue our gardening there. Still others will go to great lengths, literally around the world, for their hobby.

India is a diverse country in many ways, not the least of which is its flora. From mountain regions to desert to subtropical forests, the variety of plants is endless but similar to what we know here. There are a couple of books referencing the flowers and trees of India. The Bombay National Historical Society turned out to be a small upstairs retro office with a wealth of neatly filed information. The horticulture specialist worked through cabinets of books to find two of note: “The Book of Indian Trees,” by K.C. Sahni and “Common Indian Wild Flowers,” by Isaac Kehimkar, both published in 2000.

Bombay, renamed Mumbai in 1996, is a city of 19 million people. Crowded and literally packed with activity, there is still the importance for green space. Rooftops, apartment balconies, traffic circles, fountains and maintained gardens give space to their flowers. Just before and mostly after the monsoons is the peak bloom, which is reported to be visually dramatic. It is winter there now, which means the climate is 95 degrees and dry, and most flowers are spent. I could only rely on the books and stories.

Flowers there are not only a thing of beauty; they are religious symbols and literally the spice of life. Garlands of flowers weighing up to 25 pounds are used in quantity for wedding ceremonies. A typical dias for these ceremonies is covered more elaborately than a Rose Parade float. Tiger lilies, carnations, tuberose, roses and mums are common. Offerings to the various gods and deities of the seven distinct religions of the country are many times in the form of flowers, rupees or both.

Of the 58 classifications of plants outlined by Issac Kehimkar, only a small number are not used for their spice, dye or medicinal values. Water lilies and lotus plants give up their rhizomes as food and flowers for perfume. Purslane, our garden intruder, becomes a cultivated herb; common spurge is a vegetable there. Geraniums are both a delicacy and cosmetic oil. An entire ceremony, the mehndi, is fashioned on the painting or decorating of hands and feet with henna, which is our loosestrife, a noxious weed. Lily extracts can be both poisonous and medicinal. The hard canna seeds were used as ammunition, hence the name “Indian shot.” Our small decorative potted ficus tree grows to 4 feet in diameter and 60 feet tall.

There are 15 official languages and 325 dialects used across 25 states in India; therefore, common names vary significantly. Scientific names are used and generally cross-reference directly.

Gardening there, even farming, is still done by hand. To see grass being cut with a push mower or hand shear is not uncommon. The gardens are swept daily, even the bare ground, and water is sparse – outside the four-month monsoon season when it rains constantly. Making friends in the garden is easy, even across 11 time zones. The Indian people obtain nourishment for the mind and body from the garden just like we do.