20 plants that survive at the Mumbai sea-face...!

Working with the little spaces in the city has always been a challenge that iv loved to take on...more often than not i come face to face with Mumbai's elite who have sprawling properties overlooking the sea.A common complaint that i come across is that nothing survives the monsoon salt blast leaves turn brown ,plants shed their leaves ...look bald. A large number of landscapers have used this as an excuse to re do gardens over and over again and earn a handsome buck out of it. Sustainability is a word alien to them...At VRIKSHA NURSERY...we make gardens to last you a lifetime and plant selection is essential to make such a greenspace.with over 35 gardens made at the sea face the following varieties have been tried...tested...and proven the following are the plants that i have stood the test of time.

1)Baringtonia:
Genus: Barringtonia.
Family: Lecythidaceae
subfamily: Planchonioideae
native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia, from Afghanistan east to the Philippines and Queensland. Leaves are obovate. Red flowers are produced on pendulous racemes about 20cm long. Four sided fruits are produced periodically throughout the year. Partly deciduous in extended dry periods. This species grows on the banks of freshwater rivers, the edges of freshwater swamps and lagoons and on seasonally flooded lowland plains,

2)Lagerstromia:
Botanical name: Lagerstroemia indica
Crape myrtle is the smaller version of Lagerstroemia speciosa, commonly known as Pride of India or Queen crape myrtle. The deciduous crape myrtle is among the longest blooming trees in existence with flowering periods lasting from 60-120 days.Leaves are alternate and smooth, but leaf size depends on variety. Flowers are borne in summer in big showy clusters and come in white and many shades of pink, purple, lavender and red.

3)ingadulsis mendhi:
Henna is a shrub that can grow up to 7 m high at its tallest, with greyish-brown bark.a powerful and heady combination of earth, clay, chalk, and damp green leaves. In contrast, fresh henna leaves have no odor whatsoever, even when crushed between the fingers. The henna flower is delicate, petite, and four-petaled, with a profusion of slender and elongated antennas bursting from the center.

4)verigated malphigia:
Malpighia is a genus of flowering plants in the nance family, Malpighiaceae. It contains about 45 species of shrubs or small trees, all of which are native to the American tropics. can be kept as a small shrub and it will still fruit freely. In colder areas, potted plants can be moved to a warmer site in winter, and can be placed in full sun during the warmer months

5)belaprone bhutata:
These shrubs are natives of Brazil and Mexico. B. guttata, the Shrimp Plant, grows 2-3 feet tall and has dark green leaves and spikes of white flowers, which are shaped like long tubes that open out into two lips at the top. The flowers are surrounded by brownish-rose or yellow bracts that give them the appearance of boiled shrimp. This plant is popular for window gardens

6)bouganvellia thema:is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus.The woody trunk tends to be twisted and the thin stem have sharp thorns and dark green leaves. Bougainvilleas can be easily grown as a hedge, an arch or a tree on the ground and in pots. Bougainvilleas available in a variety of species, is ideal for bonsai.

7)euphorbia pencil:The Pencil Tree Euphorbia tirucalli is a native of Africa, which has naturalized itself in India since thousands of years.The flowers are yellow and insignificant. Its latex is poisonous, so animals do not eat it, making it a favourite hedge plant in the countryside.this also happens to be the most selling plant in the last couple of weeks at the nursery for its insect repellent properties.

8)pisonia alba: commonly called the lettuce tree, is a small, evergreen foliage tree or a large shrub found in our gardens. It reaches a height of four to seven meters.The tree is originally from the beach forests of Andaman Islands and gardeners in Chennai fell in love with it. The result - it began to go places and reached inland gardens. Being a coastal tree it does not thrive as well on land as it does on the east and west coast of our country. The leaves are long and pointed and about 30 cm in length. They are of a pleasing pale green colour. Planted in good sunlight, the leaves may acquire a light yellow colour. The plant belongs to Nyctaginaceae family of bougainvillea and four o'clock plant. It is an irony that Pisonia alba, unlike the two other family members, is grown not for its flowers but for its leaves

9)acasia mangium:
native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world, particularly Australia there called wattles) and Africa. Acacias’ distinctive leaves take the form of small, finely divided leaflets that give the leafstalk a feathery or fernlike appearance. In many Australian and Pacific species, the leaflets are suppressed or absent altogether, and the leafstalks are flattened and perform the physiological functions of leaves. The leafstalks may be vertically arranged and bear thorns or sharp spines at their base. Acacias are also distinguished by their small, often fragrant flowers

10)hemilia patens:Firebush is a showy, fast-growing, semi-woody evergreen shrub that can get up to 15 ft (4.6 m) tall under ideal conditions, but usually stays much smaller. It has whorled leaves, usually with three but occasionally as many as seven at each node. The leaves are elliptic to oval, about 6 in (15 cm) long, and gray-pubescent underneath with reddish veins and petioles Listed as a nectar source on every butterfly list in circulation, firebush is relatively common as a "volunteer" (fancy name for a weed),

11)alpinia verigated is a beautiful variation of Alpinia zerumbet which is native to India. The 2 foot (60 cm) long leaves are striped with creamy yellow variegations giving them an appearance of a feather. The plants only reach 6-8 feet (1.5-2 m) tall. Clumps can reach up to 10 feet (2.5 m) across. They are not quite as aggressive as the non-variegated species. The plants are very showy whether in containers or in the landscape.

12)purple aranthimum:Purple false eranthemum is a hairless shrub from Polynesia, which grows to 7 feet in height, with rose-purple or white and purple flowers. Corolla tube usually rich purple, the petals rich pink with paler mottling or white, the throat purple-spotted; filaments and style often purple-tinged. Leaves variegated with purple or green and white. Pseuderanthemum is a genus of about 60 species of herbs and shrubs native to the tropical regions of the world.

13)Brassia actinophylla:
Evergreen tree to 12 m (40 ft) tall, with single or multi-stemmed trunks and greenish bark.
Leaves: Alternate with petioles to 61 cm (2 ft) long; palmately compound with mostly 7–16 leaflets, these shiny, light green, oblanceolate, to 30 cm ( long; margins entire (or sparsely toothed when young). Brassia. Has now changed its name to Schefflera actinophylla. Haven't got this one, but we do grow Schefflera outside in sheltered spots.

14)lemonia spectabliss:An exotic and rare plant, Lemonia is a large shrub with bright dark pink flowers. The flower petals have a grainy and hard texture. The flowers have a curious flattened appearance. Leaves are divided into three leaflets which are elliptic, dark green and glossy. Prefers semi-shade conditions and regular watering. Great butterfly attractor. Though it is known to grow to a height of 3-5 metres, it is mostly maintained as a shrub. It is especially attractive when grown in shrubby groups.

15)phoinex palm:Pygmy Date Palm" A small (even miniature) feather palm, from Laos and southeast Asia, with a slender trunk that can grow to about 10 feet (3.0m) in height. Fruit are small, about 1/2 inch (1.25cm) long, and range from dark purple to brown/black when fully ripe.They like lots of water and fertilizer during the hot months, and by giving palms a little extra nitrogen during the growing season, keeps them looking their best. Can be grown in shade to full sun and make wonderful planter palms for indoors or on the deck during the warmer months

16)pampus grass:one of more than 20 species of tall, reedlike Central and South American and New Zealand grasses comprising the genus Cortaderia (family Poaceae). Female plants bear silvery, plumelike flower clusters about 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) tall. Pampas grass is cultivated as a lawn ornamentalIn its natural environment, pampas grass provides shelter to a wide range of mammals and birds. When the flowers mature into seeds, the fine silky threads can be borne on the wind for miles, ensuring that the plant is well-seeded, and the plants are adapted to a wide variety of conditions, including extreme heat and cold. Pampas grass will also endure through flooding and fires.

17)caesalpinia sappan:is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is native to Southeast Asia and the Malay archipelago.Sappan is a small thorny spreading tree, grows up to 10 m in height and the wood reaches 15-30 cm in diameter. They come to maturity in three months' time. Only few seeds mature. Sappan is cultivated as a horticultural plant for its large compound leaves and bright yellow flowers. Its branches when interlaced make a strong barrier, hence, it is considered as a live fencing plant. It grows well in all kinds of soil and lush growth is obtained in red soil. It withstands any amount of drought and defoliates only for a short period of 10-15 days.

18)narium oliander:Beautiful blossoms, of fragrant pink flowers in bunches, at the tip of branchlets rendering an eye-catching sight that is 'Oleander'. A native of India and the Mediterranean, it is now widely grown in tropical and subtropical gardens, parks, avenues, and is popular for its hue and fragrance. It rises up to 3 meters erect with its short branches and dark dusty green leathery narrow leaves, which grow in whorls The fruit is a long narrow capsule 5-23 cm long, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds. The plants are almost free from pests and diseases and untouched by cattle and goats, due to their toxicity. In India they are thus the most favoured plants for the road dividers, where a plant has to withstand heat and dust, and little water.

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19)plumeria alba:White frangipani has beautiful white flowers with yellow centers, and the flower looks fully opened unlike plumera rubra. Frangipani is well-known for its intensely fragrant, lovely, spiral-shaped blooms which appear at branch tips. The tree itself is rather unusual in appearanceThis large evergreen shrub has narrow elongated leaves and steel gray branches . the plant possess a irritating, milky sap, rather similar to that of Euphorbia. Contact with the sap may irritate eyes and skin. Each of the separate species of Plumeria bears differently shaped alternate leaves, with distinct form and growth habits. The leaves of P. alba are quite narrow and corrugated, whereas leaves of P. pudica have an elongated shape and glossy, dark-green color. P. pudica is one of the everblooming types with non-deciduous, evergreen leaves.

20)plumbago:is a herb that grows wild in India and has been used by rural and tribal people for hundreds of years as a traditional system of medicine. Chitrak is native to SE Asia. It is a much branched, evergreen shrub that reaches about 6 feet in nature. Dark green leaves are ovate to 6 inches long by half as wide. They are fast growing plants, but their size is easily controlled by pot size and pruning. The flowers are white in showy dense racemes and will flower all year long. Individual flowers are up to ½ inch (a bit more than 1 cm) across.


There are many more varieties that work well on the sea face drop by at the nursery ...id love to personally show you around.