Fostering Flora

Gundur is a small village on the fringes of Bangalore City. This hamlet and several others in the vicinity are blessed with fertile soil and favourable climatic conditions in which a plethora of fruits and flowers flourish. It was hard to believe that this place was barely a half hour drive from home. Numerous rose garders with flowers of striking hues flanked the road leading up to Gundur. I left the place feeling that pictures could not really do justice to the spectacular sight of the abundance and freshness of the crops.
Here are select pictures from that visit.


Viticulture, the science of cultivation of grapevines is a highly specialized discipline. This involves crop management, harvesting and processing and has been an ancient horticultural enterprise in many countries, including India.



The sapodilla plum or sapota as is better known is believed to have originated in Mexico. At present, India is considered to be the largest producer of the sapodilla.



India is the second largest producer of fruits. China being the first. Guava is the fourth most widely cultivated fruit in India and its cultivation extends to several states. Bihar is the leading producer of guavas.



The tropical states - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu contribute to more than 90 percent of the total production of grapes in India. Karnataka is the only state where both green and blue grapes are cultivated.



India is the largest producer of bananas. While Tamil Nadu is the leader in banana cultivation, Maharashtra has the highest productivity. In India, mangoes are most widely cultivated, followed closely by bananas.


**To avoid flooding this post with too many pictures I have not displayed pictures of the mangoes, ridge gourds, double beans and roses that were captured during the visit.