'Pride of India to Gul Mohor': Come, fall in love with summer’s splash of color

Nature dresses herself in the brightest hues every summer.

Many Indian travelers plan trips to Japan in March to view cherry bloom. However, they can enjoy a spectacular splash of different colors even in their backyard.

Tabebuia Rosea:

The pinkish flowers of these trumpet trees originally from South America can be seen at Necklace Road in Hyderabad. Bangalore has avenues of these trees. When planted in a large number, these trees look every bit as good as cherry orchards. Another tree with pink flowers that shed easily and is commonly seen all over India is the Java Rani tree.

Pride of India

Jarul is the popular name of this tree seen widely in Asia. It is also the state flower of Maharashtra. With bright flowers of different shades of purple and pink, Jarul can easily tempt you from straying towards it during your morning walk.

Flame of the Forest

Also called Jungle ki Aag or Palash, it is a dry deciduous tree native to the Indian subcontinent. It is also the state flower of Jharkhand. The bright flowers of Palaash are used to make natural colors for Holi. Its leaves are used to make disposable and bio-degradable plates.

Jacaranda

Jacaranda is native to Brazil but has made its way to avenues in most tropical countries. Jacaranda is also known as Blue Gulmohar. The fern tree or blue jacaranda is widely planted across India and has striking indigo-hued flowers. Blue jacaranda trees are also planted as ornamental trees in parks and gardens. It has grown to great effect against the verdant green of tea estates and tourists in South India travel to Munnar in Kerala and the Nilgiris just to view its spectacular beauty in April.

Golden Shower

Indian laburnum commonly known as the golden shower tree is native to the Indian subcontinent and is a very popular and beautiful tree. It is also used for herbal medicine in Ayurveda and is the state flower of Kerala.

The Rain Tree

The rain tree or Shirish, with its massive overhanging branches, is thus named because you can hide under its huge canopy when it rains. Shirish is a native Indian tree. Its flowers have a sweet scent and come in several colors like neon, orange, red, pink, and white. The pink flowered Rain Tree folds its leaves during the rainy weather and in the evening.

Gul Mohor

This tree, native to Madagascar, was introduced in India by the British. The tree is very popular all over India and even in Australia because of the livid red of its flowers. The bright red flowers of Gul Mohar mark the arrival of summer in India and stun one’s eyes with their flamboyance.

Silk Cotton Tree

Bombax ceiba is commonly known as cotton tree or red silk cotton or even kapok tree. The red cotton tree produces beautiful red flowers that bloom in March or April during the summer season. These turn into huge pods which burst open and produce silk cotton. This year, the outskirts of Hyderabad has witnessed an avenue of flowering silk cotton from early February itself.

Tecoma stans is another popular species of yellow flowering tree with tubular flowers and is widely seen along with the Indian cork tree, the Cannon Ball tree, and the Indian tulip tree. All these trees give shelter to birds from the summer heat and attract pollinators in hoards. Avid gardeners also plant sweet-smelling Rangoon creepers or Madhumalti, Jasmine, and Mogra bushes which all add to the heady scent and ambiance that one can only associate with summer. The bougainvillea shrubs also have blooms in every color. The warmer it gets, the more these trees bloom with little or no watering.