hello, can someone suggest a showy or fragrant blooming perennial for zone 10 which will bloom almost all year. my winters go not beyond 5c and summers are very hot and have moonsoon in july/august. thanks, khabbab
Here are a few options, all of which will work in your climate (because they work in mine, which is very similar). The links go to my own photos of the plants. * Both showy and fragrant: Mirabilis jalapa - Four O'Clocks. For me, these bloom all year, and tolerate my wet season (which is similar to your monsoons) very well. * A bit less showy, but delicious-smelling: Heliotropium arborescens - Tree heliotrope. Tree is a bit of a misnomer, but it does form a nice woody shrub and the scent is amazing. It will attract butterflies and bees to your yard. * Tecoma stans, if properly pruned, will remain a shrub or hedge, and covered in yellow flowers for most of the year. * Cleome are showy without being fragrant, and self-seeding. * Members of the genus Tibouchina are delicately fragrant and bloom year-round. * Equally, although not fragrant, the stunningly showy genus Fuchsia is a hardy year-round bloomer in warm climates like yours. Look for the Ecuadorian varieties - they are hardier than the commercial ones. * The Passifloras are another good choice if you have space for a vine - stunningly beautiful and extremely fragrant flowers, with the added bonus of edible fruit later on. * Finally, Lantana camara, if you keep it contained, is a lovely year-round bloomer with lightly fragrant flowers that shade from orange to yellow or from fuschia pink to white. It has the possibility to become invasive, although your winter may be enough to discourage it from spreading too vigorously. To source most of these for Pakistan, I'd reccomend looking at B&T World Seeds - they are most likely to have these plants. Four-o-clocks should be available locally.
Or for just incredible vibrant colours, try growing Bouganvillea, which is worth looking into. Water when growth spurts, prune heavily in the spring, protect from unusual frost (If your garden ever freezes...though you say it stays above 5 celsius? Buy the single blooms, they look much better overall than the double blooms.) They are very tropical looking and spectacular when in bloom...
I'm playing devil's advocate, really. I have hedges of Bougainvillea in salmon, hot pink, and peppermint-stripe variegated. The bracts of the hot-pink ones make a lovely tea.
http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/data/index.htm The phytosociology program at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has an interesting climate website. They classify Lahore's climate as "low thermotropical upper semiarid". Other places with the same climate are Amritsar, India Huarirenda, Bolivia (a lowland location) Tete New Mil Afl, Mozambique (=Tete?) Veraval India (Gujarat state, I assume) Broome Australia (more or less south of western Timor, Indonesia) Geneirna Sudan Bougainvilleas ought to thrive, provided it's given good drainage. Plant breeders have put a lot of work into creating bright new colors. I suspect Gaillardia, a somewhat weedy member of the aster family, might thrive. http://www.floridata.com/ref/V/verb_bon.cfm is also a slighty weedy tropical American perennial. Brugmansia? Gomphrena Eustoma (Lisianthus) from the southern prairie of the US might thrive Euphorbia--E. marginata is cultivated worldwide Hibiscuses?
Gardenia, some species will flower most of year (G. radicans is a great groundcover) if somewhat protected and well drained position. Euphorbia millii poysean hybrids - no smell but amazing year round colour. Jasminum nitidum tends to flower most year round (here) though it's definitely more a shrub. (Sorry Lorax, Lantana camara of all plants?, maybe L. montevidences for sake of sterile plants not throwing seed? Sorry, I am still pretty anti-weeds and if the climate is as described, potential for escape of L. camara is pretty high)