This monsoon, bring a bit of the forest into your garden

livemint.com:

neem tree. A bird might have dropped the seed in the pot, after eating the fruit. Then there is a thistle plant that pushes for space on the pot—most would consider it a weed, but not all weeds are bad.

And then, there is a patch of darkness. A plant with scratchy leaves which give off a faint minty smell. This is the Lantana camara, one of the worst invasive species on earth.

Given a chance, Lantana will take over acres of gardens, forests, abandoned plots and grasslands. It should be rooted out from every garden. The experiment thus provides important insight: there are both native and invasive plants around us, and they vie for space.

Usually, invasive species are foreigners that have no true competition in the places they invade. They take over swathes of land and water—like the vilayati kikar and water hyacinth, respectively—with other plants getting wiped out. This monsoon is a good time then to make sure our gardens can grow a little wild, perhaps a little weedy, but not as a refuge for invasive species.

Find native seeds and throw them liberally over soil. If you have space, plant mangoes and amaltas. The mangoes are on our plates, and the amaltas are turning into sturdy, burnished bean-like pods on trees, which are full of seeds.

Collect rainwater in old buckets and watering cans, and use it to water any plants that are ailing or indoors. Rainwater is like plant elixir—a dose of rainwater can make leaves shoot out. Add mulch or compost, but only the kind that is already ready.

If at this time you put fresh tea leaves or dead flowers (otherwise a good source of nutrition), you might end up with fungal growth. Finally, take a look at plants you thought were dying. If they are indeed dead, they will remain