Haralur, a relatively new locality framed by numerous apartment complexes, housing residents who either work at the IT Parks and SEZ on the Outer Ring Road or have kids who study at the international and CBSE schools along the Sarjapur road or maybe conveniently both. Haralur also ranks among the top five locations in the real estate price list in Bangalore.

The Haralur main road branches off the main Ambalipura-Sarjapur road; it is a busy narrow tree lined road abound by eateries and convenience stores on either sides. On a typical week day the traffic along Haralur road comes to a standstill; the vehicles are too many and you really have to time your entry and exit to beat the endless rows of vehicles and get anywhere. But then this would be the story of any locality in Bangalore city. And like all localities in Bangalore, Haralur has its own lake 👉 Morning at the Kasavanahalli Lake, Bangalore 🌳🌤 (March series Part 𝟙of 𝟛) and mall.

The apartment complexes while providing all creature comforts to its residents also pride themselves on their green spaces. Maintaining the garden and trees around the apartment complex can make or break an apartment’s attractiveness quotient to the current residents and potential ones. The trees and plants speak volumes about the upkeep of an apartment complex. I try to get a peep in as much as I can on the plants in the apartment complexes as I pass them; but the view is sadly limited due to the closed and guarded gates and the high boundary walls lined with trees and hedges, to keep prying eyes like mine away.

These two flowers were seen high above the boundary walls and barbed wires of a neighbouring apartment complex. We don’t have them in our garden and I stood glued to the ground for a while figuring them out. One looked very familiar and the other not so much.

First up; these👇 looked like sunflowers; seemed a bit smaller in circumference. It was difficult to catch a full flower face, no flower was looking down, they were all tilted upwards 🌼. Google lens searched them out to be Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia diversifolia). They were definitely enjoying the morning sun☀️.

The next flower seemed curious because of its peculiar fruit 👇; the fruit, green ones and ripe black ones were larger than the flowers and the leaves. The leaves looked familiar, slender like the Nerium oleander’s 👉 POTD: Spectacular Arali 💗🌸

The plant is a close cousin of the Arali (Nerium oleander), it is called the Cascabela thevetia commonly known Kaner. The yellow flowered plants called the Peeli Kaner or Yellow Oleander are more common; but this one had white flowers.

Interestingly, this plant too is native to Mexico ! Like all in the oleander family, this plant too is toxic in all its parts. But the flowers are pretty !

Poisonous and pretty seem to be the defining criteria for hedge plants !!

Till next post, take care !!