Best Trees to Grow in Your Garden at Home

IN THIS POST:
– Shady Trees
– Flowering Plants
– Fruit Trees

Maintaining your lawn is very important for every homeowner as it adds to the aesthetic as well as the financial value of the home. While you can easily find the right tools and tips for your yard’s upkeep, being the proud owner of a beautiful garden is more than just about planting and mowing the lawn. You also need a variety of other plants to grow in your garden, not only for a beautiful appearance but also for better privacy from your neighbours and for free fruits and veggies for your meals.

Stay with us as we discuss the best plants for a garden in Pakistan, dividing them into three categories of shade-providing trees, flowering plants, and fruit trees, so you know what to grow in a garden as per the season and as per your preference.

Shady Trees

Giving privacy as well as shade to your lawn, planting trees should be your priority if you have sufficient space for them to grow. There are several species of trees that are acclimatised to our weather in Pakistan and will thrive once planted in the right season. While Deodar or Himalayan Cedar is the national tree of Pakistan, it is ideal only for the northern parts of the country. Thus, here are some other trees to plant in your garden if you want a shady and more private backyard:

• Neem Tree
• Sukh Chain Tree
• Amaltas
• Ulta Ashok
• Gulmohar

We’ll discuss these shade-providing trees in detail below. You can also check out the air-purifying indoor plants for your home if you’re looking for small potted plants that can help you bring greenery indoors.

Neem Tree

Scientific Name: Azadirachta Indica

Alternative Names: Indian Lilac, Margosa Tree

Declared to be the provincial tree of Sindh in April 2010, the Neem tree is famous for its medicinal properties. The tree supports a rapid and dense growth, providing a lot of shade with its bitter leaves. The plant grows in almost any kind of soil, as long as it is not waterlogged and will cleanse the soil as well as the air around it, including ridding the air of insects, like mosquitoes. It is a flowering plant with small white flowers that cover the dense foliage from April to May.

Sukh Chain Tree

Scientific Name: Pongamia Pinnata

Alternative Names: Indian Beech, Pongam Oiltree

Ideal for Pakistan’s hot climate as it cannot survive in the cold, the Sukh Chain tree is an evergreen species that is often grown at roadsides due to the shade it provides to pedestrians. It is also a tree that is ideal for small gardens, as it does not reach an extraordinary height and is fairly easy to manage in terms of upkeep. However, while the tree’s roots and seeds are used in a number of medicinal concoctions, its seeds are poisonous when they are consumed in their raw form. Thus, pay close attention to this tree during the flowering season in the spring and dispose of any seeds that you find on the ground. This goes especially true if you have kids at home. 

Amaltas

Scientific Name: Cassia Fistula

Alternative Names: Golden Shower Tree

A flowering tree that is native to Pakistan, and provides plenty of shade, the Amaltas tree bears fruit similar to legumes that are often used in herbal medicine. The tree is covered in small yellow flowers before bearing fruit, and also has bright green or yellow leaves around the year.

Ulta Ashok

Scientific Name: Polyalthia Longifolia

Alternative Names: Indian Fir

If you want to plant a shady tree in your garden that also offers the best privacy, you should consider planting several Indian Fir trees along the boundary of your yard. The plant grows up to 30 feet and is an evergreen tree with a fairly vertical growth span that has branches hanging downwards to create a pyramidal shape at the top of the tree. The plant also acts as a noise barrier, which is why you will often find it bordering lawns of houses that are set close together in Pakistan.

Gulmohar

Scientific Name: Delonix Regia

Alternative Names: Royal Poinciana, Flame Tree

The Gulmohar tree is one of the plants to grow in your garden for better aesthetic appeal. It is a shade-providing and a rapidly growing tree that sprouts red flowers in May and June, making it look like the tree is on fire. The colour contrast is fabulous to watch, and the tree is planted at roadsides in many parts of the country, purely for ornamental reasons.

Flowering Plants

If you’re wondering about what to grow in a garden, flowering plants not only add beauty to your yard but also create a fragrant atmosphere that you will love to spend the evenings in. Planting flowers is also one of the most effective ways to create a bee-friendly garden that adds to your curb appeal. Here are some of the best flowering plants for a garden in Pakistan:

• Gul-e-Cheen
• Motia
• Raat Ki Rani
• Suraj Makhi
• Desi Gulab

Let’s discuss each of these flowering plants in detail so that you’ll know which plants to grow in your garden for the best visual appeal.

Gul-e-Cheen

Scientific Name: Plumeria

Alternative Names: Frangipani, Indian Temple Tree, Champa

Commonly seen in gardens, both public and private across the country, Frangipani is a fragrant white and yellow flower that blooms all year round in favourable weather. It is often used to create floral leis for decorative purposes.

Motia

Scientific Name: Jasminum Sambac

Alternative Names: Arabian Jasmine, Mogra

As a small shrub with white fragrant flowers, Jasmine is the choice of many homeowners when they consider a flowering plant for their garden. It thrives in a warm climate with moist soil. However, it is a climber, so you will need to keep it trimmed and maintained. Otherwise, it will take over other plants in your yard.

Raat Ki Rani

Scientific Name: Cestrum Nocturnum

Alternative Names: Night-Blooming Jasmine

If you want your garden to smell great during the day and the night, plant Raat ki Rani in the flowerbed. As a climbing vine, it may require some support while growing, but once the plant has established its roots, it blooms, not during the day, but during the night, with a sweet-smelling fragrance that will enchant you and make you want to spend more time in the backyard, even after dark. It is also an evergreen plant, although it only blooms in season.

Suraj Makhi

Scientific Name: Helianthus Annuus

Alternative Names: Common Sunflower

Bring some colour into your front lawn with Sunflowers that look like the sun with their bright yellow petals. It is not only a decorative plant, though, as sunflower oil is also commonly used in cooking, and it is one of the most important crops grown in the world for edible oil. It is also one of the easiest flowers to grow, and a shrub that young gardeners will love to plant in their yard if you’re getting your kids involved in the yard work.

Desi Gulab

Scientific Name: Rosa

Alternative Names: Rose

The flower used the most in floral arrangements is the fragrant Rose, which is well suited to a temperate climate with fewer rainy spells. It is also available in several different colours and varieties. A rose bush adds amazing beauty to your garden, along with a heavenly fragrance. Red, pink, orange, and white are the most commonly grown colours when it comes to roses.

Fruit Trees

Want to literally enjoy the fruits of your labour? Plant some fruit trees in your backyard that will give you fruit all year round and add to the beauty of your garden as well. Here are some fruit trees to plant in your garden:

• Kela
• Chikoo
• Khajoor
• Nariyal
• Aam

Here are some more details about these fruit-bearing plants to grow in your garden.

Kela

Scientific Name: Musa

Alternative Names: Banana, Plantains

A fruit that grows around the year, the banana tree grows relatively tall and sturdy, with long leaves and dangling flowers, which then turn into the fruit. It is important to note that while it looks like a tree, it is often not classified as one since the stem is not made from wood, but from the leaf stalks joined together at the base of the plant. Bananas are also quite rich in protein.

Chikoo

Scientific Name: Manilkara Zapota

Alternative Names: Sapodilla, Naseberry

Another favourite among fruit trees is Chikoo, which is an evergreen plant that bears brown fruit covered with a rough-textured skin. The flesh inside the skin can be pale yellow to dark brown, depending on the ripeness, and contains large black seeds, usually one in each quarter of the flesh when the fruit is peeled and cut open. The tree bears fruit twice a year after its first harvest.

Khajoor

Scientific Name: Phoenix Dactylifera

Alternative Names: Date Palm

Khajoor, a fruit that also holds religious significance for Muslims in Pakistan, is a palm tree that is found in both public and private gardens across the country. Pakistan weather is also quite favourable for this delicious, sweet, brown fruit that is available in many different varieties. 

Nariyal

Scientific Name: Cocos Nucifera

Alternative Names: Coconut

Another member of the palm tree family found in abundance in homes is the coconut tree, which can often grow so tall that it towers over two-storey houses, with its large leafy fronds that fall to the ground when they shed. It is reasonably easy to grow coconut trees in your yard, but you will need help to take down the fruit if the tree’s growth is left unchecked. The flesh, as well as the water inside, is edible and full of energy after the hard outer shell is cracked. The fruit is also used in several desserts after being dried and grated, while coconut oil is also used in cooking and improving the health of your hair.

Aam

Scientific Name: Mangifera Indica

Alternative Names: Mango

Known as the King of Fruits, Mangoes are delicious and consumable, both in their raw and ripe forms. Primarily bearing fruit in the peak of the summer season, there are many different types of mangoes grown in Pakistan. Pakistani mangoes are also popular all over the world, with large quantities being exported to several nations. So why should you skip out on enjoying this fruit in the comfort of your own backyard? Cut it, peel it, or juice it—it tastes great in every form.

Now you know what to grow in a garden in Pakistan. Please note that we’ve covered only five of the most popular plants to grow in your garden, and you may be able to find something better suited to your yard after having a discussion with a professional landscaper or gardener.

Moreover, you shouldn’t be disheartened if you live in a flat and do not have the space for a garden. Consider vertical gardening to save space or set up a small kitchen garden in your balcony. Live in a home but don’t have a yard? Why not opt for a rooftop garden instead? There are plenty of ways to bring some plants into your life if you are eager to try your hand at gardening.

What’s more, not every garden needs to be equally time-consuming. Some easy tips can help you organise a low maintenance garden that wows your guests. You can continue to browse through Zameen Blog for more tips on growing specific plants, including lavender, potatoes, and much more. Reach us at blog@zameen.com if you have any comments or suggestions about our posts.