GARDENING

Dear all,

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. My mother and my school friend “A” were very fond of it. My mother was too busy with household activities that she could not spare much time for her interest but still, she had planted some traditional plants like roses, jasmine, lemon, guava, and grapes in both yards. In my childhood, I had seen people sparing 50% of their houses as an open area. That was the time when people liked to sleep in open spaces like courtyards and rooftops. This open space or a veranda was a blessing for such hobbies.

My friend "A" is the only son of his parents. His hobbies were collecting books, plants, and old postal stamps. His family was associated with printing and publications and he used to select different books to translate into our native language. We spent a lot of time looking for his interests in my bicycle, scooter, and bike. His second interest was to select different plants for his small garden. He was keen to ask all about new plants and sometimes, he would taste the leaves of a new plant to judge its qualities. I think it was quite risky. Anyhow, this routine raised my interest and I also decided to bring some new plants to our yards. For this, I requested my father to allow me to have some of the space in our yard for a small lawn. My request got approved with a condition that all expenses on plants and care would be out of my pocket; I had to agree to it.

This was like a new era in my life; I was so excited to see flowers blooming with so many colors on our lawn. This beauty was like the payback for my efforts. I kept sitting in the evening and off days to enjoy this small self-grown lawn. This was so exciting but sooner I got tired of taking care of all this. As it was a new hobby and by then I had gotten busy with my job. So, I decided to hire a gardener. He was good for a few months but then he started to overlook his duties. This spoiled many of my beautiful plants and I was helpless regarding this. At this, my father once again arranged to fill the area with concrete and all plants were shifted to the pots. Initially, I was very disappointed but sooner I felt, it was like a blessing; I felt comfortable taking care of these pots and plants. They were quite manageable and required less time for maintenance.

After that, I had to shift to three more new places but still, all the pots and plants are with me. My wife is also keen to have greenery in the house and she has helped me with my interest. In my last residence, we increased the number of plants from 40 to around 100; all credit goes to my helpful and caring wife. During the shifting, some of the delicate plants were destroyed but still, we have enough to decorate our porch and patio. Likewise any other couple, we like different types of plants. My wife likes to have indoor plants but I like both indoor and outdoor.

My new interest is kitchen gardening; I have spared an area for it. I have planted coriander, tomatoes, mint, curry, and cucumber plants in it. These are all being planted without chemical sprays and are totally organic. For this purpose, I am learning new techniques on the internet. I have made compost with kitchen and garden waste; this is helping my plants to grow healthy. My future plans are to plant these vegetables on the rooftop. There is a lot of light and air in this area and often it is not being used frequently. I have read about roof gardening and I will start working on it sooner.

I must say that Gardening is a very beautiful hobby, initially, it requires some time but finally, it becomes manageable with the passage of time. Every new leaf and flower in my garden gives me pleasure and energy to do new things in my life. I like to cook, read, and write. Music also attracts me but gardening and writing grab most of my extra time. If I were to ever get a chance of owning a farmhouse, I will be very happy with a lot of flowers, fruits, and vegetables all around. Mostly, people think that gardening is good after retirement. But I do not agree; it is all a matter of interest.

Gardening is something where one can depict one’s aesthetic sense to decorate the home. There are now variations to it. These days small pools, paths, flower beds, waterfalls, and lights, are all in. You can decorate the walls with hanging baskets with any kind of grass. Walls can also be mounted with a variety of vines. Whenever air blows, they look like dancing in joy. You can share your feeling with them. At the start, this feels awkward but after some time you will realize that they are answering you and encouraging you in your heavy moments. They are not much demanding so try to make them your new friends. I bet you are going to love it….

Best regards.