Thursday 30 June 2011

My Secret Garden!

I am an avid gardener! I know all my kith and kin would be laughing their heads off, reading this...I grew up in a small town middle class household where there was no space whatsoever for garden, leave alone a few potted plants. Mother loved roses so much that she kept them growing in tiny flower pots- tiny pink button roses, a beautiful white creeper and the refreshingly aromatic pink Edward roses. With the little space available, she had grown her favorite plants. I have her same genes, note, not Jeans...I planted beans first, as a vivacious ten year old. It was amazing when the shoot climbed up, i remember sitting by the plant for hours together and Mother's happy smile seeing the purple flowers. 


Then i grew zinnia flowers in little pots. Anything i could lay my hands on became my flower pots- i remember the thrashing i received for using a metal bucket! S helped me further by falling on my tomato plants and breaking every twig on the poor plant. My ardent love for plants grew and grew- burgeoned till i married and found a house with lots of space for gardening. Ah, arise, awake and grow dear girl, i said to myself. We planted a few miniature crotons along the entry. L loved trees- we had the most common trees planted- coconut, banana, mango, guava, pomegranate, drumstick, all these at the rear and sides and a few lovely roses in the front patio. All went well, L loved watering the plants and i liked to sit back and watch! I was branded a lazy goosey right from time immemorial at home and so i never paid heed when taunted by everyone, for not watering the plants.


When L left, Dad took to watering and taking care of the plants followed by my beloved sister in law. I love plants, i love the flowers but there is one hindrance in going near them- the legless crawlers! With a house in reclaimed river bed and agricultural plots, what more can you expect? Snakes, loads and loads of them, visit us every week! They enjoy basking in the tropical sun inhaling the exotic night queen flowers and jasmine flowers that bloom every evening. And their presence is so unnerving to me that i hate to enter my garden anytime of a day! When i hear the word Snake...i jump up on my cot! There are so many varieties- cpmmon green snakes, garden snakes, vipers and occasionally, we have been visited by kraits. I had the experience of seeing my son cycling away happily with a water snake acting his pilot! Weighing my options, i had decided gardening is not so important when you are frightened by an ardent army of snakes. 


Having lost the love for gardening, I love to watch dad water the plants and I restrict myself to watching the squirrels play in the coconut tree, the frogs jump out of the banana tree and the little sparrows building nests on the night queen climber. As for gardening and my flair for it, I keep to myself playing on Farmville!!! Hail, Facebook, hail, Farmville!


17 comments:

  1. hmmm....really...?

    Its so funny..but at least you gave few people reason to love and to GARDEN...

    Nice post.

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  2. hahaha wise decision!
    I'm scared of snakes like anything..they are my biggest fear..your father is my hero ! dealing with snakes on daily basis..he has to be one of the worlds most brave man:-)

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  3. Even I am afraid of snakes, and we see one or two at least once a week. We have had cobras too. It is difficult to be a good gardener if one is always afraid of snakes.
    But if we have somebody else doing the job, there is nothing wrong in just being an admirer from far.
    Have a nice day.

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  4. dear rama, thanks for the comment. Yes, if someone else does your chores, you can always sit back and enjoy.

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  5. dear thinking and mishi...thanks for your comments. Yes my dad is indeed a hero, putting up with a lazy daughter like me...

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  6. LOL, I was quite surprised by the solution that you came up with in order to enliven your old passion for gardening, though I am much averse to virtual gardening, I now understand the circumstances which could lead people to such avenues. :)

    Nice read.

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  7. what a solution? 'Farmville'... aww.. superb posts..

    Someone is Special

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  8. Snake!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    If i were you i would have fainted and gone to PVS

    Smart choice!!! Farmville!

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  9. Crotons of different varieties at some distance from each other are always a joy to behold.
    But if reptiles are regular,it is best to keep the place clean providing no space for them to hide.

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  10. Dear Blasphemous Aesthete, thanks for the visit an comment:) Glad you understand the necessity of Farmville!

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  11. Dear Someone Is Special, thanks for the comment,awwwww super! You agree to my decision on farmville;)

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  12. Dear Redhanded! LOL at your comment...Thanks dudette!

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  13. Dear KParthasarathy, thanks for the comment, yes, clearing up the space would be a better decision, but Dad finds some refuge in watering the plants. So its a no no to clearing the place:((

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  14. 1.Class reptiles pay a visit to gardns as they wer bit cool compare to other areas.

    2.U cn make a gardn at house. b4 that we hav to study.. whic plants dont attract class reptiles, how to keep Bushes short ..so as the guest dont have any place to hide/.*( so he hates such places).

    3.Above all they have a clear Majority than us On Planet earth and wer also SUPERmost seniors to us by some million years...In villages witnessing a reptile is v common at farms, plantations etc...

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  15. I HATE SNAKES!!!!!!

    Gardening??...n-a-y! don't have the time/zeal or passion..except the vegetables that grow at the backyard used for cooking.

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  16. Dear Anonymous, thanks for the comment. I understand what you say about the farmlands. The more we use their habitat, animals tread into ours...

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  17. LOL at your comment dear Ibhade! Thats so lovely to hear about a backyard vegetable garden:)

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