CHENNAI: Dr T Gohulabalan is an entrepreneur by day and doctor by night. The Chennai-based cardiac intensivist spends most of his nights attending to patients in the ICU. He comes home in the wee hours, takes a nap, refreshes and goes to Sorrel Gardens — a farm venture set up by Gohulabalan along with his wife Padmini, in Muttukadu five years ago.
“While preparing for post-graduation examinations, I had to study 15-16 hours a day. Plants de-stressed me during the breaks. I used my creative energy on these miniature gardens. My wife also has an agricultural background. She is learning about ornamental plants and runs the business in my absence,” says Gohulabalan, who has 15-20 cacti in his collection. In fact, his love for plants began with cacti.
He draws inspiration from his Malaysian mother, who has a sense of creativity for miniatures. His father travelled extensively and brought him plants from all parts of the country. “I was based out of Madurai and our small house had a garden. Those days, we had only indigenous plants. The first one I planted during our housewarming during 1990 in Madurai was Musanda. It had beautiful pink flowers. Two of the cacti from my childhood collection are still alive. I became serious about my passion for gardening when I moved to Chennai in 2010,” says Gohulabalan.
The husband-wife duo spread the awareness of miniature and Terri gardens through small stalls in their gated community. “We had exhibited at the CP Art Centre a few years ago. I was amazed by the response. Of the 350 we had displayed, almost everything got sold out. We brought home only four. The concept in its nascent stages kindled people’s curiosity. Now all our miniatures and terrariums are displayed at our farm. Once in a while, I bring down a couple and keep them at home to show the guests. They can also be used as corporate gifting materials,” he shares.
Miniatures have their own perks and disadvantages. We’re told that miniature plants are dwarf plants but not shunned down like bonsai. They’re easy and quick to grow indoors and outdoors with minimal maintenance. However, scaling is an important technique in miniatures.
The components of a mini garden have to be brought down in size to fit the bowl or set up. The commonly used accessories in miniatures are stones, glues and tiny designs based on the theme. “The most common complaint is the slow growth due to metro and borewell water in the city. The groundwater on the outskirts has a pH value almost similar to that of rainwater. So our plants are lush and green. The best advice would be to use aura water or keep chlorinated water in sunlight for the chlorine content in water to evaporate and then use,” he suggests.
Basic knowledge about plants and gardening helps handle daily problems. The doctor is open to explaining different plants to his clients and provide gardening solutions. He interacts with his customers and also helps them set up a garden of their own.
His next goal is to open an outlet in the city. “If not for the time constraint I’d love to take this art form to the next level and teach my clients,” he says.