Gardening is fast catching up among urbanites. For some it is a hobby; others who are health conscious prefer to source their vegetables and fruits from home-grown trees and plants. My neighbour, a practising professional who is happily married with his in-laws also staying with him, indulges in gardening primarily to de-stress himself. Apart from the trees in his sprawling backyard, he has potted plants everywhere in the house from the portico to the terrace and in all the rooms. He is a storehouse of information on plants, with an obsession for their botanical names, rattling off details from their uses, lifespan and even the nutrients that facilitate their healthy growth.
So I thought it apt to seek my neighbour’s guidance for creating a kitchen garden in my house. When I called on him, he was only too happy to guide me and the tour of his well-maintained house began—from the drawing room to the puja room, study room and his bedroom, where different potted plants were meticulously cared for. He took me so seriously that he began from the basics. Handing out some flyers, he started the ‘session’ mentioning the bare requirements for maintaining the plants that help de-stress our homes and provide us with a sanctuary of peace and tranquillity.
He spoke about Solanum melongena to start with and then moved on to the Epipremnum aureum, allowing me to have a touch-and-feel ‘hands-on-experience’, that brought a sheepish smile to my face. I was reminded of my childhood days, when I thought an eggplant bore eggs and a money plant brought in bags of money!
When he spoke about the forget-me-not, the perennial favourite of lovers, he even dished out an interesting anecdote of how two lovers walking along River Danube saw the bright blue blossoms for the first time. The man, in the process of retrieving the flowers for the woman, got swept away by the river and as a parting gesture requested her not to forget him, giving the plant its much touted name.
While taking leave, my friend gifted me a potted plant that was tagged Sansevieria trifasciata, which he said was an effective antidote for allergies. I said: “I am unable to get a hang of the botanical tag. Does it not have a common name that can be easily understood or conveniently remembered by me?”
My neighbour shot back with a mischievous smile: “’I bet you’ll remember it for life. It is popularly referred to as mother-in-law’s tongue.
M S Vaidyanathan
Email: maharajapuram.s.vaidyanathan@gmail.com