CHENNAI: Santosh Kumar draws inspiration for gardening from the lush green cantonments surrounding him. The military man’s interest in plants and nature grew from travelling around the country. He has 40 different plants which include vegetables that grow in his backyard. “Gardening isn’t something one can learn in one go. It takes a whole lot of patience and care to nurture the plants,” he says.
With a transferable job which means moving cities every two years, he has ensured that his plants moved with him too. He started off with seasonal plants gradually moving on to vegetables. The vegetables in his backyard include tomato, lady finger, spinach, beans, cauliflower and brinjal. “I started growing pudina and curry leaves also because my wife wanted those,” he says.
His garden is surrounded with lush green trees, including those that bear jackfruits, mangoes and avocados. “One of the main challenges we face here is the monkey menace. During the mango season, we have to be careful.”
Planning is an integral part of gardening. Deciding the size of plants, the colour of flowers and the various containers that the plants should be put in, matter while designing the layouts. The flowers that highlight his garden are mainly, sunflowers, rose. Dahlias, gerbera daisies, gladiolus, asters, peony and lavender. Some of the flowers are specially brought from Delhi on a monthly basis.
In fact, the grass in his garden was specially brought from Delhi because the rocky bed of Bengaluru wasn’t suitable to grow grass. While some of the manure is bought from the farmers at the Sunday market near Yelahanka, the rest that he uses to maintain his garden is mostly cow dung, neem manure and organic manure. He himself prepares a neem solution to be sprayed over the flowers and vegetables, hence keeping them insect free.
Although he has employed two gardeners to maintain his garden, he tries to spend “at least an hour every day, looking into the growth of the plants or sowing seeds.” “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments. Always spare some time from your schedule to check the type of manure being used. Keep track of the growth of the flowers and water them depending on the type of soil. Patience is the a key factor when it comes to gardening,” he says.
Santosh has a handy book where he jots down some tips and tricks. For this 52-year-old, gardening is soothing and helps him find peace. “I’m the happiest when I sit in my garden every evening, sipping a cup of tea and watching the flowers bloom,” he says.