CHENNAI: In a busy city like Chennai, people get bored and stressed, and look for ways to keep themselves busy. I recommend they take up gardening as it will help them refresh their minds,” says 45-year-old Dr Angela Samuel, a dentist with 22 years experience. On the terrace of her house in Pallavaram, she has more than 300 small plants. She fell in love with them when she was studying in a convent in Thanjavur.
After getting married, she moved to Chennai and continued to grow saplings. Showing us her collection, Dr Angela points to an adenium which she has had since her marriage. “Not all my neighbours share the same love. There have been times when they have cut off the water supply to the terrace and some even tried to kill some of my cacti,” she rues.
After that, Angela shifted flora which require more water to some of her friends’ place in OMR, ECR, Adambakkam, Thiruvanmayur and Chromepet. She has aloe vera, cacti, aquatic varities, bonsais, agave, haworthias, gasterias and vanilla on the terrace. Every Saturday, she dedicates three hours for her bonsais.
“I have 40 pots of jade which I have kept at my music teacher’s house as there is limited space on the terrace here. When I go for my classes, I spend some time to take care of them,” she says.
Her husband helps her water her the space. “My flora make the building cool during summers. It circulates fresh air,” she says, adding that she soon plans to move to an independent house where she can grow as many saplings as she wants.
“For plants with roots, use clay palette or burnt clay mixed with manure and sand, as good soils are hard to get. People should keep in mind that if we want more water and oxygen we should take care of the greenery around us,” she says.
