BENGALURU: Being a tennis coach, Jaya Ligori’s routines included continuous practice and competitions six years ago. But when it came to her retirement plans, she decided to go back to her childhood and follow her mother’s hobby.
"My mother had a beautiful garden at our home on Cunningham Road. It was a long balcony garden. I remember days when I used to water and nurture plants regularly with my mom. Now I have one just like that at home now," shares Ligori, who has won the Lalbagh Award for the fifth consecutive year recently.
Gardening, which started as a hobby, has turned into a way of life now for this former Indian tennis player, who represented India in 1972 Asian Games in tennis. "My garden is 250 sqft and right now, has three colour varieties of bougainvillea, hibiscus, hydrangea, cous cous plant and so on. After waking up, I spend some time on the balcony. The actual work at the garden starts from 11 am and I spend 3-4 hours removing weed from the pot bed, watering them or applying pesticides and fertilisers. I’m particular about using organic fertilisers. Once in a month, I apply fertilisers, while NPK granules are applied once in 15 days. In terms of sourcing the plants, I buy them from Lalbagh flower show, Siddapura, families and friends," says Ligori, who also pays attention to beautify her garden. "Instead of usual mud pots, I use old dolls, leftover bottles and mugs to plant trees," she adds.
For the Lalbagh Award, RMV 2nd Stage resident Ligori has been participating for the last five years and winning the award for Best Terrace Garden. “The Lalbagh competitions take place during Republic Day and Independence Day. The inspector comes to our home to see the garden and gives points according to the way we take care of the plants, how healthy they are, etc." After spending 17 years in the tennis field, now she wants to add more varieties in her garden.