The glory of gardening

It’s hard to move from a city that you like and even tougher to part with your plants if you are an avid gardener like me. Tending to my set of potted plants on our spacious terrace made me realise that I had a green thumb too. Be it the lush green leaves of the papaya plant or the effervescent colours of the bougainvillaea, every green beauty had become a cynosure of all eyes. My daughter often teased me saying that my plants grew well listening to my words rather than water, manure or sunlight. I guess this is true in a way.

Plants, like humans. thrive well when they receive tender loving care. So, when it was time to bid adieu to Chennai and move to Kochi, my husband informed me that our humble abode in the new city neither had a terrace nor a big enough balcony to house over 40 potted plants!

It was sheer serendipity that I came across a dedicated group of gardeners on a social media site. I posted a few pictures of my terrace garden and urged my plant-loving brethren to adopt these floras. Within minutes of my post going LIVE, I got an enthusiastic reply from Sarada. We quickly exchanged phone numbers and lo and behold she was at my doorstep within 48 hours with a mini truck in tow!

I was floored by her excitement as she said, “I am adding 40 new members to my family today. What more can I ask for?” Apparently, she lived in an independent house with ample space for plants on terra firma, and a spacious terrace, where she intended to keep all my potted plants.

After bidding a tearful goodbye to my green beauties, I stepped inside my house feeling desolate. My husband consoled me, “You know that our plants will be in good hands, so rest assured, they will continue to bloom and bear fruits”.

Whether he meant this figuratively or literally, I don’t know. But two years after leaving Chennai, I received a huge parcel on my doorstep. Assuming it to be a by-product of an online shopping festival, I disinterestedly unboxed it. But to my sheer amazement, I found two papayas staring back at me! The sender’s name brought a smile to my face. I quickly picked up the phone to thank Sarada aunty. She dismissed my words of gratitude in an ever so humble way and said: “These are special papayas, sweet and seedless. Thanks to the tiny sapling you gave me two years ago, it stands tall in my compound today almost reaching the first floor of my balcony.”

Like humans, plants do respond to extra care and attention. May Sarada aunty and her ilk continue to grow in strength to pave way for a greener and cleaner tomorrow!