Purple, Red, Yellow, Pink,
Orange and Blue scattered in a generous splash of Greens. I remember this
about our garden in Shillong. And there were not only flowers but vegetables
too. My mom and dad would spend weekends pruning leaves, watering, mulching and
spreading fertilizers in the soil. But I never could understand their
fascination towards gardening. Whether the excitement at first blooms or disappointment
when a plant died, what brought about these I had no clue.
But today after about 7 years of
leaving my home, after leaving Shillong, I must say maybe I do understand what
they felt, and still feel about the plants in their, now compact but precious, terrace
garden. Who would have thought someday I’d say that? Not me!
The mud, manure and manual work involved
were always a deterrent when it came to gardening. Not at all my kind of hobby,
I thought. In fact I don’t even recall helping mom with anything in the garden
ever.
However, the moment I set foot in
my own apartment I began having a strange kind of urge, unlike any I had ever had.
Roses, marigolds, lilies and more in my cozy balcony, was the vision I saw every
time I sat there with my cuppa. So with
an orange China rose, i.e. hibiscus, and marigolds, began the very slow transformation
of my balcony last December. The first blooms, what can I say, filled my heart
with a bizarre kind of pleasure? Something I can’t quite explain. I fathomed at
that moment my mother’s excitement while talking about her dahlias, chrysanthemums
and roses. I understood why she felt angry when somebody plucked even a single flower
from one of her pots.
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Of-course, the honeymoon period was
interrupted by my travels and few other problems. But I’ve began all over again
last month. What can I say? A white rose, a yellow china rose, some tiny red
flowers, coriander and tomatoes. Yes, that’s what I started with now. And I
plan to plant some more. Of course, I’ve left the playing with mud part with S.
I’m just happy with watering and admiring the colors and the blooms. Honestly,
I can’t wait for the tomatoes, just too excited. I know having any sort of
garden in a balcony is a challenge but then I’ve decided to make the most of
it.
Well, that was about my new found
interest in gardening sans the mud.
And, yes I finished reading ‘The Book Thief’
and ‘Before We Met’ last week. Both books were unputdownable. You should read them
if you haven’t yet. My next read is ‘Before I go to Sleep’, will let you know how that went next week.
Take Care!
