“Your garden looks like a jungle.” Aren’t you tired of looking at this mass of weeds?” These were the novel comments of anyone who happened to visit my 20 feet by 30 feet patch of land which we called our garden.
I was tired of these sharp and hurting remarks. I decided that enough was enough. My summer break was just round the comer. This time I was not heading towards any hill station therefore the two month stretch seemed like an ideal time to do-up my patch of weeds. It was a challenge I had given to myself and I was sure that I would be able to achieve it with a little help from an early monsoon.
I set about hiring a part time gardener. Our first task was a mammoth one. Old dried up trees and bushes had to be uprooted. Their roots had grown deep and needed much effort to be pulled out. Next came the thorny shrubs, nettles and the wild growth which had spread its tentacles all over.
The next task was to plough the entire stretch of land. We set about with spades and other digging equipment. It took about a week to clear the entire mass of weeds. Then came the turn to add fertilizers to the barren ground. I took some expert help to procure a mix of artificial and natural manure. Spraying of pesticide had also to be done to keep the termites away.
As if on use, there was an unexpected rain-shower on the 8th day. Even God was blessing me with my efforts. When the earth became softer, we decided to begin with landscaping the garden. We collected round-white stones from the neighbourhood. A mound of earth about . four feet in height was made at the Northern most comer of the garden. Four steps in a circular pattern were made and then they were lined with these round-white stones. We then chose a colour-scheme of evergreens in which the tallest plant would be on the top and the others in a descending order. We took care to plant only evergreens. I then began my frequent trips to the nursery to procure some seasonal plants. I also favoured some creepers to climb upon the brick wall and also to hang down from the porch.
The third week was an unfortunate one as my part-time gardener had to leave. Nevertheless, fired by my new found enthusiasm I persisted. New pots of various shapes and sizes were bought. Flowers as well as the studies varieties of crotons, money-plant, dianthus, coleus, were planted. The softest variety of grass had to be planted.
Then began the constant watering, weeding and pruning. So excited was I that every morning I woke up at five put on my shorts and picked up my weeder to be in my special place, my garden.
The goal was important to me as I wanted to show everyone that I too had green fingers, I too was a home-maker who could maintain a lovely garden. Now I felt a glow , of satisfaction spreading through me as I watched my labour of love in full blown.
