G is for 'Gardening'

Gardening is a great hobby for the youth and the aged alike. My cousin who is about 19- 20 years old has a green thumb and has a collection of over 120 plants in his house. He is on Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/theleafiestboy/

My dad, too, has tended to his little garden in our backyard and to the pots in our balcony for the last five years.  He has raised 31 types of plants in our small garden, which includes evergreen, medicinal, flowering and house plants as well. My dad bought some of these plants from a nearby nursery and watered them and gave them fertilisers. Unfortunately, there are natural calamities like droughts, floods, cyclones etc, which can affect the plants.  So a gardener has to toil hard to maintain a garden.

My dad says gardening teaches a person the virtues of patience and gives them an appreciation of nature. He says one has to understand seasons, weather, light and shade, the water table, soil conditions, air quality, composting, etc before one can grow a garden.

It can be said that if plans cannot survive in an environment, it is unsuitable for human and animal habitation as well. A garden is a lovely vantage point to observe birds, squirrels, butterflies, insects, worms, etc.

One must know the lifecycle of plants whether they are seasonal, biannual, annual or perennial and the time it takes to flower or bear fruit.

A flower garden is a visual treat while a kitchen garden is practical at a time like this. It is very difficult to grow exotic species in a local environment, so although decorative plants might look appealing in a nursery, one must desist from buying them and planting them in one’s garden.

Some plants purify the water and air and are excellent chemical factories. Unfortunately, there are as many people wanting to clear up greenery and concretize spaces as there are people who want to raise gardens. That is why the earth has come to this stage.