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A veritable terrace paradise
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Seetha Nandini.K finds the beauty of nature blended with artistry all over the green paradise of Shyam Sundar and Vishala.
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IT'S a veritable paradise on a terrace, dazzling in myriad colors with all imaginable varieties of flowers and plants that can be bred. Added to these are an emerald green lawn and a waterfall, all settled on its very own distinctive corners in the most eco-friendly environment. Now, do you understand why this garden is neighbour's envy and owners pride.
The terrace garden atop the house of Konkimalla Durga Shyam Sundar is a one-of-its-kind creation. Green thumbs don't necessarily mean a creative one. But, this thumb of Vishala is definitely creative.
A small mound of rock structure with a splash of coleus around them extends a colourful welcome in a mural background depicting a scene of nature's cycle complete with plants, animals, birds and humans. The beds of small multicolored flowers in a giant shell render a breathtaking picture. This is made picture-perfect by the small ornamental well standing under a big tree trunk surrounded by potted plants, inclusive of a bucket and pulley.The bright colour combinations of the special variety of winca roses in full bloom, winks at one under the luscious green house.
The pink clusters of hybrid Bougainvilleas, shades of chrysanthemums, the yellows and reds of the euphorbias, leave our minds in a definite euphoric state. It shades many varieties of rare ferns, alocasia, aglaonema which reflect on the care and love taken on them by the members of the house. The silver stemmed Kondapally Nalleru and the yellow blossoms of our dinner table saunf are the focal points of interest here. The tinkling of the `thoranams', brass bells and chimes add to the natural ambience.
Cactus and succulents command a prime position on this terrace. A very wide variety of cacti, over 50 in number, are arranged in an enclosure which has a bamboo-thatched entrance.
This enclosure, as in a drawing room, owns a center piece in tiles and mosaic with a whole lot of potted plants around. The smooth pebbles painted as bugs and butterflies in red, black and white by their daughter, Deepika, and the line-and-mud work on the walls are adding glory to this nature house.A terrace has many limitations. But none of these deterred the spirit of this green lovers, who have put even the creepers like thumbergia, chameli, sans saveria, pichuka potla, donda in pots to save place and nourish them beautifully.
Water plants set in big mud urns give a shade of green and pink with their blooms. The aloe veras glaring at us in spotted green leaves with a red border and a paler shade opposite to the water pond, having ornamental tortoises and frogs, are a relief to the eyes. But the pieces of resistance are, of course, the artistic tray garden and the bottle garden with bromeliads, succulents and what not -- of little growth and roots!!
The kitchen garden with green leafy vegetables - palak, pachila, pudina, vomakkus, ginger - is a must-see on this terrace garden. The hybrid bonsai trees bear a variety of fruits ranging from lime to lemon to guava to pomegranate.
The luscious lawn decorated with terracotta artefacts, lanterns, the bird house with a ladder and mini bells.
This acts as a catalyst to the mind and hands as the intricate lattice was developed with 10 ficus.
A chemistry lecturer at Siddhartha College, Mrs. Vishala, confesses that gardening has been a passion to her from childhood. She had to compromise with a small garden initially owing to lack of space, but she ventured into this terrace garden with the support of her husband.
Though the long summer months are crucial, she sure feels that all it takes is a little bit of extra care and a lot of love to tend them at these times. Moreover a one of its kind in town to be landscaped in very eco friendly setting, this garden apart form the exotic flora it holds, is famous for its ornamental surroundings. Big tree trunks are cut for potting plants either on the ground or to hang from pillars.
The door at the entrance of the terrace is an antique wooden door. The walls are done with the traditional cow dung, palm leaves and mud mixtures with village scenes hand painted on them.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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