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Plants and FM music
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About 500 plants on a tiny terrace garden bring in the awards, year after year
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— Photo: Murali Kumar K.
Jayarajan's prize-winning garden in a tiny space
JAYARAJAN MAY not know the scientific names for all his 500 plants, but he certainly seems to know what makes them grow. Since 2001, his tiny terrace garden has swept away the Best Garden prize from the Mysore Horticultural Society. Medicinal plants, flowering pots and vegetables all jostle for space on his 15 by 30 foot terrace in Nagarbhavi. He spends half an hour everyday, often helped by his wife Sulochana, watering the plants. Sundays are devoted to mixing compost and tending to the pots.
Hard work
But the hard work pays off. Vegetables are taken straight off the vines and onto his kitchen counter — brinjals, bitter gourd, tomatoes and even drumsticks are all grown on his terrace. Even maize and sugarcane have made their way there. Cockscomb, zinnia, aloe vera, aster and marigold are carefully labelled and grow here, as does stevia. "Stevia is a medicinal plant which is good for people with a sugar problem," Jayarajan says, explaining, "it's what sugar tablets are made of." One nibble at a stevia leaf will leave its strong sweet taste imprinted on your tongue.
Jayarajan's knowledge of plants comes from talking to consultants and gardeners. He's also quick to implement techniques he picks up from workshops on terrace gardening, and the new species he introduces to his garden are usually picked up from a bi-annual trip to the nurseries of Lal Bagh.
Jayarajan says his interest in plants began during his childhood in Mangalore. "We had a huge compound and I would dig and plant there," he says, explaining that those early years were the inspiration for his impressive garden. Once he retired from the Army and moved into his own house, he decided to cultivate a lush garden with some room for people to navigate through the many types of plants and vegetables he envisioned. He's now planning to take up the neighbouring empty plot of land and begin work there as well.
The competitions were purely incidental, though now the rewards have become an added incentive to cultivate the garden for the appreciation it receives. "A lot of rich people have large gardens," he muses, "but they wouldn't even have removed grass from their garden yet they win prizes." But he enjoys being hands-on with his garden since "I spend a lot of time in it and get away from other things like neighbourhood politics." In fact, he jokes, all the neighbours love his garden.
Jayarajan doesn't talk to his plants but is one step ahead: he plays them music from FM radio. And they, in turn, supply vegetables for his kitchen and win him contest after contest.
HEMANGINI GUPTA
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