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Strikingly distinct

Ranga Prasad and Ramana have turned their garden into a lively zone of their cozy home, says Harjeet Kaur Allagh

GREEN WITH ENVY Not everyone knows the art of srategic location of potted plants PHOTO: RAJU. V

Gardening requires a lot of water--most of it in the form of perspiration

Lou Erickson

Most gardens in the city have a single patch of greenery with pots all over the courtyard. But Ranga Prasad and Ramana Kumari wanted to be different. Deviating from the norm, they earmarked four different areas, highlighting each corner in a distinct way.

The palatial home, built almost a couple of decades ago in N.T.R. Colony, has a row of lime green duranta growing alongside the gate and the boundary wall. Divided into four sections, one of it is an oval piece of lawn with duranta and a couple of bougainvilleas bordering it.

The courtyard is done up brightly with red and white tiles laid out in a zigzag pattern.

Another rectangular patch has a huge guava tree in the centre, surrounded by ferns. Behind it grow king palms in abundance and to a great height. Cannas, chrysanthemums, coleus and a cycas encircle a black and white iron swing, strategically placed under the shade of the guava tree. Lounging on the swing and taking in the laid back splendour of the nature is a refreshing experience.

Green patch

A cast iron spiral staircase forms the central part of another patch of lawn. Royal palms and cannas lend company to a tall coconut tree laden with fruit. The stairs lead to an outhouse built for guests. Ranga Prasad, a builder himself has apparently taken great care in planning the house. Dark shade of the branches of trees cools down the temperature on the premises. An avid reader, Ranga Prasad keeps a tab on current happenings in politics while his better half Ramana is the quintessential homemaker with a deft hand at sewing and embroidery. Reading and staying glued to television for the daily soaps is what keeps her busy in her free time.

The couple is blessed with two sons and a daughter. A son, Venkat and daughter Dhatri have settled in the United States of America while the other son, Ajay Kumar, runs his own business in Visakhapatnam. Ramana is happiest when all her family members are together under one roof and the house reverberates their joyful chuckles.

Adding zing

The highlight of the garden is the far western corner groomed into a lawn in a zigzag pattern. It is surrounded by red terracotta coloured cemented pots, some square and others in different shapes.

One of its corners has raw red bricks built in a geometric pattern to hold plants in it. Adeniums, roses and ferns give company to pink and red ixoras and bright leaved bougainvilleas. A row of coleus lies alongside the bedroom wall.

The grill on the boundary wall is completely enshrouded with the creeping blue bells. On the small piece of lawn are three milky white pedestals with round pots on them.

A coat of dull gold paint edging adds zing to the otherwise plain pots. If one pot has an asparagus growing in it, the other has wild grass and the third a fiery red canna blooming gloriously. In the front is a small mud pot with the red pelargonium growing in it.

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