How green is your dream garden?
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A small garden in your courtyard will do wonders to your dream home as well as your psyche. But you have to put your heart into maintaining it nicely, writes Shyama Rajagopal.
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– Photo: H. Vibhu
Soothing: A green lawn adds to the charm of the house.
A small garden is the dream of every household. It took some time for this trend to set in, since the idea of a garden was limited to just having a hibiscus tree or a chethi or some foliage in the front yard with a mussanda tree at the gate. Earlier, there were only a few houses which had a full-fledged garden, some seasonal flowers and a carpet of inviting green grass. But over time, the idea of having a garden has slowly caught on.
Latest trend
A lawn in front of the house is one of the latest trends in housekeeping that has caught the fancy of many. Even those living in houses with a small front yard believe in getting it spruced up with greenery. For those living in flats too, this dream of a green patch is making many builders go in for technology that makes a sky garden possible. In apartment complexes too, there is an attempt to provide a green touch in whatever little space that is available.
Where does one go to get a lawn done? Well, to begin with, one can make enquiries at any of the local nurseries that are doing well. Most of them have gardeners who take up some work on their behalf. Professional help too can be had from these nurseries. Most of the nursery owners would be in touch with landscaping artists, who can provide some guidance in this regard. A general interest in gardening may help people pursue their objective of having a good garden.
Those who have no experience in gardening may find it a little difficult in the beginning to get the right kind of flowers in the right season and may end up spending a lot of money in doing up a garden that may not look very flowery, if that is what they had intended to do.
Learn the tricks
One has to learn some of the tricks in gardening, in nutrient management and also in pruning the plants at the right time to get the desired results. It may be attention to these little details that result in a good garden, and your garden may look a bit dreary otherwise. Of course, it is left to one’s choice to have a garden full of different varieties of foliage or a flowery one.
With many exotic plants available in nurseries, one may be a little overawed. But, they may soon lose their lustre as soon as they get into your flower pot. With every plant needing different treatment, one needs to be familiar with how they can be nurtured and that generally takes time. Better still, follow the guidance of a horticulturist or read up some articles on garden care.
Kochi is home to a growing number of garden workers who come from eastern India in search of work.
Indrajit, who has been here for the last six years, is earning quite a lot with his contract jobs doing lawns and gardens. “I manage to get new work from the houses that I maintain on a regular basis and also from the nursery from where I buy plants for my clients,” he said. His parents and siblings followed him here and have now created an occupation for themselves in gardening.
He provides an estimate with a computer-aided drawing for clients who seek a professional job. Some give a full contract, which includes procuring soil, sand and grass for the lawn, which may cost about Rs.13 a square foot. It may come down to Rs.8 a sq. ft. if the client takes care of the soil and sand. While it may take about three months for the grass to assume a carpet form, some would like to have it done immediately. This may cost more, up to Rs.45 a sq. ft. for the lawn to be completed in a carpet form. This involves much more labour and having a larger quantity of grass, he said.
Grass variety
It would definitely be appropriate to decide on the kind of grass that would make up a good lawn, or rather, suit your house. A shady courtyard makes it difficult for one to have a carpet lawn with Mexican or Korean grass, which is the preferred grass for lawns. It looks better than any other kind of grass because of the thin blades, said P.A. Jacob Varghese, horticulturist. However, it requires more maintenance with regular watering and exposure to direct sunlight for about six hours, he added. In shady areas, one should go for grass with slightly larger-sized blades called buffalo grass. Dwarf varieties of this grass are available for lawns, said Prof. Jacob. It is a grass that can be handled a little roughly too. Walking on it would not damage it, while the Mexican grass lawn may be damaged when it is trodden upon. There are other wild grass varieties too, which can be used for lawns, but proper maintenance would be required, he added. Removing the weeds from the lawn is important. There are also some weedicides available that can be used judiciously in the garden, he said.
A flower bed can be maintained with some free flowering plants like miniature ixora or lantana or a hedge can be created with duranda, which has bright green leaves, said Prof. Jacob. Miniature nandiarvattom is also available. Bouga
invillas flower more with prudent pruning and control of the water content, while some other plants like hibiscus may not require such frequent pruning.
There are certain plants that would do well if they have a flower bed rather than a pot. Some might do well in a deep pot, while some might grow well in wide but shallow pots. These are some of the techniques and tips that one can pick up from here and there.
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