Winter is a good time for
flowers. For those homes with a garden, winter is a colourful season – yellows,
reds, purples, whites – it is nice to see all those hues splashing and
cascading in merry confusion. As I have discovered, it takes very little to get
all these colours into your garden and then, into your life. Nature takes care
of most of the stuff anyway; the sun happily shines its warmth and light down
on the sprouting shoots, the soil nourishes the roots and as the gardener, you have to water and every now and then, do a nip and tuck on the spreading plants.
I had gone along with chrysanthemums
and petunias last year for winter. The results I was able to see encouraged me
to take on a more ambitious winter project this time. So, I went around consulting
garden aficionados, collected young plants, took care with the potting mix and
watered and prayed. Nearly 2 months after I had planted the first tiny plant,
colours slowly started appearing in my garden. First it was the chrysanthemums
who shyly opened their radiant faces to the sunlight; the gay petunias imperiously
followed and pretty soon, there were blooms of all colours and shapes. The
hesitant pansies started blooming and it is a real joy when the pansy petals
with the loved face-like dark prints appear. The zagged-edged dianthuses were not to be left behind
and they too joined in the general bedlam of colours. The verbenas too opened their
little bell-shaped petals with great willingness. Finally, it was the turn of the big boys – the dahlias
with their impressive girth and humongous multi-layer petals.
When I see all the richness
around me, I look up at the big gardener above and give him a hearty 'thank you'.
I forgot to mention the most important tool that the gardener has in his paraphernalia,
and that is…love!
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