A stone pathway is bordered by a hedge of sprightly green fern trees. At the end of the pathway, a breathtaking splash of colour greets you. The sprawling Mexican grass lawn and colourful flowers on the perimeter of the garden make it look picture perfect. White, yellow and purple butterflies flit around beds of bright petunias and lantanas that dance in the wind.
Prize winners
This is S.N. Varadharajan and Pushpa Varadharajan's garden. For three years now, this couple has been awarded prizes by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for the Best Home Garden in Coimbatore.
In 2010 when they first entered the contest, they came first. In 2011, they came second. And this year, in 2012, they were again awarded the first prize.
Spanning an area of approximately 18 cents with beds of petunias, lantanas, anthuriums and dahlias, this garden is a florist's paradise. Tall and shining like the sun, splendid birds of paradise grow in one corner of the garden (people often want to buy them and have to be politely turned away). The oldest member of their garden is the four-feet tall Cycus tree that is over 15 years old.
The couple started working on the garden in 1992. “I have never gone to gardening books for help. It has just been about experimenting and asking experts in the field. My wife, Pushpa has always been interested in gardening. Much before our marriage, she had won contests for her garden in Belgaum,” says Varadharajan.
He points out a plant with long leaves that look like a woman's hair. “This plant is named after the British Noble woman, Lady Godiva, who rode naked around the streets of Coventry only covered by her long, thick tresses,” says Varadharajan.
As Varadharajan takes me around the perfectly-planned garden, he reels off the botanical names of almost all the plants in his garden. It is surprising that the Vardharajans have not used the services of a landscape artist. At the far end of the garden is a rock-encircled pond with crystal clear water. Earthen pots are arranged here and there. There is a mango tree that the couple do not wish to chop down despite it not bearing any fruit.
Varadharajan, who gets his saplings from Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, has a gardener from Malampuzha come in every month to check on his plants. “Regular watering and manuring should do the trick. And we do not use pesticides”, says Varadharajan.
Orchid love
For Varadharajan, the orchids are his “babies”. They are housed in a separate enclosure at the entrance of his home. Covered by a green net, hung from top, these plants are watered with the help of jets that create a pall of mist. The clay pots, in which the orchids are planted, have holes in them to provide the roots with enough breathing space. He has around 120 orchid plants in pure whites, rich velvet purples and brilliant yellows — these took five years to bloom. He believes the mist jets from Cochin did the trick!
Varadharajan says that even TNAU officials concede they do not have as many varieties of orchids!
The garden is home to fauna too. Squirrels scurry around and sparrows and mynahs twitter about. There are two wooden bird houses with birdfeed. They also have peacocks visiting them.
“I only hope no mobile phone towers come up in the vicinity,” says Varadharajan.
