A marathon of 26 prizes in a row

More than 500 varieties of flowers and fruit-bearing trees have made a small garden in Basavangudi the undisputed queen of green patches in the city.

The green thumb behind this is Vasumathi Raghunath, who has bagged an incredible 26 first place finishes in the competition held by the Mysore Horticultural Society, Lalbagh, during the Independence Day and Republic Day Flower Shows for 13 years in a row.

Her garden boasts of a 70-year-old magnolia (Malnad Sampige), 80-year-old oleander (Kanigale) and the flowering shrub plumeria that has grown to a phenomenal height of 30 feet. “Perhaps my home-made leaf manure has helped… I get a continuous yield of coconut, sapota (mud apple) and guava, while

sampige and

paarijaata have grown to a height of 20 feet,” says the gardening and music enthusiast.

Rainwater harvesting and organic manure helps keep the garden light on the pocket – the maintenance tallying at just Rs. 25,000 annually.

The amazement is shared by the Mysore Horticulture Society, which has again – for the 26th time – awarded her the Independence Day Home Garden Competition – August 2015 in the Small Private Gardens Category.

For Ms. Raghunath, the awards represent recognition of her penchant that has seen her garden grow year-on-year. More than 350 ornamental plants, trees, flowering plants, creepers, shrubs, herbs, cacti and succulents are present in this 40 x 40 garden space. The list is impressively long: 25 types of roses, 30 kinds of hibiscus, 15 varieties of jasmine, 10 oleanders, 15 selections of flowering creepers, and an assortment of 70 cacti and succulents along with a rare cacti-like bird of paradise. Others include bougainvillea, gardenia, night queen, ixora, chrysanthemum, brahmakamala, kanakaambara, creeper magnolia, cluster rose, honeysuckle, forest fire, and powder puff amongst a multiplicity of herbs and spices.

“Although the rare and extensive varieties that she houses need an acre of area to be grown, Vasumathi’s skill has her showcasing the selection in a 1,600 sq ft garden area of her 70 x 60 ft plot. Her ingenuous display of an overwhelming variety gets her the scores,” says Kodandaramaiah, one of the judges of the Lalbagh competition.