Tag: Gardening

seeds of passion

Posted on by Ajmal

The art of gardening and decorating has always had a special place in my heart. I I remember a journey that intensified and deepened my zeal, a trip to a quaint hill station in Kerala called Peermade. A place where the mountains rose high, creating a barrier between the regions of Travancore and Madurai in ancient Tamilakam. I was staying in a guest house, a two-storied cottage, with my family and my brother helped to find this cottage. The family who owned the cottage lived on the lower floor and the guests on the top floor. Little did I know that my perspective about decor and integrating plants would be forever changed by the experience I had there.

The family’s love for plants and gardening was a sight to behold. The proprietors of the cottage, a family with a deep-seated passion for horticulture, left a lasting impression on me.

The family’s love for plants and gardening was a sight to behold. The proprietors of the cottage, a family with a deep-seated passion for horticulture, left a lasting impression on me. Their abode was a veritable jungle of flora, with an imaginative use of pots, cans, glass jars, and even repurposed waste containers to cultivate an astonishing diversity of plants. The cottage was filled with an abundance of greenery, and the owners would go around with a green plastic plant mister, talking to the plants and showering them with love. That stay opened my eyes to the possibility of making our surroundings beautiful and leaving our signature on them, no matter where we are.

Upon coming back to the UAE after my vacation, I sought out methods to bring greenery into both my home and work cabin. The capability for growth and knowledge housed within a seed never fails to stun me. Dreaming and planting a garden, born from imagination, symbolizes a declaration of autonomy of the soul. It is within these unique areas and touches that we can discover innovative ways to reconcile our sense of beauty with our living spaces.

Gardening is not just about creating beauty, but also about embracing the imperfections and limitations of life. It’s about finding joy in the simple things. Embracing the art of gardening and decorating, enables to leave our mark with a space that speaks of our soul.

elevated greenery

Posted on by Ajmal
elevated greenery.

As I surveyed my cramped abode, my potted companions and I seemed to have reached the limits of our cohabitation. But then, a glimmer of an idea dawned upon me – why not elevate our greenery to new heights?

With a curious toddler constantly exploring every nook and cranny of our home, the tops of my windows seemed like the perfect solution. Not only would it free up valuable floor space, it would also keep my plants out of reach of little hands.

And so, with great care and perseverance, I transported my verdant friends to their new home. The task was no easy feat, as each watering and replenishment required a treacherous ascent. Yet, the reward was more than worth the effort.

Not only did the plants invigorate my dwelling with their lively presence, they also aided in the creation of an optical illusion, making the space below seem more expansive. It was as if a gust of fresh air had swept through my humble home.

While this solution may not be suitable for all, it was, for me, a simple yet effective means of maximizing my residential retreat while also keeping my plants safe from curious little hands. It is often the minimalist ideas that have the greatest impact. As I beheld my flourishing flora, a wave of accomplishment and satisfaction washed over me.

plant tread.

Posted on by Ajmal

Remember those days where we passionately spoke of Golden pothos propagation craft and the flora shelf. Finally ticking a long term pending list scroll, I potted some money plants and other flora out of the roots of them which I had in water containers for quite some time now.  I made use of this 20 l potting soil. Had a couple of pots available on the shelf that were waiting to get potted. Here are some of them. I shall try to put in a video montage of these new ones soon. Delve into the simple golden pothos propagation technique.  This is where we started the plant stand. Happy gardening!
Love aqua-scaping? We’ve got stuff to keep you interesting : )
Matshona Dhliwayo, a Canadian philosopher said: “A seed is its own world, a garden is its own universe.” I had an experience during a vacation to my home town that kindled within me the seed of love for plants and pruning them in whichever medium I find plausible. I shall try to write that little story sometime soon. Keep reading!
Thank you for the warm messages and letters I received from various readers. I’m very grateful for the time you spend reading these lines. I hope everyone loves the new design for the website as much as I do. God bless.


seeds sown.

Posted on by Ajmal

“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”

— David Hobson

I have been longing to make a b’roll on the indoor vertical garden for quite some time now. Since I’m mostly indoors lately, I thought to give it a shot.

Garden

Posted on by Ajmal

” Every garden scheme should have a backbone, a central idea beautifully phrased. Every wall, path, stone, and flower should have its relationship to the central idea. ”
– Edwin Lutyens


Indoor garden at Genie’s Cove.
The central idea here is obscure minimalism.

‘Golden Pothos’ – Propagation Craft

Posted on by Ajmal

I am really fond of money plants and try to grow them in literally every container I get my hands on to an extent that Netta on getting an empty bottle from any corner of the home or from groceries, she would routinely ask me ” Here’s a bottle, wanna grow in ’em? “. If you have been reading here for long, you might recollect this earlier post wherein I had shared an illustration. Money plants have a multitude of names. You might have heard names like golden pothos, Ceylon creeper, hunter’s robe, ivy arum, money plant, silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy, and taro vine. All basically refer to the same thing.  For this post, I shall call it a money plant. It’s very easy to propagate a money plant if we know a simple technique. Initially, when I started with money plants, I used to cut them randomly at different points and they used to wane off and don’t develop roots. I would like to share an easy-peasy tip on propagating money plants effectively. I’m posting this after trying and testing with different sets of plants and it works really well. In fact,  It’s a very simple procedure. You take out a considerably large branch of an existing well-grown money plant and cut at either side of the stem at the root of each individual branch.  Take a look at the illustration below:

Cut a set of around 5-6 leave like this to grow a complete bushy set.

Carefully hold them and insert them into a clear glass bottle with clean water and leave for 4-5 weeks. You’ll find roots gradually developing and it can be either left off in water itself or can be transferred into a mud pot. You can place it just about anywhere.