Ever thought of decorating your garden? The man of this house has some excellent ideas to help you out. With the support of 3 women in his life – his mother, wife, and a small daughter, he has been able to maintain a green garden where ‘everyone gets to enjoy parties and blissful morning teas.’
Meet Dr. Sanjay Agrawal who believes that it is his ‘emerald place’ that helps him burst the stress. Read the excerpts from the interview below:
JWB – Hello Dr. Sanjay and Mrs. Ruchi Agrawal. How are you doing?
Ruchi – Oh, just enjoying our morning tea. It’s a beautiful sunny day.
JWB – Yes, also a day to explore all about your stunning garden.
Sanjay – You can stay here all day long. Our guests don’t prefer sitting in the drawing room, anyway.
JWB – So who is the one behind this green magic?
Ruchi – Sanjay. It’s the legacy from my in-laws that’s being carried by him. It’s now Saanchi, our daughter, who’s learning from him.
Sanjay – My mother still checks if we have watered the plants every morning. We majorly discuss the garden throughout the day. Maa.. (he calls out), why don’t you tell them about your gardening skills?
Sanjay’s mother – My husband was fond of me, and I was fond of plants. He took me all around India to pick different species of plants that I put in my little garden. I remember painting earthen pots every Diwali to renovate our garden. We had many memories attached to this place.
JWB – He took you around to buy plants? Wow.
Sanjay’s mother – Umbrella plants from Bilaspur, roses from Bareilly, few show plants from Punjab. I remember only this much. It was back in 1952.
JWB – Roses?!? But we hardly see any rose here.
Sanjay – That’s because I don’t like them.
Ruchi – He loves cacti, instead. You should check out our roof.
The couple took us to their gorgeous roof that had almost EVERY kind of cactus. The thorns never looked this lovely before, psst!
JWB – We can spot a lot of garden art here.
Ruchi – Sanjay has a knack of it. He reads gardening books and Googles new ways to plant saplings. He never throws away the broken earthen pots; instead, uses them very creatively.
Sanjay – So if your pot breaks, bring it to me. I will layer the plantation using the broken parts! (laughs)
JWB – We are taking this tip home, Doctor. What other creative ideas do you want to share?
Sanjay – The only tip to make your garden stunning is to not rely on your gardener. They can water the plants and remove the fallen leaves, but it is your love that will do the magic. You know, it’s like nurturing a human baby.
JWB – We agree. Ruchi, what is your role in supporting his passion?
Ruchi – I do all the shopping. From the seeds to the art products, I pick them all from the market and nurseries.
JWB – Which nurseries do you go to?
Ruchi – We go to Pushpawali, Anand nursery and Laxmi Agencies for seeds.
JWB – According to you, which weather is the best to plant saplings?
Sanjay – February, and March.
Sanjay – It’s very easy to add spark to your garden. For example, I keep small decor items in between the plants. This includes old sculptures, lamps…
JWB – …or hand painted stones! Who would have thought of painting a roadside stone and using it like this!?!
Sanjay – Thank you. We have done experiments with the garden table and chairs, as well. This is affordable yet unique.
Saanchi – I eat my Maggi here every Sunday!
Ruchi – Sanjay, tell them about the deep secret canal in our garden.
JWB – OMG, a canal? What is that?
Sanjay – That narrow lane that you see here is a water stream which is currently covered with flowering plants. During the winter, it turns into a fish pond!
JWB – We can’t get enough of your garden, Mr. & Mrs. Agrawal.
Ruchi – Our friends get us garden-gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. They know what to buy when they have to surprise us!
Sanjay – Taking of gifts, even ours are green in color. Here’s one for you.
JWB – We couldn’t be happier. Thank you so much!
Friends, below are few more ideas from their garden that you can get inspired from. Scroll down!