A little soul nurturing.

One of the things I really enjoy is to start the day by spending some time in my garden. The garden has been carefully tended to entirely by me and Satish. We do not have a gardener and we do everything ourselves.
I live in a penthouse on the 14th floor and we have two large terraces. This is where we have made our garden. We grow our own vegetables--everything right from Brinjals, tomatoes, Parsley, celery, Ridge gourd, Bitter gourd, green chillies , bottle gourd, carrots, radish, beet root, rocket leaves, spinach, fenugreek, beans, okara, squash (yes, it is indeed possible)-- organically and we are very proud of what we have managed to accomplish in a period of one year. We also compost our kitchen waste.(The only thing that goes out from my home is the plastic used in packaging. Rest of it all goes into the compost). I have written a post in the past on how to start an organic terrace garden.
And I have also written about things that a garden has taught me.

Apart from the vegetables that we grow, we also have some flowers. Today I want to share some pictures with you. These had my heart leaping in joy and my soul soaking in all the contentment.
Here goes

This is my collection of cactii plants. Look at the profusion of flowers! If you over-water them they will not grow. They thrive on neglect!

A close up of one of the plants--the flowers are so many that they cover the leaves! It is a very thorny plant.

Here is another close-up of another plant.

Look at this single flower dancing in the wind! Isn't this gorgeous?

Close up of a single jasmine flower. My jasmine always blooms when it rains. The fragrance is a whiff of heaven.

Is this a variety of chrysantemum? I don't know. But it is a profusion for sure :)

And finally--a rose that bloomed. Notice the dew drop inside it?

Gardening is one of the most rewarding hobbies that one can have. You don't need large areas. Even if you live in an apartment, a small balcony that gets sunlight for a little part of the day will do.

Try it once and you will be hooked. After all like  Alfred Austin said 'The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.'

___________________________________________________________

Read my latest book yet? Jamu kaka grows an organic garden in that one. Now you know where that came from :)
If you haven't yet read it, get it at a great price:   
Amazon: http://is.gd/Ithappensamazon
Flipkart: http://is.gd/Flipkartithappens
Crossword: http://is.gd/Ithappenscrossword