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Fifty shades of green: It is time we start giving Mother nature what we take from her

Snigdha Mitra loves foliage so much she has them in every possible shade and in every possible corner she has found space - in front of her house, the backyard, staircase, window sills and even on walls and table tops. Be it a tall Eucalyptus towering over her terrace or a dainty Money Plant peering out of a bottle, she loves them all like members of her family

Brinda Sarkar Published 04.08.23, 11:01 AM
Snigdha Mitra tends to her plants

Snigdha Mitra tends to her plants Pictures by Esha Barman

We are always taking from nature but gardening is an activity that allows us to give back. I love greenery and try to grow as many of them as I can. Also, instead of buying afresh, I like propagating them from existing plants.

Flowers have short-lived beauty so I prefer foliage, that stay fresh round the year. And all their leaves have distinct shape, colour, shade, texture and even character. I have tall trees like Eucalyptus, Badam, Supuri, Kathchampa as well as herbs like Basil and Rosemary that I add to the food I cook. But I cannot remember the names of the foliage. Back in school, we were force-fed so many scientific names in biology, that my brain refuses to retain them.

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I pick up plants from every hill station that I visit and consider it my moral duty to nurture them as I bring them away from their own soil. One of my favourite plants is a creeper Bamboo that I had got from Kalimpong. I’ve never seen this grow anywhere else.

Potted indoor plants in Snigdha Mitra’s house

Potted indoor plants in Snigdha Mitra’s house

When I go to my son's place in Delhi, the domestic help and gardener are in charge of the plants and I get hysterical if any plant dies out of their neglect. But then dried-up plants and leaves have an unusual beauty in them too. I use dried-up Jhau, Eucalyptus or Coconut leaves as indoor decoration and they last for months.

I'm glad my grandkids are developing an interest in gardening too. My eight-year-old grandson is studying plants in school and has taken five or six pots from me. Every time I go over to his place now he proudly shows them off and talks about how he's bringing them up.

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