She’s had both her knees replaced and suffers from backache. She’s deeply engrossed in theatre. Yet, this 76-year-old musters the strength to find time for her plants. Monika Mukherjee does not hesitate to climb the stairs to tend to her pots on the first floor, nor does she mind spending time with her front and backyard greens. Mukherjee has also taken care to create a floral canopy over her gate, adorned with pink Bougainvillea and yellow Allamanda.

I inherited my love for plants from my mother, and when we moved to FD Block in 1987, I knew we had to be surrounded by trees.

I’ve grown everything from Cauliflowers to Radish here at one time, but now the sunlight is blocked by nearby construction, and I have had to discontinue them. In fact, a large central portion of the backyard is now empty because of this.

Still, we have two Mango trees — one of the Amrapali variety and another that fruits all year round. There’s a Betel leaf (Paan) creeper that winds its way around a mango tree and where there’s a Paan tree, can a Supari tree be far behind?

It’s unfortunate that neighbours complain about leaves falling into their plots, so we have had to remove some plants too. But do plants like Neem not purify the air for everyone? Do others not take Neem leaves from here?

I love flowers — yellow and pink Allamanda, Milis — but my favourite is the Rose. In fact, I have two Roses that bloom all year round. A while back a friend offered me a Dragon Fruit plant that I readily accepted. It’s like a cactus that needs little water and am waiting for it to fruit now.

My husband and I both love plants, as does my grandson. He works in Mumbai now but has planted some species like Tecoma and Cactus in this garden. I take special care of them as they remind me of him.

Outside, I have an interesting-looking grass that is tall and spiky; I picked it up from a picnic I attended somewhere. There’s an Ashoka tree that bears multiple flowers in clusters, and Furush that produces purple and white flowers. These trees overlook my bedroom and keep it cool in summer when everyone else complains about the heat.

I can proudly say that no plants die under my care. The secret, I’ve realised, isn’t in fertilisers or supplements; it’s love. If a plant is wilting, I stroke its leaves and ask it to get well. Like people, plants respond to love.

As told to Brinda Sarkar