for the love of gardening...

Outside the fence of my house there lays two pots containing pandanus plant and tamarind in each. They have been there for quite sometime, given full attention at first but slowly decreasing like the withering of the their once fresh greeny leaves. They used to be the envy of visitors when the leaves were the size of two open palms, the vibrant green the sign of a healthy plant and the owner has green fingers. But now the plants are left unattended as I cannot seem to have enough time to dedicate to them. I will someday soon, for the love of gardening...

The front yard of my house was once beautifully laid with soft silky grass, plants proportionately placed to create zen-like relaxing ambience, pots laid decoratively and the flowering plants orchestrated their blooms harmoniously. But now not anymore, the grass outgrown, the line of trees look more like a crowded cluttered mind and all the blooms have shy away. In between the hectic schedule, a short window sees me watering the plants indicating guilt rather than care. Guilty for not spending more time to tend, nurture and care. Soon I will come to you my plants with my renewed strength and conviction to care for you like I once showed, for the love of gardening...

My backyard once filled with plants like lemongrass, pandanus, tamarind, tomatoes, ladies fingers, chilli, lime, finger-sized star fruit, long beans, kangkung, parsley, and the likes. Not all bear fruits but some of them do and enough for my small family consumption. At times when the yield was abundance, we gave them to relatives. The plot was once an edible garden with produce enough to be proud of by the family and the edible garden is sure to receive praise from the guests of the house. Whatever time the family spent in countless evenings paid off in the small harvest. Those were the happy times. But now a few plants are slowly waiting for their fall, some silently withered to the the ground. The vicious work and social schedule have distanced my evenings or my weekends with my plants. But soon I will be back to care for them, giving them the utmost attention, nurturing the young and tending the grown ups, for the love of gardening...

May all the passion, love, care, attention, time, effort, money spent on these plants be the best spendings of my life.