Jaswant Singh’s garden in Mogappair is a live textbook for plant lovers.

Sprawled across 4, 000 sq.ft, Jaswant Singh’s garden and terrace hosts a number of plant and tree varieties. The list includes 65 medicinal and culinary herbs, 20 vegetable plants, 65 varieties of fruit trees, 13 species of flowering plants including the rarely spotted flower of Tamil Nadu — Gloriosa superba or flame lily as it is commonly known, the rare Kurinji, Brahma Kamalam, berries like strawberry and blackberry, the 27 nakshatra or star trees in bonsai format, water plants, cacti, a butterfly garden, and even commercial trees like the sandalwood.

But perhaps, what makes this garden more impressive is its ecosystem. For instance, to help the plants maximise their yield, Singh rears honeybees that promote cross pollination and fruiting, besides supplying him with pure organic honey.

To keep his garden safe from the flying insects that attack gardens in the evening, he has a solar insect trap. Then there are bird nests of sparrows and cuckoo, besides nesting boxes and bird baths. And of course, he makes his own organic manure, and his house is powered by solar panels.

“My aim is to spread awareness about the importance of such green spaces,” says Singh, who had received the ‘Best House Garden Award’ in 2014 from the Tamil Nadu government. He adds, “We have a lot of open spaces in our city.At least on our terraces and by our compound walls. We can grow many plants even in these small spaces and benefit.” He is happy to share his expertise on gardening free of cost with interested persons. Singh can be reached at 98400 45621.  http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/gardens/chennais-garden-of-eden/article7184682.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication