First of 2 Parts
When I was a teenager, I had this prejudice against planting and gardening which I later realized I developed through growing plants badly. It was because no matter how much I tried, I just could not grow plants as effortlessly as my late Dad did. So, when the camachile seedling died under my care a few days after it was planted, I declared I was born with a “black thumb,” and therefore should never hold a trowel ever again and must keep a safe distance from plants. Plant homicide (as I call it) is such a traumatic experience.
Fast forward to the onset of the pandemic in 2020, when people got reacquainted with plants that even millennials found collecting and growing ornamental plants their new-found hobby, I got inspired to dig dirt once more. I had apprehensions but I guess the need to divert my attention to something productive while nursing a broken heart that time (the broadcast company I worked at for over two decades shut down) was stronger than the fear of harming plants in the process.
I can vividly recall the day I started working in my backyard garden. I was so afraid that I would harm the plants that I asked a helper to do it for me. It went on like that for a couple of days until I realized I could never get real satisfaction from having someone else do it for me. So, I mustered enough courage, took the trowel and started to dig dirt after a 30-years hiatus.
Heeding the advice of a local gardener who later became my friend, I started with Mayana cuttings. Mayana or Coleus is locally known as Lampunaya, one of the traditionally used folkloric herbal medicines. It is among the plants that are easiest to grow and least demanding of attention and care. It was a delight seeing improvement in the cuttings that I have buried in the earth. After a few weeks, Mayanas of different colors were all abloom! That was when I realized how planting and watching a plant growing in its ideal condition can transform me and how the experience transfixed me by love of something for which I previously felt contempt.
Later on, I ventured into planting aroids or plants of the arum family (Araceae), after learning that they are quite challenging to grow. Philodendrons belong to this family. These plants grow in rainforests and every variety has unique needs like they thrive in bright indirect sunlight while some can tolerate low or medium light, they need not be watered daily and they require a potting mix that has good aeration. When these needs are not met, it will result in their death and a plant lover’s broken heart. Believe me.
So, my plant journey brought me to different local gardens and introduced me to fellow enthusiasts with whom I became friends with and have shared happy and sad experiences about gardening. My understanding of plants and plant care deepened as I continue to get tips from experienced growers and collectors. Soon, I found myself bravely planting and growing semi rare to rare plants from cuttings. What a joy!
Every time I see a new leaf, I get motivated to try growing other varieties. What used to be a small garden adorned with a few plants was transformed into a mini jungle that has become my place of quiet, calm and joy. Therapeutic indeed, for gardening feeds the soul. (to be continued)*
