GARDENING

Cultivating a hobby is one of the best ways of spending one’s leisure hours. The mind is busy in some productive occupation. One is sure to learn something new and interesting. At the same tine, it all adds to one’s mental growth. There are many hobbies one can take up such as reading, music, collecting stamps, painting, gardening and so on. I am very fond of gardening and I spend all my leisure hours in the small little garden that we have in front of our house.

I love being in the garden and look forward to work in the garden when I have finished my daily routine of going to work. Being in the contact with nature amongst the green plants, breathing in the pure mildy scented air, listening to the twittering of the birds who frequent my little patch of green uplifts my whole spirit. I feel an indescribable joy and am with peace with myself and the rest of mankind. All the sorrows and the tensions of the day, the bickering I might have had with my friengs or colleagues, the remonstrance of my boss or even my parents for that matter, are all forgotten as I look at the dear little plants and flowers which I have nurtured with my own hands. I love my plants and I speak to them. I tell them how I spent the whole day in office and all about my friends and colleagues. My plants seem to nod their heads in agreement or sympathy as I talk to them about my happy and unhappy moments.

My garden keeps me quite busy. I have planted Rose, Motia and Raat Ki Raani which give out a soft sweet scent especially in the evening hours. Then there are also seasonal plants which have to be planted. I dig out those which have withered and plant new ones according to the season. I get the saplings from a plant nursery which is close to my place. Sometimes I bring seeds and sow them as well. It is such a joy to see the saplings appear and I feel an immence sense of satisfaction as they grow and blossom.

Every morning I water my plants and spread fertilizer from time to time. During the summer I water the garden twice a day – early in the morning and after sunset. I spend a lot of time in cleaning my garden every day. I clear the plants and the ground of the yellow withered leaves and pull out the weeds which shoot up in between the plants and on the grass. I lightly dig in between the plants to keep the earth soft so that the roots may spread and the palnts flourish.

There is also a small patch where I grow vegetables. I plant cauliflower and spinach and tori in winter. The tori creeper clings to the fencing and brightens it up with its yellow flowers and green vegetables. Again, it is such a pleasure to not only to watch these growing and bearing flower and fruit, but also very satisfying to pluck the vegetables and give them to my mom to cook. The vegetables plucked from my garden tasre far sweeter and seem to be far more nutritious than the ones we buy from the market.

Thus my hobby helps me to pass my time in a most productive manner. At the same time it freshens up my mind and uplifts my spirt and fills me with immence happiness. I fully agree with Francis Bacon who said, “God almighty first placed a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures”

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