Horticultural Happiness... !!!

Its early in the morning...7s early enough...sipping on a cup of coffee...walking through the nursery...3 dogs hussle past 2 puppies chase them through my plants knocking a few of the plants down...niko(the cat) sits by at the kitchen window licking himself clean...the chirping of the birds is soft but incessant... there's a small nest in the avocado plant iv spotted a few days back...its a little green sunbird.... there's a flurry of tiny cabbage butterfly(yellow)..iv spotted a Pseudozizeeria maha(beautiful blue butterfly),Dry-season brood(a little brown butterfly) on de milkweed...the ipods playing Bob Dylan whos going on about answers in the blowing wind in a nasal but pleasant voice...its a weekday in the nursery n this is how our day begins...I LOVE MY WORK.
A glance at the days schedule its gona b a hectic day ...iv got to send almost 200 plants out for a shoot...iv got to make some teraniums ,more inverted tomatoes...its sowing time for the melons and strawberries...transplanting of the catmints n iv got 4 back to back meetings with people cause they want some of my plants...this is how i earl my living...this is how i earn my bread....i dont have a desk i dont have to wear a tie ...and sometimes i even go to work high ...(hahahaha...no thats just a song...),theres this quote i read yesterday there can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ... couldn't be more true...im smiling end to end its a new day at the nursery...a hectic day.I LOVE MY JOB.

My nursery though in the heart of Mumbai seems far away from the noise...During divali irla is one of the hot spots for shopping...n even though my space is 2 mins away seems like miles from the madness...
we v got an early morning customer...who walks in at 7.15....its taken her 10 mins to find my place...she walks in and gasps

WOW....is this place for real...i love the feel of this place Its so peaceful...feels like goa.Mrs Juhi Narayan

she glances through the rows of herbs,vegetable plants and frantically points one of my worker to get her the biggest basil,rosemary,jalapino,black pepper....the song on my ipods changed john mayers like me is also waiting for this world to change...as i make her bill i think again...I LOVE MY WORK.

As the sun grows in the sky the workers arrive ...as i feed the dogs the pic up vans loaded with bamboos ficus bonsai's for a shoot for a tele serial...the day begins...as the work load increases the heat has reached its peak by the noon,Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. beads of sweat line my brow ...iv got 3 art assistants scrambling for whats left of my pisonia albas... luckily thers enough for all and the sindhi inside me is pleased cause i wont be turning away anyone disappointed....i walk onto my terrace defoliating my bonsai fondly remembering the stories the each of these over pampered old miniatures...iv not got a centrally air conditioned cabin nor do i wear a suit...but in my shorts and under the sun this is what i always wanted to be a nuseryman,horticulturist,landscape designer,landscape manager,plant collector,blogger, businessman,young entrepreneure....I LOVE MY WORK.

Time is flying by iv got to head for meetings but there's so much to do....the tomato's need to be staked the dogs need to be fed again...its hectic but the smile is evident on my face...the clouds have rolled in from nowhere,typical Mumbai rain..did you know God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done...but the meetings still on i drive into the madness listening to more acoustic music...a client wants a googled image of a garden recreated...matching every plant with a shade card....give them some options ideas etc and head back to the nursery...the plants have come back from a hard days work and the workers are spraying them clean...the last few clients roll in last few herbs to be sold...2 housewives 1 thyme ....moms trying to convince one of em that there will be more soon ....the dogs are asleep on the cold marble of the house the cats still loafing...and as the day winds up the smile is still there the butterfly's still fluttering...a last cup of coffee n off to narrate my day to my girl...DAYM I LOVE MY WORK

The days i spent in oblivion wondering where i was going...lost and lonely in a tiny little village i always wondering if it was worth all that i went through...but trust me if i could time travel and tell 19 yr old me something id let him know that its worth it all....cause at the nursery 6 years from now you will be HORTICULTURALY HAPPY