An oasis of green in City

An oasis of green in City
Deccan Herald

Fatima Bakery is what most Bangalorean’s in Cantonment area have grown up with. This family has their houses located on Richmond Road. All these houses boast of gardens which are well tended to.

V F David, the older son of the family, is extremely house-proud and his garden reflects this love for all things beautiful. His daughter Anna says, “I love the garden, but my mom knows more about the plants than I do.”

Turtle doves fly in and out of the tall Ashoka trees which stand sentinel along the left side of the house. “The trees have been planted to give privacy to the house,” explains Alice. A small water body has been created in front of the house around a tall Royal Palm which has golden carp and water lilies in it.

Around the water body, Liana with its white flowers render an amazing contrast to the dark green leaves. A small patch of lush green Mexican grass adds succulence to the garden. “The palm came with the house when we bought it,” explains Alice, “and we did not have the heart to cut it down,” she says. Growing tall and strong, the palm is the focal point of the garden.

Walking along the granite paving which has Mexican grass growing between the stones, one notices a line of crotons along the wall. Crotons are hardy shrubs which can grow quite tall. The leaves of the crotons are brightly coloured and make the garden more interesting. The garden also has large and exotic hibiscus on one side of the garden. A peach-coloured bloom with a maroon centre catches the eye.

There is also a huge Traveller’s Palm on another side of the garden. Beautiful specimens of these palms can be seen near Vidhana Soudha. “Apparently, these fan-shaped palms got this name because of its ability to hold water for the weary traveller to quench his thirst,” says Alice.

A lot of palms also grow around the verandah of the house. The stump of a long dead mango tree which could have been an eye sore is covered with a variegated Philodendron which looks stunning. There is a large bamboo to prevent the dust from entering the house. Bamboo in any garden makes it look like a lovely whispering island in the evening twilight.

Then, like any typical old Bangalore garden, there are a variety of fruit-bearing trees. There is a Ramphal (Sour Sop) growing in the premises, while “the Litchie just finished fruiting,” says Alice, “but the squirrels did not let the fruit ripen properly.”

Anna chips in saying, “We have just planted a pomogranate and a Star Fruit tree which dad bought for the garden.”

Easy maintenance has been the norm of all lovely gardens and the Davids’ garden is no different.