Exploring the lush green world of urban India's home gardeners

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Every evening after she returns from work, Jiyaajit Singh, 23, sits down to indulge in her favourite ritual: talking to her plants about her day. “Holding them and talking to them lifts my mood instantly," says the Mumbai-based nutritionist and painless period coach. Singh admits to feeling surprised by this strong connection she feels towards her plants, considering she started gardening, along with her father, Taranjit Singh, 50, only in 2020.

“My father decided to grow some chillies because the ones we were getting from the market during lockdown weren’t spicy enough," she says. Four years on, that whimsical decision has flowered into a mini garden of over 40 plants. “We started by growing plants on one window sill of our apartment in Bandra.

Today, all four window sills are covered with plants, including bougainvillaea in four colours," says Jiyaajit. Like the Singhs, Sania Padival, 30, began gardening sometime in 2020, inspired by an almost-wild, plants growing-everywhere terrace garden at a friend’s place. “The entire space was covered with plants.

I saw a Surf Excel bottle that had been cut and used as a hanging planter. There was Chinese cabbage and romaine lettuce growing. I got back home with tons of cuttings," she recalls.

Today, the Bengaluru-based events consultant has no inhibitions in calling herself a “crazy plant lady". There are succulents, cacti—including a 7ft-tall one—orchids, even an avocado plant growing in almost every corner of her 2 BHK flat. “I have friends asking me why I live like a horticulturist," she laughs.

Caring for the garden is a routine she practises every morning. “I check on my plants daily as I sip my coffee," she says. The history of gardening dates back to 2000 BC, when