A tryst with terrace gardening
I’ve always wanted to wake up to the sound of birds, not only during my vacations but every single day of my life. I wanted to change the narrative from living in a concrete jungle to my home being called an Urban Jungle! My inspiration came from my son Aman who’s a birder and wildlife photographer. Most of our family holidays have been spent in the forests and National parks of India discovering wildlife and exploring nature. That instilled a deep sense of love for the wild and Aman started considering nature his second home!
When the 2020 pandemic lockdown happened, we couldn’t go out to the forests, so we decided to bring the forests to us! We decided to build an urban jungle on our terrace! Family teamwork helped convert this neglected space into a beautiful sanctuary! We started by clearing and painting it ourselves, collecting cuttings of plants and saplings from family, friends and nursery to get native plants. We researched the process of potting plants using soil, vermicompost, coco peat, sand and neem khali. Soon our urban jungle was thriving!
As the months went by and the plants grew in number and size, I saw a whole new ecosystem developing on our terrace as if a colorful world had come alive! Birds visiting the terrace in search of food, nesting and respite from the sweltering heat of Delhi, butterflies fluttering and enjoying the nectar of flowers, caterpillars feasting on the plant leaves, bees buzzing, worms busy at work! The top of our home became our happy place.
Our terrace garden now has more than 400 plants and is a treasure trove for several birds and butterflies in the region. Numerous beautiful birds and colorful butterflies visit this green patch everyday. Some of the birds spotted: Rufous tree pie, Yellow footed green pigeon, Indian Grey hornbill, Asian koel, Red Munia, Purple sunbird, Brown headed barbet, Rose ringed parakeet, Flame back woodpecker. Some of the butterflies spotted: African monarch butterfly, Red pierrot butterfly, Lime butterfly, Black Mormon butterfly, Common Jay, Pioneer butterfly, Painted lady butterfly, White cabbage butterfly.
Tips on how to set up an urban terrace garden:
- Make sure that you have enough space and enough water.
- Make sure your terrace is waterproofed and can take the weight of plants and pots.
- To invite butterflies into your garden, plant the necessary host plants (plants where butterflies lay eggs that turn into caterpillars that eventually turn into butterflies). You can plant powderpuff, milkweed, lemon tree and curry leaf plants as host plants.
- To invite birds, grow fruiting trees like guavas, pomegranates etc.
- Grow many flowering plants or trees to invite bees in addition to butterflies. ( bees come as visitors helping in pollination and don’t harm!)
- Keep some water in a sturdy earthen pot for the birds to perch on, quench their thirst or take a dip in to cool off.
- Plant native plants and trees ( perennial plants as well as seasonal flowers)
- Make sure to collect the dry leaves and make home-made organic manure out of that to put back into the soil.
- You can add solar fairy lights to make this jungle come to life at sunset!
Nature nurtures and is vital for our emotional and physiological wellbeing. Terrace gardening has been the greatest bonding exercise between me and my kids. It has taught me immense patience, caring, kindness, helped me calm down, taught me how to coexist with animals and birds who have an equal right on this planet, inspired me every single day and helped me reconnect with nature, all from the comfort of my own home! I realized being a Dentist in practice for over 20 yrs, my efforts needed to go beyond the medical field. As my son Aman rightly puts— “Go beyond academics and studies to take up hobbies that actually impact society and build a healthy environment. Take up something that can actually SAVE THIS PLANET.”
