The joy of growing plants and flowers at home!!

By Francis Saldanha
Bellevision Media Network

Manama-Bahrain, 20 Feb 2019: To my mind there is no spot of ground however arid, bare or ugly, that cannot be tamed into such a state as may give an impression of beauty and delight. As an English proverb that says, if you want to be happy for a year plant a garden. A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. It’s true that I have a wide range of interests especially cricket and many other sports and games, exercise, listening to music, etc. In fact, gardening is probably what I enjoy doing more than anything else during my leisure time once  I am back from my office work.

 

I grow plants and flowers for many reasons, especially  to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow. Gardening experience not only heals, but it also inspires, motivates, values and leaning towards a greater purpose in life. Life will not be the same when one is committed and dedicated to the gardening. This hobby is a sure bet for one to learn to return to the present. The plants and flowers do live in the present and they are spectacular, they exhibit all the key characteristics of the reality of the present, peace, harmony, beauty, joy etc.

 

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. And you feel like, want to give the world (flower) to someone else.  Most people in the cities rush around and as such they have no time to look at a flower. There are many beautiful flowers and plants in the world. Some of them are loved for their maddening beauty and some are loved for their sweet fragrance.  Flowers are an integral part and parcel of our lives, as we need different kinds of flowers for a variety of purposes. Some flowers are required for decoration, some are required for gifting, some for marriages, some for funerals a few for creating pieces of jewelry etc. They do attract sometimes insects, birds, animals in your garden is a further bonus.

 

 

I do regular photography of my tiny garden and its plants and flowers with the hope of capturing that dynamic magic, but there is more to it than my photographs can speak of. For me, retirement offers time and space to try new hobbies and experiences. With a wide variety of hobby options, it’s important to look for an option that can be altered to fit your new lifestyle perfectly. Gardening is most often known as a hobby that lowers groceries or increases a home’s curb appeal, also offers health, mood, community involvement benefits and more with a focus on improving retirement.

 

Whether it’s a collection of potted plants or a vast or mini backyard paradise, a garden in any form is the perfect accent to your life with many benefits to you as a person.  With numerous local resources and a beautiful spring season especially in Bahrain. It’s the perfect time to start for a gardening journey as you reinvent retirement and live the Lawrence Life! The most precious gift gardening can give is by teaching us the value of patience and there is no such thing as an instant garden than I watch and wait patiently while seedlings grow into healthy plants and follow the seasonal rituals of weeding and pruning to maximize the growth potential of the plants and flowers.