A house built in 1877 is either set aside for demolition or for remodeling. But the 139-year-old house in the Cantonment area in Ammuguda is unique for a different reason — it has a garden to die for.
Try imaging a landscape with a wash basin, shoes, plastic bottles, window shutters, sewage pipes and an overhead tank, all brought together to create a garden that makes you not want to go indoors. And if you can’t, then take a walk around Sheeba Peters’ garden and you’ll be gobsmacked.
Not a single patch of land is left bare, no matter where you look, there are creepers, flowering plants and art work done by the lady of the house. “Even though I am a certified dietitian, I have always had an affinity towards gardening since my college days,” says Peters, who moved into her current house in May last year.
“My father was in the Army and so far I have lived in over 500 different houses. But no matter where I have stayed, I have always had a garden,” adds Sheeba, who had won the Lalbagh competition for her 2,000-sq. ft garden when she was living in Bengaluru. There are over 25 flowering plants with varieties one might not even be aware of — African Marigold, Morning Glory, Sweet Pea, Salvia, Sweet William, Gerbera and Cineraria to name a few. And a sizeable kitchen garden where Peters grows tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, lemons, coriander, lemon grass… pretty much everything that will ensure she doesn’t have to rush to the market every weekend.
“I spend three hours every day in my garden,” admits Sheeba, adding, “Gardening is very therapeutic. My preparation for the winter garden cost me '6,000 and the monthly maintenance, which is mostly spent on water, comes to '500. To be honest, it’s really not that difficult to have and maintain a garden as long as you have your heart set on it.”
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