Nature’s charm can be manifested in many ways. It’s up to us to discern, and take care of, the many facets of nature’s munificence
Where the daisies are rose-scented,
And the rose herself has got
Perfume which on earth is not
Where the nightingale doth sing
Not a senseless tranced thing,
But divine melodious truth (John Keats)
ONE of the basic purposes of any artistic activity is to find order in certain things in the world and solve many mysteries in ways that give the artist with a sense of achievement. Professions, pastimes, hobbies, and one’s perception of the world, all can be revealed through artistic endeavours. This is the basic reason for the importance of artistic pursuit since it is quite different from the charm of empirical studies. Such studies demand discipline and are good for people with scientific leanings. Art, then, is the urge in a man to rely solely on his individuality to enrich his experiences. And this brings me to the real issue, which is: gardening is an art too.
In our part of the world, gardening is generally considered a daily chore. Those who think of it as their hobby feel the need to own it, yet there remains this lack of fulfilment because of a certain kind of indifference. Hobbies cannot exist in a social vacuum. This explains the need for exploring the higher degrees of verdurous activities. It is much more than looking after your pets and tending to their needs because of certain advantages. It’s an art form, full of wonders.
There are degrees to which one can practise this art. Obsession can compel gardeners to look for precision and detail. Symmetry becomes almost mathematical. Careless placement give them a chance to experience the hues of uncontrolled arrangement. Natural conservatism makes these artists come closer to the idea of the real. Huge gardens have such mentors. Selective liberalism is yet another degree that artists cherish with freedom of various sensuous impressions and ‘feel’. A rose garden, a white garden, or a red garden, are all expressions of this degree.
These degrees can be compared to our attitudes. We show them in many ways. Different people wear different kinds of fragrances. These are fragrances which reflect our attitude. Nothing fishy, I guess. Some display tattoos on their bodies while others prefer pinstripe jackets. These reflect the need to share our individuality with the others. From olfactory aesthetics to its visual manifestations, all is art.
The incense of apple and peach blossoms can be a thrilling experience as well. The conspicuous presence of a creeper’s branches is another exciting thing. Analogies can determine the locus of an activity in a social context, but only experience provides the real joy.
To use a writer’s imagination, one can say that the lushness of grass and the overgrown weed are also pretty attractive to witness. The serpentine look of grapevine can be as eye-catching as the flight of the bird of paradise in spring. If the latter is active in seeking, the former is hesitant in blooming. But these are the very source of universal longing and provide the joy of learning something sublime — a real source of admiration for the artists called the gardeners.
Recently it came as a surprise when an acquaintance informed me that ‘gardening is the oldest profession’. I wish I could tell him the bard never thought so. If he meant the oldest hobby, perhaps he was right. Hanging on to origins is what he thought senile — as good as living in Miss Havisham’s castle. I showed him my garden twice. I tried to explain the themes that he had not heard of in his lifetime. To him, traditions mean keeping the nexus with the origins intact. He never kept a garden in his house, but now keeps a bed of some fine plants in an immaculate fashion just outside his house. Bed, the size of a few scores of square feet but an objet d’art when taken as a whole. He wants people to see what they have never seen. He is proud of the oldest profession in the world.
Some people are born artists. Gardening is that branch of art, which demands of the artist to broaden his horizon of perceptions. It is sheer pleasure to experience nature in all its forms. Picasso saw not what the others did, but what he could and asked: why not? Beethoven’s symphony to the untuned ear seemed rebellious. Nevertheless, his worth was later recongized. Picasso and Beethoven came up with something new, and so must every artist. A gardener without this aim is a useless entity.
In this respect, ignorance, as I mentioned, in our part of the world is quite damaging. Not all people are artists, so not all people can be gardeners. The fact that the art can be studied and learnt as a discipline is one thing, but the satisfaction one experiences while indulging in such an art is quite another.
Gardening as a hobby is a study of colours, a festival of shapes, a concoction of scents, and an animation of elves and nymphs. Such dimensions, like a fairyland, open the gates to magical realism.
Nature’s charm can be manifested in many ways. It’s up to us to discern, and take care of, the many facets of nature’s munificence 
