Fruit of labour

Satish narula

A perfect landscape is the one where all the available elements are used. This may be the use of miniatures, benches, garden furniture, bridges, stones, artifacts, designer pots, electrical accessories or even fruit trees. Fruit trees? When we mention this, normally this is the reaction we get from people. Yes, if properly planned and placed, these may become one of the best gardening assets.

When we want to include fruit trees in landscape, we take into consideration the miniatures, bonsais, potted fruit trees, the ones with amazing flowering or even fruit.  We also have to consider the purpose for which the fruit trees are being included. The nature’s diverse conditions are used by the gardeners to their advantage. For example, if one wants to make bonsais, one can use pomegranate, Chinese guava or Chinese orange, the perfect miniature forms of the big brothers, guava, pomegranate and oranges. However, some of the enthusiastic gardeners have grown even mango, grapefruit, lemon, chicku etc. in their original form.

Those gardeners who live in multistoried houses have little opportunity to grow fruit trees. But if the access to the terrace is available they even venture to grow these in big pots. Some such pots (blue plastic containers) are available with scrap dealers in which such plants are grown. The advantage with big pots is that they not  only provide sufficient soil but if watered with care, have sufficient space to accommodate enough water. 

However, one thing that the gardeners have to watch is keeping the balance of plant with maintaining equal growth on all sides. A lopsided growth may topple the pot during high winds.

When planned for home gardens, fruit trees may prove to be real assests. It’s not only the sight of fruit laden trees but some of these like peach, plum, pear, almond, apple etc are a sight to see when in flowering. It is not now the only prerogative of the dwellers of high hills that they can only grow such trees the low chilling cultivars of such species can successfully be grown in the plains. These are also the trees that can fit even in comparatively small spaces as these can be pruned to contain their spread. Wait for another few days and they will be at their flowering best, to fit any landscape.

(Narula is Panchkula-based horticulturist and landscapist.)