Wild wild best!: Dr Khokhar likes her garden less manicured, like a jungle

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 19

Unlike most big houses, which have a proper manicured garden and timely pruning of all bushes, Dr Kawaljit Kaur Khokhar’s house is a little different. She does not like to use much of scissors around and wants the plants to come out naturally, find their own space and take their own shape. She has not even planted many seasonal plants for she prefers evergreen kind of plants which require minimal care.

PhD in genetics and principal of Mata Gujri Khalsa College, Kartarpur, Khokhar, resides at Rose Park in the city. “Everyone who comes to my house tells me from the gates that they get a feeling that this is the house of a biologist. I enjoy multiplying my plants. I have a variety of plants, including spider plants, kalanchoe, lemon grass and schefflera which can be seen in multiples for I have propagated them vegetatively,” she showed shoots of plants kept in bottles here and there for developing of roots.

A passionate garden lover, she tells, “I am not for spending much on designer pots and artifacts for decorating my garden. Everything, including disposable containers, broken mugs, condemned kitchenware, used strawberry boxes, used oil cans and curd matkas are pots for me. I keep them everywhere I find space.”

She shows a small poolside area in her outer open space where she has kept plants all around the edges. All such pots line up the staircase leading to the first floor of the house. The balconies, walls and in fact every nook and corner of the house, where there is light or even shade, have plants. She has even made pots out of waste, broken tiles and grown pothos with variegated leaves in them.

Khokhar likes the look of rangoon creeper hanging up to the top floor of the house and the monstera plant climbing up the trees are her favourites. “I also enjoy taking care of my plantations of kinnows, pomegranates, grapes, mangoes, chikoos and grapes. My medicinal plants like giloy, tulsi, lemongrass as well as air-purifying plants like spider plants, snake plants, areca palms and aloe vera are all getting special attention these days because of Covid times,” she shares.

The academician-cum-plant lover tells that she had passion for gardening since her childhood. “I feel that my plants talk to me. I have a gardener but he keeps telling me that you are my senior gardener,” she laughs.