A few from my foliage collection!

These are my eternal garden companions. They never fail me, nor are they fair weather type. Hardy and resistant, they make pretty combinations when arranged with flowers and other plants.

Gardening couple and their green yard!

Mr. and Mrs. M are a typical, cute old couple. They have a charming old house in the camp area, back at Allahabad (my hometown) with a small patch of garden. Their children grew up and flew out of their nest to build their own in bigger cities. Though alone, both are rattling busy souls. A couple so passionate about gardening, there is hardly anything that would keep them away from it. Uncle is a gregarious old Sardar, while Aunty is always chipper. I actually don't think I've ever seen her not smiling. Infected, you just can't stop smiling back. Within minutes of arrival, Aunty dishes out sherbet or chai (tea) with home-made cookies and roasted snacks.

Coming back to gardening, Uncle steals the show since he's the flaunty talker while Aunty is the helpful assistant behind the scene. Though in practice, I think Aunty is more orderly between the two. Their lawn is currently under restoration, and all other plants are in containers. They have put a part of their terrace to use for rose beds and vegetable gardening. Every day, they deadhead and water plants, sweep and re-organize pots to de-clutter their green space.

Their energy and enthusiasm is contagious. When I am home, I make it a point to wheedle out some time to meet them, discover new plants and borrow some for my city balcony. Here's a look at their desert rose (adenium) collection - they have quite a number, but it's just a few that I photographed.

another garden nook

I love teaming up plants, and terracotta figures. And that's what I do here. You'll see ferns, Dracaena, spider plant and foliage (that turns purple at cooler temperatures) in the picture. Next, accommodated the frog and the tortoise planters to complete the picture.

song of india

Dracaena reflexa, known as Song of India is a yellow-green striped foliage shrub grows fabulously in bright, indirect sunlight.

This plant needs a good potting soil that would both retain water and drain well i.e. 1 part garden soil, 1 part peat moss and 1 part sand. Drench the soil and then allow dracaena to dry slightly until watering it next. Feed every 2-3 months with a water soluble fertilizer. If it gets too tall, prune it back in early autumn or spring. To propagate, air-layer, remove basal shoots or stem cuttings in spring. Chop off a foot length, remove the leaves from the bottom half, and push in into some compost soil. Keep it moist, in indirect light and wait a few weeks. Some of the original leaves may drop off, but after a while it should bounce back to life.