Green-fingered And Famous
Sharadha Guptha has over 500 Bonsais, but her ambitions are not that small, writes Deepti Ganapathy.
“Bonsai is an art not difficult to master, if you have the patience and follow the guidelines well” - this coming from an expert who has mastered the art of bonsai should egg on those of you who have been in awe of this art.
Known as the ‘lady with green fingers’, Sharadha Guptha is a well-known figure in the city of Mysore. Her award winning garden is a treat to the eyes…with 500 varieties of Bonsai ranging from Aralia, Durantha, Juniperus, Snow Bush, Cherry, to Ficus Benjamina, Ficus Ponda, Arecaria, grown in eye-catching containers.
Her passion for plants could be seen when she was as small as seven. Her Japanese neighbour inspired her to go the Bonsai way. For the last 40 years, she has been experimenting with a lot of styles in Bonsai which suit the Indian conditions best.
Having written and published two books, 'Gardening with care and creativity' and 'The Art of Bonsai' and unique presentations of Bonsai has seen her appear in many magazines, newspapers and television channels.
“There are plenty of books on Bonsai, of course, but they appear to be too technical for a beginner. With the spurt of interest to learn bonsai, I decided to write these books. The books answer a lot of questions people generally have about Bonsais,” she says.
Sharadha Guptha observes nature to get an idea of the appearance, weather and soil conditions that might suit the growth of a Bonsai. Her Bonsais have a natural look. She creates three barks, or multiple bark bonsais, and gives them the weather-beaten look or the hollowed-out look.
Bonsais are generally kept in very shallow containers so that the major part of the plant is visible to the eye. Sharadha's containers reveal her eye for beauty and keen sense of imagination. She makes even the useless tyre, or discarded lantern look stunning, by growing cacti, succulents and orchids in them.
Having bagged the rolling shield awarded by the Department of Horticulture for five consecutive years, she now judges gardening competitions throughout the state. She has also held a photo exhibition and slide show in Chicago in 1996 and demonstrates at garden clubs too.
Another fascinating creation by the lady, is the 'living mural'. A mural is generally a painting of natural scenery that is displayed on the wall. But in gardening, it means arranging a landscape and giving it the backdrop of the sky or something natural.
According to Sharadha, it gives the feeling of 'looking through a window'. Her murals are the result of many years of hard work and experimentation. She has captured the resplendent beauty of nature on a huge tray with a depth of 5 ft, length of 4 ft and a breadth of 10 ft. The tray, made of fibre, is held by iron rods at its ends and contains around 100 different species of plants.
“The mural was created using fibrous loam and sand with manure. Plants having small leaves have been selected. These plants are small and well rooted. The arrangement is made to look natural by giving it the right indentations, slopes and by laying porous rocks and pebbles," explains Sharadha.
Care has to taken while watering, as a powerful gush of water can cause the plants to tumble down. The plants are also sensitive to too harsh sunlight and must be pruned occasionally, she adds.
Her family too supports her in her passion for gardening, what with her daughter-in-law compiling the two books for her.
For Sharadha, gardening is a meditative process. The plants are like her children, and tending them is a rejuvenating process for her. Her dream is to demonstrate this unique art of creating a living mural abroad.
“Bonsai is an art not difficult to master, if you have the patience and follow the guidelines well” - this coming from an expert who has mastered the art of bonsai should egg on those of you who have been in awe of this art.
Known as the ‘lady with green fingers’, Sharadha Guptha is a well-known figure in the city of Mysore. Her award winning garden is a treat to the eyes…with 500 varieties of Bonsai ranging from Aralia, Durantha, Juniperus, Snow Bush, Cherry, to Ficus Benjamina, Ficus Ponda, Arecaria, grown in eye-catching containers.
Her passion for plants could be seen when she was as small as seven. Her Japanese neighbour inspired her to go the Bonsai way. For the last 40 years, she has been experimenting with a lot of styles in Bonsai which suit the Indian conditions best.
Having written and published two books, 'Gardening with care and creativity' and 'The Art of Bonsai' and unique presentations of Bonsai has seen her appear in many magazines, newspapers and television channels.
“There are plenty of books on Bonsai, of course, but they appear to be too technical for a beginner. With the spurt of interest to learn bonsai, I decided to write these books. The books answer a lot of questions people generally have about Bonsais,” she says.
Sharadha Guptha observes nature to get an idea of the appearance, weather and soil conditions that might suit the growth of a Bonsai. Her Bonsais have a natural look. She creates three barks, or multiple bark bonsais, and gives them the weather-beaten look or the hollowed-out look.
Bonsais are generally kept in very shallow containers so that the major part of the plant is visible to the eye. Sharadha's containers reveal her eye for beauty and keen sense of imagination. She makes even the useless tyre, or discarded lantern look stunning, by growing cacti, succulents and orchids in them.
Having bagged the rolling shield awarded by the Department of Horticulture for five consecutive years, she now judges gardening competitions throughout the state. She has also held a photo exhibition and slide show in Chicago in 1996 and demonstrates at garden clubs too.
Another fascinating creation by the lady, is the 'living mural'. A mural is generally a painting of natural scenery that is displayed on the wall. But in gardening, it means arranging a landscape and giving it the backdrop of the sky or something natural.
According to Sharadha, it gives the feeling of 'looking through a window'. Her murals are the result of many years of hard work and experimentation. She has captured the resplendent beauty of nature on a huge tray with a depth of 5 ft, length of 4 ft and a breadth of 10 ft. The tray, made of fibre, is held by iron rods at its ends and contains around 100 different species of plants.
“The mural was created using fibrous loam and sand with manure. Plants having small leaves have been selected. These plants are small and well rooted. The arrangement is made to look natural by giving it the right indentations, slopes and by laying porous rocks and pebbles," explains Sharadha.
Care has to taken while watering, as a powerful gush of water can cause the plants to tumble down. The plants are also sensitive to too harsh sunlight and must be pruned occasionally, she adds.
Her family too supports her in her passion for gardening, what with her daughter-in-law compiling the two books for her.
For Sharadha, gardening is a meditative process. The plants are like her children, and tending them is a rejuvenating process for her. Her dream is to demonstrate this unique art of creating a living mural abroad.
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posted by Davor Novakovic @ Thursday, November 10, 2005
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