A Case For Autocracy Or Tough Love?

Posted on June 17, 2025 by shobha

Did the title get your attention? Good. Allow me to spend the next few paragraphs making my case.

In trying to understand what we’re facing as a nation, my mind has been working overtime. As always, when faced with a life problem I turned to the garden for counse. The answers were not readily apparent. However, in going about the business of gardening, cogitating on what and how we humans readily behave badly whilst simultaneously declaring our goodness, I started becoming aware of just how explicitly the garden was informing me.

The very work of making and maintaining a garden is about Control. We act as boss and not so much partner with Nature. We apply our plans and designs to create our vision and in doing so, we often operate counter to Nature. What we plant and grow, the practices and methods we employ are for our own purpose – to make a beautiful, bountiful garden.. Even as we ‘welcome’ pollinators and beneficial creatures, we are doing so to our own advantage’.

Weeds? Pull ‘em by the roots and dispose. A plant (native or otherwise) gets thuggish and invades spaces not intended for them? Cut back ruthlessly or remove entirely. We cut, clear, coppice, confine and cage to suit. Train, tie and twist. Stake, suppress, spray. We do what we we want. You see? We’re a pretty bunch of horticultural autocrats!

Are we really this bad? Yes we are if all we focus on is getting our personal agenda fulfilled. The worst kind of gardener is one who uses methods and practices that damage/destroy indiscriminately and without consideration to the surroundings and those who live in it. Such gardeners do indeed exist but I’d like to think that there are more of us who are better than that. We make choices that do the least harm or none at all. On principals of coexistence, conservation and community, we create our gardens to be spaces that allow insects and other animals to visit. Pests are discouraged by encouraging their natural predators, companion plantings or the judicious use of organic applications.

Of course, we still prune, pull weeds and deal with invasives but we also compost to use as both fertilizer and mulch. Grow native and/or ecologically beneficial non-native plants that are resilient, hardy and less demanding of resources like water and labor. We keep in mind that we are but the privileged, temporary custodians of this, our precious piece of land for future generations to enjoy. As in parenting, we provide structure, boundaries and some discipline – with kindness, care, compassion, empathy and most all, with love. Tough love.

In the final analysis, it comes down to who we choose to be and how we choose to act. If we can look into the eyes of our children and grandchildren and justify our choices without reservation or excuse, with the full understanding that they led to better, healthier lives for them, then, and only then can we confirm that we chose right. From deep within our hearts.

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Pachyderms Pacing Purposefully

Posted on June 10, 2025 by shobha

There’s a new baby girl in my life. Please meet little Beejal – the Sanskrit word ‘Beeja’ means ‘seed’. The name Beejal is described as symbolizing creativity and adaptability, reflecting an innovative spirit. The connection to the word Beeja suggests themes of growth, potential and, new beginnings. Traditionally it is a name assigned to a male but, I’m applying it to my new baby girl from the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. Beejal is a member of a herd of elephants making its way across the globe and currently marching across the United States.

The Great Elephant Migration is a project with all the hallmarks of a message that transcends all geopolitical differences and unifies the world and all its residents to inform, educate and take positive action towards conservation, coexistence and community. You can read much more about it here.

Here’s a quick account. The Lantana plant, a member of the verbena family, is native to tropical regions of Central and South America. Vibrantly colored flowers attract pollinators, does well in a variety of climates, grows rapidly, drought tolerant and low maintenance, it has long been a garden favorite everywhere. Unfortunately, it has been way too happy in certain swathes of the world where the climate has encouraged it to thrive so well that it has become hugely invasive. To the point that it has completely out-competed other native plants. Lantana has literally taken over entire landscapes. Furthermore, it is completely toxic thus depriving animals of their typical native, nutrient rich plants. This problem cannot be overstated. An animal like the elephant, a keystone species, must consume a vast quantity of vegetation daily is dangerously impacted. Forced to seek food elsewhere, they must venture beyond their traditional terrain and this has often meant cultivated fields and consequently resulted in perilous conflicts with humans.

A story like this covers the importance of growing native plants, monitoring invasive and/or non-native species, the value of living in co-existence with all creatures respecting each others space and needs, conserving resources and, in the final analysis, each living member of this planet is an integral part of the global community.

The Great Elephant Migration was conceived to visually illustrate this overarching problem to the world, Using lantana stems, artisans of the indigenous people of the Nilgiris create sculptures of the elephants amongst whom they live. Each lantana elephant is created in the likeness of a real one. A herd of a 100 such pachyderms has been tasked with spreading this important message to the human world. All the monies raised goes not only towards paying the artisans but is also shared by numerous conservation organizations worldwide.

I first learned of this wonderful project about a year and a half ago. It is one that resonates with me deeply and at so many levels. And there’s one additional fact that strikes me very personally, right into my heart – my father grew up in the Nilgiris. The need to attach myself to this amazing effort was unquestionable. I’ve spent my whole life getting involved in many important causes but the pull of this particular one was as strong as well, a herd of elephants! I therefore made the decision to ‘adopt’ a baby elephant. Knowing the proceeds will achieve so much good gives me immense joy. Plus, I have myself one irresistible and adorably rotund baby elephant in my garden.

Win-win-win all around.

P.S. I hope you will be moved to support this wonderful cause in any way you can.

Introducing Beejal! –

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Good Gourd!

Posted on March 7, 2023 by pgbundil

Apologies! I’m a week late in posting this article that’s a follow up to my last article – got struck down with an unknown bug that put me out of action all of last week.

Allow me to introduce you to a jewel of a garden in Brooklyn, New York. Both Mei and Ying grew up in the rural southern province of Guangdong in China where their families cultivated the land for rice and vegetables for the market. Food to feed the family was also grown. Life was not easy and there were many to feed. They were put to work as soon as they were old enough.

Coming to the USA as a young couple, they knew all about hard work and as soon as they got a home with a backyard, they set about creating a vegetable garden to feed themselves and their two daughters. Vegetables innate to their culture and cuisine.

With no thought to doing anything extraordinary, applying methods they grew up with, Mei and Ying have created a stunning little garden. It burgeons with all manner of gourds and squashes, scallions, garlic and other vegetables. The main planting area is a raised bed about 16 feet in length, 8 feet in width and 30 inches in height. Gourds and squashes clamber and twine upwards on vertical supports to form a lovely verdant canopy over the whole space which I’m guessing is about 25ft x 18ft. The fruit hang fabulously pendulous. Standing beneath felt almost sacred.

Seeds are saved and/or exchanged with other Chinese families in the neighborhood. Occasionally, seedlings are purchased in Brooklyn Chinatown. Gourds seeds are started indoors and transplanted when consistent warmer temperatures prevail. Usually mid-April into May. Scallions and garlic are planted earlier as they can take cooler temperatures. Garlic cloves are planted directly in pots.

As we all know, old lessons learned from the old country are currently trending but Mei and Ying are only doing what they’ve always done – using compost, collecting rain water, applying organic products like Neem for pest control. Slugs are aplenty so they often wait for dusk and then, using a flashlight, they pick off the offenders. Birds that like to nibble on the young plants are thwarted by their pet cats. You see, ‘old-fashioned’!

I was struck by the similarity in the traditional practices in India and all across the globe. We are all more alike than we can imagine. Certainly, meeting Mei and Ying felt natural. Our backgrounds are worlds apart and yet, our values are the same. We’re also similar in age and share a passion in gardening. Gardens bring people together!

P.S. A big thank you to Mei and Ying’s daughter Jessica for making this wonderful visit happen!

Note:The images you see below were taken in the fall at the tail end of the growing season. It was already cold but their garden still looked impressive. With any luck, I’ll get to see the garden again this summer. Fingers crossed!