My Lemon Tree - More Sweet than Sour

My sisters have quite the green thumb and have always encouraged me to try my hand at gardening. Lack of time, patience, interest and other litany of excuses gave me the perfect reason to not do so. Added to this were my past successful attempts to grow weeds rather than plants.

Few years ago, bitten by the bug to grow organic food, I planted few lemon tree sapling along with many other species in my little garden. Over the years I nurtured the plants; most bore results except for the lemon trees.

My cousin, an avid gardener offered an easy solution. “Have you ever talked to your plants, let them know how much you love them?”  What the heck… be nice to the hubby (he’s your lifelong friend), be nice to your in laws ( else they’ll bequeath everything to charity); be nice to the kids (they are your old age support) and now plants too!!?? If it doesn’t work, she told me to threaten them lightly. To let them know that if they didn’t bear fruits, I would cut them down. (Oh, why can’t I use that in inter-personal relationships??) Finding her advice ludicrous, I would laugh her off. 

Last year, the aforementioned lack of patience reared its ugly head. Told my maali, enough. Cut the plants down. They are just thorny plants which scratch me each time I cross them. Let’s use the space to sow something more “fruitful”. The old doddering retainer would nod his head and carry on his task of pruning the healthy leaves.

A month passed like this and finally I pinned him down. “Today is the day. This plant goes now”. He reluctantly agreed but what a wonderful surprise awaited us… The tree had tiny little lemons on it, barely a cm big! Just a few but nevertheless they were very much there!! The maali felt vindicated in his procrastination while I felt this was the response to my month-long rant to cut it off!!!

This year, the lock-down was imposed just before the flowering season. With a quick look over my shoulders to ensure I’m alone in the garden, I chatted with my tree daily. Like a pregnant woman is encouraged to read n hear only positive news, I refrained talking about any COVID disasters, shared the latest family news and thanked it without fail for being a good, flowering kid!! I have been rewarded with over 30 large sized nimbus! Now you decide the reason behind this… was the plant finally ready to fruit or was it my words that prompted it?

For me, I’m inclined to believe Gita’s Gyaan
Karam kar, phal ki chinta mat kar Insaan!!
What is to be will grow happily in your lawn;
Just give it your best, whether dusk or dawn 😊

16.07.20