A breath of fresh air and a sight for sore eyes. Abhijnan Mahalanobis has a terrace garden that overlooks the open skies on one end and skyscrapers on the other. With his wife, he relaxes on the lawn up there to soak in the sun in winter and gaze at the starry sky in summer, amidst foliage that is decades old and colourful blooms that are guests for the season. Post-retirement, gardening is the activity that keeps this air force group captain happily occupied.

My wife was in Bangalore visiting our daughter recently but I skipped the trip. A big reason for this was our garden. The last time we visited our son in Wellington, the domestic help had been entrusted with the plants’ upkeep. She was callous and we lost several precious plants.

My interest in nature developed while in the air force when we would be posted in different places that had beautiful gardens before the houses. I remember seeing, and being fascinated by, Sunflowers for the first time when we were posted neat Kharagpur. In Delhi our garden bore so many vegetables that neighbours would come fill their bags with the produce even without telling us.

But those were the efforts of professional gardeners. For the longest time, I thought plant care simply meant watering and it’s only after starting my own garden that I learnt about fertilisers, insecticides... My wife Sanhita was a botany student so I turn to her for advice too.

Some of my potted greens have been with me for decades, through my postings. These are the strongest of the lot and can withstand any climate and even neglect. There have been times when I paid way more attention to exotic plants picked up from fairs, only to see the foreign flowers wither but these old guards flourish further.

Now our lawn is lined with Rhapis Palms, with their fan-shaped leaves, Coleus, Cycas and there are seasonals like Petunias and Dianthus in the centre. White and pink Bougainvillea burst forth in cycles every 15 to 20 days, while Morning Glories cascade along the ground and even tip over the terrace wall.

The Philodendron Birkin — with dark green leaves and light green streaks — is difficult to maintain, so I’m proud to have one in my collection. There are also Ferns, Adeniums and Baby Sun Rose that bear little Rose-like flowers in summer.

But it’s sad to note that many are averse to greenery. Some prefer a concrete terrace to a lawn and ask me why I bother at all. Others make snide remarks that the only thing housing societies care for is maintaining greenery. I love showing my garden to guests but some flatly refuse, saying it would attract insects.