Gaurav Sarkar gaurav. sarkar@ mid- day. com IN a city that is starved of both space and greenery, 69- yearold Malad resident, Lorna Ozau2019s terrace garden, is a classapart.
A testament to this is the trophy bestowed upon her by city- based NGO Friends of Trees which organised a contest for terrace gardens.
Oza won the second prize for the competitionu2019s u2018 Terrace Garden Under 500 square metresu2019 category. She lost to corporate giant Godrej Industries and was the only private individual to win. Her terrace garden boasts over 500 potted plants, most of which cannot be found in modern- day nurseries as they donu2019t have any commercial value.
Oza said that she has been nurturing her terrace garden since 1980. She puts in a minimum of two hours of gardening every morning and evening. Apart from her own efforts, she also has staff to look after the garden.
u201c I have preserved over 10 to 15 varieties of very uncommon plants which nurseries donu2019t sell anymore,u201d said Oza.
u201c My personal favourites are the bougainvillaeas; they are perfect for Mumbai weather and require very little water.u201d u201c I feel very proud to be the individual with the best terrace garden in the city,u201d she added.
Apart from the flora, her terrace garden also attracts some interesting fauna.
u201c The rare Blue Oak Tree Butterfly is a frequent everyday visitor since I have many host and nectar plants,u201d she said.
Nitin Patil, one of the three judges from Friends of Trees, visited Ozau2019s garden this week.
u201c The competition did not distinguish between public and private entities. We were amazed that a private individual was competing with a corporate.
The way Oza managed her space was awesome,u201d Patil told mid- day.
He added that the X- factor about Ozau2019s terrace garden was the diversity, especially the bougainvillaea. u201c Itu2019s not just about what is available in the nurseries and gardens.
One way to have a good terrace garden is by collecting plants and items, but the other way is beautifully managing them, year after year. Her garden had less of the seasonal stuff and the plants stood out individually.u201d u2018 I have preserved over 10 to 15 varieties of very uncommon plants which nurseries donu2019t sell anymore. I feel very proud to be the individual with the best terrace garden in the cityu2019 Lorna Oza Malad womanu2019s terrace garden is Mumbaiu2019s best With over 500 uncommon potted plants, Lorna Ozau2019s terrace garden secures the second place in a contest organised by NGO Friends of Trees Lorna Ozau2019s terrace garden came second only to corporate giant Godrej Industries. PICs/ SATEJ SHINDE 4hrs Total time Lorna Oza devotes to her garden each day
