ATGLife Mates: Featuring Nivya Pemmaiah
Previous PostIn this ATGLife Mates feature, we meet Nivya Pemmaiah from Coorg, where a love for gardening runs deep in every home. Inspired by her mother’s flourishing garden, Nivya now continues the tradition in her city balcony,
finding joy and stress relief in nurturing seedlings into thriving plants.
Take a look at the Spring tour through her garden in the quaint town of Coorg: Spring Garden Tour 2022
How did you start gardening?
I am from a place called Coorg, where gardening is a major hobby in every household. My mom is an excellent gardener, and we always had a beautiful garden in my hometown. I never miss an opportunity to order seasonal seeds for her garden. Now that I live in the city, I have some containers on my balcony to experiment with different plants and vegetables. Watching my seedlings grow into mature plants is such a stress reliever.
What are some of your favourite plants to grow in the garden?
I love Cosmos, Petunia, Calendula, Dahlias, Verbena and absolutely love Phlox! Both Phlox drumondi and galaxy are a feast for the eyes! Bougainvillea is a must have! It's such a forgiving plant! I had an amazing germination rate with a single petal Dahlia I bought from ATG and they created a beautiful flower bed. These are dwarf plant that thrives in the monsoon and doesn't require staking. I also enjoy growing my own vegetables. I had great luck with Butternut squash, rainbow swiss chards (these too add great colours to the garden) and purple pole beans. I always save seeds for future planting.
What are some of the plants that you’ve not had as much success with?
Alyssum, Petunia and snapdragon seedlings get eaten by Slugs. I'd love to see some Cornflowers, but I can't find the right season to sow the seeds. I couldn't get flowers from my Poppies, Lavendar, Tulips and Daffodils due to climatic issues. I didn't have much luck with Hollyhocks either. I will never stop experimenting!
Are there any new plants on your wishlist?
I would love to try Hollyhocks again, as we had a beautiful garden bed of these two decades ago. I would also like to try Agrostemma and Sunflowers. I would love to see hardy Hydrangea. These will make a nice cottage garden.
What would you like to say to our new gardeners?
For a successful garden, you need to sow the seeds at the right time, full sun is preferred by most plants unless they are indoor plants and patience is the key. Buy readymade potting mix if you are a new gardener and water the plants as per their needs.
Any gardening hack you want to share with us?
Mulching saves a lot of time spent on watering. If you have a large open garden for vegetables, use melon fly traps to get a good harvest.
Any particular Instagram accounts you follow for inspiration?
I follow Laura from GardenAnswer.
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