What your garden says about you

According to Paddy Namanya, Manager of the Flower Centre Kampala at Freedom City Mall in Najjanankumbi, the state of your garden can reveal a lot about you.

The state of your relationships
“It can reveal a lot about the relationship of a person with their family. I would relate it to the relationship between a parent and a child. When you enter a garden and you find the flowers looking good, you know that the person takes good care of the plants,” he says.
It would mean the manner in which he has handled the plants in the garden is the same manner in which he looks after his family.

The administration of your home
“The garden also tells you about the administrative abilities in a home. The way the person arranges the plants in the garden or on the balcony tells you how orderly the home is. When you find different species of flowers in specific areas and they are being taken care of separately, you know that the person is a person of order; even before you enter the house,”Namanya adds.

Penny-pincher of spendthrift?
What are the values of the plants and fixtures in your garden?
“There are people who put a lot of effort in getting plant species and flowers from different places, to make sure their gardens look good and unique. So when you enter their gardens, you may think they imported the flowers,” Namanya reveals.

Is your garden full of expensive plants that are not impressive? You could be a spendthrift. Is your garden full of cheap plants that don’t do anything for it? You could be a miser.

Perfectionists or Laissez-faire?
“There are people who love variety. You find a person has portions of Chrysanthemums, Roses, Lilies, Ferns and Philodendrons. They are eager to get new types of plants wherever they go. These types of people love the good things in life. They desire the best, not just what other people have. Their desire is perfection,” Namanya says.
At the other end of the spectrum are people who may have one or two shrubs, sometimes carelessly strewn around, leaving lots of empty space and expanses of lawn. These types of people probably exhibit I-don’t-care attitudes in other areas of their lives.

Good-time fellows or shrinking violets?
Is your garden full of bright coloured flowers or is it just green, without any other colour?

“There are people with bright coloured gardens, where you find Chrysanthemums and Gerberas, in all their colours. This tells you that these are happy people,’”Namanya concludes.
However, having a garden with dull coloured flowers or without any other colour apart from green may not mean you are not a happy person. You might just be shy. (All that colour! What will people think?)

A bushy garden may not necessarily denote neglect either. You may prefer the wild side of life – camping, picnicking and visiting national parks. Whatever your character may be, your garden may reveal its signature in one way or another.

Position your plants
So you have bought your plant and put it in a beautiful container, but where are you going to place it? Below are a number of issues to consider:
•What kind of temperature does it require? Some types of plants, like the Aglaonema require cool temperatures and must be positioned in shades.
•Does the plant require full sun? Some plants, like Succulents and Cacti require full sun. Position them in open spots.
•To hang your plants, purchase special containers with strings or beautiful chains for this purpose and hang them from secure hooks on walls.
•Grow your climbers and train them upwards on strings in beautiful shapes that may tickle your fancy. You can also direct two plants to meet at the top of, say, an archway. The Philodendron Scandens is ideal for this.
•Fix shelves high up walls and place pots of trailing plants on them. Encourage them to hang down and cover your wall in attractive ways. The Wandering Jew (Zebrina Pendula) is ideal for this.
•There are many plant display stands available, made of metal, bamboo or other materials. Encourage your climbers up them on trellis work or strings hanging down the walls.
•Group your plants together in the corner of your patio, balcony or even garden. They can be in separate pots or a single container. Either way, grouping them can make the garden look good.

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