Swati Piramal’s favourite fairy garden is a Japanese garden she made for her family.
At her Mahabaleshwar residence, Greenwoods, Swati Piramal, vicechairperson, Piramal Enterprises, has gardens that are home to hundreds of varieties of orchids and other exotic flowers. But for those living in cities with limited space, she has a suggestion: Miniature fairy gardens.
“A fairy garden is a miniature garden complete with structures and actual living plants,” Piramal told ETPanache during a phone conversation. “It is designed to give your green thumb a place to tend year-round, lure fairies, and bring good luck to your home. It’s a tiny space created and tended with love.”
Unlike bonsais, fairy gardens are miniature landscapes and have tiny plants, ferns and mosses and grow in terracotta dishes that are deep enough to hold soil and compost. Plants that help reduce pollution are ferns, aloe vera, areca palm, ficus and snake plant. “I start a fairy garden by using a theme, then finding small pieces of art that help picturise the plants and then add to the landscape,” Piramal said.
Swati Piramal's big planning that went behind creating a miniature garden. According to her, everywhere in India, craftsmanship can be found in miniature, little bits that can enliven the landscape. She found some wooden toys in Ahmedabad, some Kondapalli toys in Andhra Pradesh as well as ceramic miniatures in Bardez, Goa. Her love for fairy gardens is so well known that her family and friends look for miniatures wherever they go.
Her first fairy garden was at Greenwoods, which she made for her grandchildren (daughter Nandini’s children).
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Recently, she invited author Jeffrey Archer and his wife Mary to her London house. “As a tribute to the 40th year of his book Kane and Abel, I made some fairy gardens for him inspired by this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. They were such a charming and erudite couple. They took home a tiny fairy library with them,” Piramal said.
Her favourite fairy gardens, though, are the ones that she has made for her family — a Japanese garden — or the one she is working on: The Dandakaranya, which is the forest where Lord Ram and Sita spent their time in exile.
Inside Chelsea Flower Show: Prince Louis At Play; Kate Middleton Turns Guide For The Queen
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Sunday afternoon offered the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, a chance to connect with nature. The royal couple, accompanied by their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis visited the RHS Back to Nature Garden at this year's Chelsea Flower Show in London. The garden is a woodland setting which offers people a chance to connect with nature.
Today, the royal couple welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and showed her around the exhibit, designed by landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White and co-designed by the duchess herself.
Here's a sneak peek into some of the most adorable moments from the royal family's day out.
Sunday afternoon offered the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, a chance to connect with nature. The royal couple, accompanied by their children, Prince George, Princes..
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Kate Middleton guided her children around the garden. Donning a subtle printed dress, the Duchess of Cambridge and mother of three was clicked with her youngest child, Prince Louis.
Kate Middleton guided her children around the garden. Donning a subtle printed dress, the Duchess of Cambridge and mother of three was clicked with her youngest child, Prince Louis.
Princess Charlotte was clicked enjoying a ride on the swing.
The four-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge twinned with mother Kate in a printed dress.
Princess Charlotte was clicked enjoying a ride on the swing.The four-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge twinned with mother Kate in a printed dress.
Duchess Kate Middleton, co-designer of Back to Nature garden, lived her childhood moment while exploring her garden.
The royal mother of three, dressed in a simple shirt and a pair of blue jeans, was spotted enjoying a ride on a swing hanging below the tree house.
Duchess Kate Middleton, co-designer of Back to Nature garden, lived her childhood moment while exploring her garden.The royal mother of three, dressed in a simple shirt and a pair of blue jeans, was ..
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One of the highlights of the place was the tree house in Kate Middleton's garden. Visitors had to take a wooden staircase to reach the top.
Duchess Kate, too, followed the same path. She seemed to climb the tree house with much ease, thanks to the sneakers she was wearing.
One of the highlights of the place was the tree house in Kate Middleton's garden. Visitors had to take a wooden staircase to reach the top. Duchess Kate, too, followed the same path. She seemed to cl..
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A day after enjoying some family time in the garden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed the Queen to take a tour of the garden.
The royal couple turned tour guides and were captured showing her around.
A day after enjoying some family time in the garden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed the Queen to take a tour of the garden. The royal couple turned tour guides and were captured showing h..
