while the monsoon clouds loom over the city trichiites find that the best way to get through the rainy season is a green thumb it is that time of the year when the sweltering heat of the summer months subsides to give way to the monsoon clouds while the rains evoke a lot of feelings from the powerful smell of petrichor to the romantic pensiveness it is also when it is raining that you get to tend to those beautiful plants in your garden on your window sill and the backyard monsoons are the best time of the year for those who love gardening you can see your plants soak in the moisture grow fast and bloom in all its glory it is not just for the rains but the humidity that the air holds and breathtakingly fresh wind that blows hard all day long for dr susheela suresh a veterinary doctor who owns a garden decked with potted plants the monsoon is the best time to plant newer varieties of shrubs and cactuses crotons and flowering plants are the best ones to grown during the monsoons i ensure that i have a fresh stock of mixed soil to change the soil and keep them fresh for the old plants my favourite is my collection of thunder lily shrubbery which blooms after thunder and since monsoons are in they bloom rapidly which is a visual treat to the eyes home gardens whether indoors or outdoors are great stress relievers if attended to with love and care indoor plants come in handy as they absorb the humidity that is present in the air and also get a bit of sunlight potted plants are easy to maintain and they can be pruned easily while gardens like mine which need extra car with the climbers and crotons i take extra care during monsoons i keep a stack of seed that i want to plant every year i keep collecting them during my trips everywhere and sow them during monsoons says jayashree vijayakumar a homemaker she further adds tropical hedges are easy to grow and it is a beautiful sight to watch when they are developed fully apart from all the planting and tending to what one has to look out for is the list of problems that the monsoon showers brings along with it perumal swaminathan a gardener for close to ten years he has tended many gardens across the city he quips that trichy though has harsher climates the soil is good and ensures very good vegetation as it is on the banks of the river cauvery the monsoons do add a great touch to the colour and growth for plants but it requires additional care weeds insects and worms also flourish during the monsoon which is a turn off people should keep a check on all these as stagnant water and worms might destroy plants totally tending it to die in a short periodtips for monsoon gardening