Green fingers: UAE family nurture an idyllic terrace garden

Imagine waking up to chirping birds, buzzing bees, relaxing sound of waterfall amidst flourishing green plants and aromatic herbs. It’s a blissful feeling, isn’t it? Indian couple Shaju Jamaluddin and Dr Aysha Umma experience such idyllic scenes every morning at their villa in Abu Dhabi where they have created a lovely terrace garden in a natural ecosystem.

“We were inspired by the words of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed, who said: ‘Give me agriculture and I will give you civilisation’. Following on those words, we have made this garden within our small terrace area. We also aimed to follow the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” said Jamaluddin while showing us around his terrace, which is a fine mixture of traditional garden, patio and landscaping ideas.

The long-time Abu Dhabi residents hail from the south Indian state of Kerala. Jamaluddin has been also managing a 150-year-old vast ancestral agricultural land and farm back in his native place of Alappuzha — a know-how that came handy while conceptualising his terrace garden with a natural old-world touch.

“We started work on this garden two years back. Till date, I have done everything with available resources, which isn’t new. We have used repurposed wood material into water wheel, windmill, wooden bridge, gazebo, ‘Diwaniya’ Majlis, wooden deck etc. I have also used old pallets from construction sites.”

And the tiny area of 45sqm is packed with pots of different shapes and sizes. Vegetables include tomato, green chili, potato, beet root, eggplant, broccoli, capsicum, drumstick, spinach, spring onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Then there are grapes, olive, orange, papaya, mulberry, passion fruit and lemon. The herb section features coriander, mint, rosemary, basil, curry leaf, sage and oregano.

“We now have some 70 to 80 different plants. It’s chemical-free and healthy. Most of them are on raised beds and thus help with water conservation. We have tried the vertical garden concept too. We are keeping the natural rhythm of nature. We have attracted birds, butterflies and bees to our garden. This fills the air with positive energy and helps us to provide a quality family life. Our garden is divided into different zones with names of important local places in the country,” said Jamaluddin pointing to name boards Masafi, Al Falah, Al Karama and Al Barakah. And there are some fancy name boards like the ‘Captain’s Corner’ with a chair and table, and ‘Lamp of Hope’ with traditional Arabic lamps.

The garden is the fruit of the family’s amazing team effort. While Jamaluddin is the brain behind planning, infrastructure and settings, Dr Aysha does the maintenance part, daughter Mehrin Fathima, a student, supports with writing Arabic calligraphy for name boards and son Farzeen Mohmed, a petroleum engineer, helps with design elements. It’s the family’s favourite hangout place and at times for dinner too.

“We have two bird nests with doves, and they have laid eggs now. We have a beehive. All have naturally settled. There is a Robin nested on a nearby tree,” said Dr Aysha, a medical practitioner, at a government hospital. “I work in the emergency ward. It is very stressful. So, after work, I re-energise myself while sitting in the garden. The sound of falling water is very soothing.”

“We want to inspire more people to do terrace gardening in a creative way and not just grow plants. Let this be a family affair, involve everyone and let’s innovate and inspire others,” the couple added.