The chilly plant

In November last year I planted my chilly plant. In a few days it flowered, and for many more days after that nothing happened. I waited and waited some more, but it bore no fruit. I worried why? For some reason the flowers were not pollinating. I read online that chilly plants are self-pollinating, so I blew gently on them so as to displace the pollens. Two days and still nothing.  Then one site suggested I use a small coloring brush to gently move the pollen closer to the stigma.  Again, didn’t work. ☹ Then finally one evening, there was a big thunderstorm (I know, very filmy - “Toofan aya” type, right?) And lo, ‘Anther aur stigma ka milan hua!’ My chilly plant finally bore fruit. To my surprise it wasn’t the green chilly I expected. The baby chilly was plump and yellow and grew facing heaven – but it was unique and it was mine.

To think of it, gardening is so much like parenting –

• Patience is the key!
• Every plant grows at it’s own pace. Some are just late bloomers.
• You know not if you get a yellow or a red or a plump or skinny – but what you get you accept and love.
• Every plant is unique and has something to be proud of. My otherwise cute-looking yellow chilly for example, will put the Habanero to shame. Yup, I am rearing a ‘teekhi mirchi” 😉