Crotons and Trellis

Crotons—As a kid, when I first heard this word from my maternal grandmother I did not know what it meant. And I was surprised and proud of my grandmother’s English vocabulary. She never went to a school. She was tutored at home by a madama—an English woman. Now, madama is regional for madam. Back then, providing education to girls was not a priority. Home tuitions were rare. And employing an English woman as a home tutor was an even rarer privilege.

And coming back to the crotons. Her house has one of the most beautiful and amazing collection of crotons. They are colourful tropical plants that are evergreen and grown for their beautiful glossy leaves. The leaves have interesting shapes and patterns and are multi-coloured. Some leaves are long and curly and they look like red and green springs. Some leaves are dotted, some are striped, some are streaked, and some have interesting web-like patterns.

She arranged these crotons in an intelligent mix-match sequence to create superb landscaping– contrasting and alternating colours, shapes, patterns, and sizes.

As a kid, I never noticed these careful and strategic arrangements. But I did notice and hear with pleasure and surprise, whenever she said: crotons, crockery, Yardley powder tins, biscuit tins, crochet knitting, dolls, porcelain jars, stained glass paintings.

The madama and her ilk added these words to my grandmother’s vocabulary. And yes, there’s one more—the trellis.