A secret rooftop garden above Kadavanthra junction
Come spend a day with the best bonsai trees, older than you.
Hidden above a busy Kochi junction, Mr. C. C. Sebastian has shared his bonsai garden since 1978. Come and see it, shape your first little tree, and meet people who love plants as much as you do.
Around the garden
What would you like to see?
A few of the things growing here. Come and meet them in person.
Heritage bonsai
Banyans and ficus, many decades old
Air plants
No soil, no pot. Easy for a flat
Hoya & flowers
Wax flowers, desert roses, bromeliads
Glass & bottle art
Old bottles, new life, made by hand
Seed bonsai
Mango and coconut, from seed to treeBonsai Day
A relaxed day with the trees, and good company
Come alone, bring a friend, or come as a family. No experience needed. You shape your first little tree, take it home, and chat with people who enjoy plants as much as you do.
The day
10 am to 5 pmOn a date that suits you. Please message first. Sebastian Sir is at home in both English and Malayalam.
The share
₹3,000 a personYour first practice specimen plant is included.
Lifelong support afterwards.
Couples
Full share for one, half for the other
Friends, school or office
₹5,000 for the whole groupUp to 15 people together.
Who can come
Everyone from 14 yearsYounger children are welcome with a parent. A parent who joins pays half.
If plans change
Please tell us 48 hours before
Mr. Sebastian replies to messages himself, so it can take a little while.
A keepsake
Take a little tree home.
Many visitors leave with a bonsai, an air plant or a handmade glass planter. A ceramic pot comes with every bonsai. Gifts for weddings, offices and festivals depend on the size, age and style of the plant, so please ask.
Made by hand
Old bottles, new life.
Sebastian Sir cuts used glass bottles into planters, vases and wind chimes. A green bottle becomes a pot for a spider plant, a blue one holds a little succulent. Come and see how it is done.
Planters
Glass that grows things
Every bottle gives a different shape. Green, blue and clear glass, each with a plant of its own.
Listen
Chimes in the breeze
Bottle and glass-disc chimes hang along our porch. Press play and turn the sound on.
The porch, with chimes moving in the wind
No soil, no pot
Plants that live on air.
Air plants (Tillandsia) take their moisture from the air, so they love a hook, a shell or a bit of driftwood more than a pot. Some flower in red, pink and purple. Come and see them hanging in the garden.
In bloom
Red, pink and purple
When an air plant blooms the whole plant changes colour. Every one in the garden is a little different.
Hanging gardens
Balls of colour, hung in a row
Small enough to hold
A little friend for your desk
Some air plants fit in your palm. Come to the garden, pick the one you like, and Sebastian Sir will tell you how to look after it.
Still from Manorama News, Nattupacha
Watch
Step inside the garden
As seen on Manorama News “Nattupacha” and Kochi Stories. Sebastian Sir on shaping trees with wire and patience.
The gardener
Since 1978, and still sharing.
C. C. Sebastian began growing bonsai in 1978, influenced by his father. In those days even a sample plant or a book on bonsai was hard to find in Kerala. Today his home garden holds banyans, fruit trees, rare air plants and handmade glass art, and he shares the craft in classes and workshops.
Winner at the Cochin Flower Show, 1986, and at many shows and awards besides. The work is proof.
In the news
Tap a clipping to read it larger.
Come and walk among the trees.
Bonsai Garden, House No. 34, 4th Cross Road,Muttathil Lane, Elamkulam, Kochi 682020
The lane adjacent to Little Hands
Visits 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm, Monday to Saturday. Sunday by appointment. It is a home garden, so please call or WhatsApp before you come. Parking for cars and two-wheelers.
