Love for nature and total garden care at a reasonable price and providing moral support to poor children can be some of the reasons for one to visit the Garden Fair 2007.

The fair, held at 10th Cross, Jeevan Bima Nagar, was inaugurated by environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy on Friday on the premises of Association of People with Disability (APD). It will be on up  to November 6. All plants at the centre have been grown and nurtured by differently-abled people from rural areas, who are trainees of a horticulture programme at APD.

The fair has showcased 350 varieties of plants, including bonsai, aromatic, medicinal, flowering, fruit-bearing, ornamental and exotic species, costing from Rs 5 to Rs 1,000. Seeds, manure and pots for plants can also be bought at the fair.

Buying plants from APD also supports the cause of making the differently-abled youth independent and confident, said many customers.

Ratna Mukherjee, a resident of Whitefield and a visitor, said: “They (APD) have a good collection of plants. I got my lawn installed three years ago by the APD trainees. Three boys, one mentally and two physically challenged, did my lawn so well I started coming to this place for all gardening needs.”

Prathima, a resident of Whitefield and a visitor, said the plants at APD are cheaper than any other nursery in Bangalore.

A trainee at APD and a resident of Mysore district, Mahadeva Murthy, said: “It’s satisfying to see many people buying plants that we grew. It also brings recognition and support to the association. We get new ideas in gardening and also get to know what customers want.” Trainer of horticulture programme at APD, Ramesh, said, “People appreciating and buying our products boosts the morale of our trainees.”

The horticultural training programme aims at self-reliance of the physically and mentally challenged rural youth by making them employable professionals after the 10-month training.

For details, call - 98445-32307.