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As space turns scarce, vertical gardens grow in popularity in city

Last Updated 13 August 2017, 20:32 IST

It’s not just Bengaluru’s buildings that are growing skywards. Vertical gardens at homes, commercial establishments and public spaces are not only purifying the air, but are also beautifying the city and providing a soothing effect.

Vertical gardens, which the BMRCL had adopted for its Metro pillars recently, have been in use by many citizens and nature enthusiasts for some time now.

‘Good for closed spaces’
Mahalakshmi, a resident of Bannerghatta Road, who grew a vertical garden in her house four years ago, says she enjoys spending time with the plants. “It is great to have a vertical garden at home, it not only purifies the air, but also gives the house an aesthetic appeal. In an enclosed place, it is fine to set it up as there will be more flow of oxygen, but vertical gardens in public places are not the best option.”

“Plants will not be able to withstand pollutants in public places and are not likely to be maintained. Authorities should instead plant more trees in public spaces,” she said.

Prithvin K of White Plate, a restaurant on MG Road which has a vertical garden, says they set up about nine panels four months ago.  “We water it regularly, but haven't been maintaining it well enough. Some leaves have dried up, while others have died. But we want to maintain it well by hiring a gardener,” he said.

From Mexico
Vertical gardens, also known as green walls, first came up in Mexico City. These were seen as an alternative to normal gardens which took up a lot of space. 

Bengaluru leads the pack
Pavneet Singh, founder of Lifewall, a Lucknow-based company which offers cutting edge vertical landscaping solutions said, Bengaluru is opening up to vertical gardening in a big way as it not only saves on space but also conserves water.

“Bengaluru is on top in terms of the number of people opting for vertical gardens, Mumbai comes in second, followed by Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad. Setting it up costs anywhere between Rs 100/sft and Rs 1,000/sft,” he said.

It is a growing market with people in small apartments, independent houses who want smaller gardens to companies and commercial spaces who want massive ones, adopting it, said Singh. Companies dealing in vertical gardens offer monthly maintenance for commercial spaces and yearly maintenance for apartments and residential complexes.

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(Published 13 August 2017, 20:32 IST)

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