JOIN USThe elephant sculpture, made of flowers, holding a garland in its trunk has become synonymous with the Garden Tourism Festival and the onset of spring. Whenever this animal installation mushrooms at the Garden of Five Senses – filled with the aroma of sweet and fully-bloomed flowers, Delhiites feel the urge to indulge in garden hopping and shopping!
Same was the case when the recently concluded 28th Garden Tourism Festival opened for gardening enthusiasts and public in general. This year, along with the elephant, there were sculptures of lion, eagle and kangaroo too!
Divided into two – the display area and the sale zone, quite similar to its last edition, the theme this year – ‘Landscaping with Hanging Plants’ was however a little different.
“Last year the focus was on vertical gardens which have come up due to the issue of space crunch in metropolitans. This time we chose to display hanging plants, because they can change the appearance of a home’s facade,” says Satish Mathur, senior horticulture expert, emphasising on the need to introduce greens in cramped spaces to make them lively.
Few example to create a set up of hanging baskets was presented by government departments – SDMC, NDMC, DDA and Jal Board. The artistic fountain placed inside the hanging garden enclosure, created by SDMC, attracted quite a few visitors. “The flowers that we have used have a one-month life span and are capable of lifting up the whole garden due to their bright colours,” informs Mukesh Arora from SDMC.
The hanging plant options by DDA and NDMC were more viable with the latter receiving
special accolades for their effort.
Other elements in the display areas such as the section ‘Bonsai as an art’ and ‘Cut Flowers’, were quite inviting. The 25-year old bonsais, sculpted beautifully posed a tough competition to the decorative dahlia pot plants and full-grown roses which attracted visitors from all age groups. The first prize in petunia stocks went to DDA, whereas the gladiolis, gerberas (lookalike of sunflowers), carnations and calendulas wowed everyone.
Inspired by the various set-ups inside, the visitors explored the area outside where sellers from different parts of the country offered various accessories for gardens. In
addition, the visitors also bought plants for their kitchen gardens.
“I have almost exhausted my stock of elaichi, pudina, heeng and ajwain plants,” said Deshraj, an exhibitor at the stall named Greenish.
He adds, “These plants are used in not just cooking but also curing various diseases. For example bhringraj is capable of healing an injury and is good for hair too.”
Quite a few people opted for smaller pots to add greenery to their home and office environment. While the children pleaded with their parents to buy fancy garden accessories, the adults invested in a variety of flowering plants. Though these will not last until next year, the memory of their sweet aromas will remain until the next season of this festival!