Sale of flower saplings gets good response

Plant lovers thronged Kuppanna Park to purchase saplings of flowers during a sale organised for the first time by the Horticulture Department in the city on Monday. There was a good response for the sale as saplings were available at a discounted rate.

Around 1,000 plants were sold on Monday and the sale has been extended by a day till Tuesday. The 12-day Dasara Flower Show, organised by the Department of Horticulture concluded on Sunday. For the first time, the department decided to sell various types of flowering plants to the customers at 10% discount. It may be mentioned that like every year, this year too the flower show was a great hit and around 4.5 lakh people visited the show.

Plant species like Lilium, Chrysanthemum, Poinsettia, Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, Curcuma, Hibiscus, Gerbera, Kalanchoe, Lisianthus are up for sale at different prices. The prices range from Rs 360 for Phalaenopsis, Rs 270 for Poinsettia, Rs 270 for Dendrobium, Rs 270 for Curcuma, Rs 135 for Hibiscus, Rs 100 for Gerbera, Rs 100 for Lisianthus, Rs 100 for Kalanchoe, Rs 70 for Lillies, Rs 65 for Chrysanthemum.

Speaking to DH, Mohammed Ismail, who was busy selecting saplings, said that he plans to buy 10 different varieties of saplings.

Chondamma, a resident of Hebbal said, "Collecting various types of flower species is my hobby. I have different types of flowering plants in my garden. I have come to see whether any rare variety of saplings are available."

K M Srinivas, a resident of the city, said, "The department has taken a good initiative of selling the saplings to customers. Moreover, they are selling flower saplings at a concessional price. I have decided to buy 15 plants."

Latha Ashokumar, a resident of JP Nagar, said that she has come in search of Dendrobium and Lillies.

Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture Department Habiba Nishath said, "There was a good response for the sale, and nearly 1,000 plants have been sold. The sale is also extended for Tuesday. Plants worth Rs 70,000 were sold on the first day. There are plants worth Rs five lakh in the glasshouse and people can avail 10% discount," she said.