Demand flourishes for flowering, indigenous plants at nurseries to grow monsoon gardens
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Pune: After an intense summer of searing temperatures, city residents with a green thumb are looking forward to growing flourishing monsoon gardens in more salubrious weather conditions.
Garden nurseries have already cited a surge in demand from individuals, housing complexes, and developers for rain-friendly, fast-growing plants. Businesses said customers are stocking up on saplings of flowering plants like hibiscus, periwinkle, balsams, marigolds, and rain lilies this season, while landscapers are buying Indian varieties of forest trees and fruiting plants for under-construction properties.
Regina D'Souza, a resident of Fatimanagar, said she has dug up her dried garden patch to plant monsoon-friendly saplings. "March and April were harsh for my garden, and a lot of my plants dried up. Last week, I dug out all the dried plants, put layers of vermicompost, and bought a couple of saplings — it is the ideal time for planting," said D'Souza.
Laxmikant Kavade, who runs the Pushpalaxmi Rose Nursery, said demand is picking up for a lot of indigenous varieties of flowering plants.
"May is usually the time we prepare saplings to sell during the monsoon. But the rains came early, and we have seen a huge demand for hibiscus, rose plants, orange and yellow tikomas, orchid cactii, snake plants, and more," he said.
"Apart from regular flowering plants, we are also seeing good demand for coleus (thrives in damp, shaded areas), impatiens, ferns (used in hanging pots), begonias, and mogra," said Shyam, a helper at a garden nursery in Wanowrie.
Anti-fungal sprays, vermicompost, and fertilisers are also in good demand from gardening enthusiasts.
An owner of a garden nursery on Pune-Solapur Road said even landscapers are placing bulk orders for saplings at present. "A lot of tree plantation drives are conducted in early monsoon. We have a good demand for indigenous plants like neem, kadamba, etc. Landscapers are also placing orders for ground cover, shrub plants like ixora," he said.
Gardening enthusiasts are also replacing their existing vegetable and herb patches with fresh saplings to thrive in less intense sunlight and regular rainfall.
Sneha Falane, a resident of NIBM Road, said she had some bulbs of rain lilies purchased from a garden exhibition in Jan. "I planted these mid-May at the entrance of my row house, and they have already started growing. These plants are hardy and grow exceptionally well in the monsoon," she said.
People also cautioned that it is important to ensure proper drainage and occasional pruning to prevent waterlogging and fungal issues for plants in the monsoon. "Typically, in the rains, hibiscus plants catch mealy bugs and black fungal spots. It is important to spray neem oil in advance to prevent pest attacks," said Devika Tanna, a resident of Pashan.
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