CHENNAI GOING GREEN

Gardening in Chennai has become a fad all over again. With the increasing 'concretisation' of the city, this is a welcome change. Even flat dwellers are not an exception. And there are plants catering to every need. Many nurseries have sprung up in Chennai catering to this need for potted plants. One can buy Crotons for a mere Rs 10/-. Or even a Cycas for a whopping Rs 5,000/-.

The range of plants available for the Chennaite is complete - ornamental, fruit trees, flowering plants, cactus, bonsai, anthurium and sometimes orchids also. But the favourite is, of course, Roses, followed by Moss Sticks, Palm trees and Crotons. Also available exclusively in Chennai are some rare varieties of Crotons, Aglonema, Diffenbachia and Song of India.

P Saravanan, Horticulturist at Flora Exotica,Taylors Road, Kilpauk says "People are more aware of gardening now than before. There is a lot of tension these days. And people look to gardening as the right solution. So there are a lot of people coming here on Sundays to buy and spend time in their gardens."

People living in flats need not relent when it comes to this passion. There are Semi-shade plants to choose from. They are ideal for a flat environment, which typically has no direct sunlight and less space. Some favourites in this section are Aglomena, Phycas, Diffenbachia, Palm trees and Phylodendron. People with open space around their house are lucky, because of the choice of plants that they can grow. They could also go in for lawns and landscaping. There are different type of grasses for lawns, the popular ones are Korean Grass and Bermuda Grass for direct sunlight and G1, G2 for growing in shaded areas. Bonsai and Cactus are ideal for any environment.

Saravanan dismisses the growth of the artificial plants market, saying "The growth of the artificial plant market has not affected nursery sales. Only people who cannot maintain real plants, go in for artificial plants. Once they have kept real plants they will never go in for artificial plants."

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