Green evolution: The changing face of gardening

On her 19th birthday, 10 of Mahira Batheja’s 15 friends skipped the usual array of trinkets, gift cards and bouquets. Instead, they arrived at her Chandigarh home bearing beautifully-wrapped pots — jade plant, pink syngonium, snake plant, lucky bamboo, peace lily and money plant. Most of these living gifts had been purchased through online retailers like Ugaoo, Trust Basket, Nurturing Greens or platforms like Ferns N Petals, Blinkit, Amazon and Flipkart.

Her balcony, now vibrant with greens, reflects not just a makeover in her personal space, but captures the way a generation views greenery as a lifestyle statement, all thanks to the green aesthetic which is flourishing over social media platforms. The country’s gardening industry, valued at more than Rs 26,000 crore, is seeing unprecedented growth — from Ludhiana and Chandigarh’s landscaped outdoor spaces and green balconies in Gurugram’s multi-level flats to Bengaluru’s experiential garden cafes or the nurseries near Mumbai, which offer cuisines alongside exotic plants.

Author, YouTuber, entrepreneur Ekta Chaudhary, popularly known as ‘Garden Up’ girl for her gardening videos and Miyawaki landscape designs (www.gardenup.in) identifies three major trends: “There is a clear shift from outdoor to indoor plants. The trend is evident in metro cities, unlike Tier 2 and 3 cities where there is still space for outdoor plants. Architects and designers that we work with on home landscapes are demanding indoor greenery — be it to add a live element to decor, or for Vaastu and spiritual reasons. As plants become an intrinsic part of the living room, there is also an increased investment in plants and pots. The simple plastic pots are being replaced by those that cost Rs 500-Rs 1,000. The increased purchasing power means people are ready to spend Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 for a unique plant, something unheard of until recently.”

Five years back, there was a craze for vertical gardens but due to drip-watering issues and seepage, there’s been a fall in its demand, notes Ghaziabad-based horticulturalist Manish Sharma, proprietor of Green Solutions, which offers landscaping designs in NCR region. “Earlier, landscaping meant four to five Ashoka trees, along with plants like morpankh, motia, mogra, raat ki rani, besides gainda for flowering. Today, a beautiful garden has come to represent status and money.” Besides artistic or decorative planters, oxygen-generating plants are gaining popularity in cities like Delhi and Gurugram, says Sharma, adding that most corporate offices have dedicated spaces. Palm varieties like foxtail, seaforthia, rhapis, areca and kentia top the list, while Song of India, dracaena rosea, dracaena mahatma and Victoria are popular indoor plants, he adds.

Also finding favour in home gardens are lotus ponds for their soothing and tranquil effect, says Sharma. “Adding molly fish to these low-maintenance ponds keeps away mosquito and larva infestation. The fish also clean up the algae.”

Vikas Mahajan of Chandigarh’s Durga Nursery, one of the oldest in the region, has seen the hobby of gardening becoming more professional over the decades: “Earlier, gardening was very amateurish but now people hire professional landscapers, stylists and trained maalis to maintain their gardens. They want aesthetic gardens that stand out while remaining subtle.” Mahajan adds that this applies to people across strata and age groups. “Even those with modest means are ready to spend on plants, even if it is to buy just two plants.”

Online platforms may be driving the number of first-time purchases, but most buyers later return to nurseries. “They come here because they are sure of the quality they are getting,” says Mahajan. “When you are buying a plant online, you do not know in what condition you will receive it, and whether the plant will take off or not once you sow it,” says Mahajan. “This is the same as buying a pet. Can you buy one online? You would like to examine it for its looks, pedigree, etc.” More than 90 per cent of the clients are novices and have to be guided about plant care, he adds.

Amit Aggarwal of Chandigarh’s Aggarwal Nursery agrees: “In metro cities, people might be buying plants from ecommerce platforms but here in Chandigarh and Panchkula, they like to visit personally to purchase plants.” Since Covid-19, business has more than doubled, he adds. “The trend of gifting live plants is catching on among the young. In less than Rs 1,000, you get a ceramic pot with a plant, so even as they follow a social media fad, they are also helping the environment.”

In these times when most green lovers are intrigued by exotic plants, gardening enthusiast Amarjeet Batth offers a word of caution: “It is important to understand the plant’s native environment as well as the time frame to grow. Be aware of the planting calender of flowers and vegetables since most plants and seeds are available on online platforms throughout the year.”

“While many want to grow fruit trees like avocado or dragon fruit in their backyard, they need to understand that non-native plant varieties struggle to sustain here, especially with the increasing temperatures and climate change,” says Ludhiana-based Batth.

“For the past four years, temperatures in NCR have gone upwards of 45ºC. It’s not easy to make a plant survive, especially in the initial three months. Ideally, choose plants that you see thriving in a radius of 5 km. Factor in the TDS level of water in your area too,” suggests Sharma.

People tend to splurge on expensive plants but often end up struggling to manitain these, observes Chaudhary, who is based in Mumbai. “Most people are happy if their perfect-looking plant stays fine for six months. It’s almost like how we change fashion so quickly.”

Her advice to those aspiring to develop a green thumb: “Start with taking care of a very basic plant, say a money plant, or pothos, for about three months. Your plant will communicate once you start observing it closely. If there is less water, the leaves will appear to be a little wilted. If there’s not enough light, multiple leaves will turn yellow. The second level can be planting a peace lily or areca palm. After nurturing these, you can try your hand at flowers and edibles.”

In the end, the experts agree, the success of a garden depends on how much time you are able to devote to your plants.

Time your garden (Courtesy: Amarjeet Batth)

Winter annuals are sown on raised nursery beds from mid-Sept to mid-Oct. In 3-4 weeks, the seedlings get ready to be transplanted to flower beds.

Cauliflower, cabbage, knol-khol (gath gobhi), Chinese cabbage, broccoli, lettuce are raised from seedlings from Sept-Nov. Direct sowing of seeds of radish, turnip, carrot and beetroot on raised beds is preferred. Fenugreek (‘methe’ & ‘methi’), spinach and coriander can be sown on flat beds or raised beds up to November.

Cucumber grows well under poly-house net. Garlic cloves are sown directly in soil (Sept-Oct). October begins with the sowing of peas (till Nov-end). Tomatoes, brinjal seedlings are transplanted in Nov-Dec under protection from frost.

In November, onion seeds are sown, to be transplanted in January. Protect from cold in December.