Attending the flower shows is always on our must-do list. Recently, the 30th Noida Flower Show was held in the city during the last weekend of February. It was a fantastic show for the nature lovers and gardeners. I love the opportunity it gives me to browse through various stalls set up by plant nurseries from all over Noida and NCR. The best part is the variety of exotic, ornamental and flowering plants you get to buy all under one roof. Not to forget the good bargains!
Herbal section is my favorite. Incidentally the focus of the flower show was on herbal and medicinal plants. I have always wanted to maintain a herbal garden. So I got myself four tiny herbs - Lettuce, Rocket, Celery and Dark Lettuce.
I bought them from a corner stall where only the herbs - potted and tender sprouts, organic manures, few pots and garden equipment were on sale. They cost me just Rs 25/- a piece on buying 4 pots together otherwise the quoted price was Rs 40/- per potted plant. I found it to be a great bargain!
I was surprised to find an English-speaking gentleman in charge of the stall. Usually it is the friendly Maali (gardener) who man these stalls and are not even able to pronounce the names of the plants properly. But I do love their version like a 'BeeganBel' is Bougainvillea...haha!
Further down the line there were saplings of other vegetables and herbs available for Rs10/- a piece. These saplings are very tiny and their survival rate is very low. Last time when I had got these tiny saplings they did not survive long.
Every year I start a herbal potted garden but I am afraid to say it does not survive the harsh summers of May-June. I guess need to learn few tricks to maintain the same. Fortunately, this gentleman seller was forthcoming with tips to maintain these plants. He gave handy tips to all potential buyers and patiently answered all the queries. No wonder his plants were selling real fast.
After buying, I had kept the pots near the window. As advised had transplanted in a bigger pot the next day with a base of Neem Khali. It is an organic manure which acts as a fertilizer and is a natural pesticide as well. The best part is the herbs do not require very large pots. Everyday minimum two hours of sun is essential for the growth of lettuce. I have been alternating the pots from shade to sun depending upon sun's intensity. February temperatures towards month end had spiked. However, sudden rains and hailstorm in March were bad for the dark variety of lettuce and lost the plant to the unexpected change in weather.
Three weeks down, the celery and lettuce plant have grown profusely. We are enjoying the goodness of our-very-own-grown herbs in various combinations of Salads. But I must tell you Rocket (very unusual and funny name for a plant) turned out to be the biggest surprise. I have never had this before and its strong almost stinging taste tantalizes your senses and gives the salad a new twist.
You might find useful:
Articles on Flower Show
Pushpotsav - Greater Noida Flower Show 2016
30th Noida Flower Show | What to Expect
28th Noida Flower Show - Vasant Utsav 2014
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| Left to Right - Lettuce, Rocket, Celery, Dark Lettuce |
I bought them from a corner stall where only the herbs - potted and tender sprouts, organic manures, few pots and garden equipment were on sale. They cost me just Rs 25/- a piece on buying 4 pots together otherwise the quoted price was Rs 40/- per potted plant. I found it to be a great bargain!
I was surprised to find an English-speaking gentleman in charge of the stall. Usually it is the friendly Maali (gardener) who man these stalls and are not even able to pronounce the names of the plants properly. But I do love their version like a 'BeeganBel' is Bougainvillea...haha!
Further down the line there were saplings of other vegetables and herbs available for Rs10/- a piece. These saplings are very tiny and their survival rate is very low. Last time when I had got these tiny saplings they did not survive long.
Every year I start a herbal potted garden but I am afraid to say it does not survive the harsh summers of May-June. I guess need to learn few tricks to maintain the same. Fortunately, this gentleman seller was forthcoming with tips to maintain these plants. He gave handy tips to all potential buyers and patiently answered all the queries. No wonder his plants were selling real fast.
After buying, I had kept the pots near the window. As advised had transplanted in a bigger pot the next day with a base of Neem Khali. It is an organic manure which acts as a fertilizer and is a natural pesticide as well. The best part is the herbs do not require very large pots. Everyday minimum two hours of sun is essential for the growth of lettuce. I have been alternating the pots from shade to sun depending upon sun's intensity. February temperatures towards month end had spiked. However, sudden rains and hailstorm in March were bad for the dark variety of lettuce and lost the plant to the unexpected change in weather. Three weeks down, the celery and lettuce plant have grown profusely. We are enjoying the goodness of our-very-own-grown herbs in various combinations of Salads. But I must tell you Rocket (very unusual and funny name for a plant) turned out to be the biggest surprise. I have never had this before and its strong almost stinging taste tantalizes your senses and gives the salad a new twist.
You might find useful:
Articles on Flower Show
Pushpotsav - Greater Noida Flower Show 2016
30th Noida Flower Show | What to Expect
28th Noida Flower Show - Vasant Utsav 2014
Very informative post. It has encouraged me to check out the local flower show! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked this post. I am sure Mumbai too would be having its very own great flower show. Would love to see your pix of the same whenever you visit. Right now I am loving all the installation art and the candid moments captured by you at the Kala Ghoda Art Fest. Happy blogging!
Deletelovely! we just bought our plants and seeds since spring is here... and have started planting them :-) Good luck with your plants Bushra...
ReplyDeleteps - It was a great bargain ;-)
Yep...it was great value for money buy. (PS- I am a sucker for bargains ...hehe) Happy gardening, Archana!
DeleteInteresting plants. We too have started growing few plans in our balcony hope it will live long and bear some veggies.
ReplyDeleteWould be eager to hear/read about it....perhaps it deserves a blog post :D Good luck with your plants, Arun. Happy gardening!
DeleteHappy to hear that your plants are surviving and giving you home grown crunch! I heard of the rocket as a plant for the first time :D
ReplyDeleteMe too Mridula...for the first time I heard about 'rocket'...very strange name. ..and the satisfaction i am getting after every crunchy bite of fresh salad is immense. :)
DeleteI too would want to try Rocket some day. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is quite different in taste....lends a great flavour and crunch to the dish.
DeleteHerbal plants are simply amazing.Thanks for sharing that neem kali can be used as a natural pesticide. :)
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Sriram & Krithiga
Absolutely. Herbs are great and nothing like growing them in your own garden. I am glad you found the info on Neem Khali useful. Thanks for visiting by!
DeleteIt is an organic manure which acts as a fertilizer and is a natural pesticide as well. The best part is the herbs do not require very large pots. Everyday minimum two hours of sun is essential for the growth of lettuce.informative post Bushra .
ReplyDeleteThanks Yogi! I am glad you liked it. Have a great weekend!
DeleteIt's amazing. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the read, Chandan!
DeleteLovely post Bushra. Reminds of my younger days when I would go with my mother to nurseries and flower exhibitions.
ReplyDeleteAww..that's sweet. I am glad this post brought happy memories back. Keep visiting dear :)
DeleteNice post :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Manu! Have a great weekend!
DeleteSo pretty! The neem kali is awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maitreni! Neem Khali is really good -natural pesticide, organic manure and a waste product put to good use.
DeleteThanks Paresh! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI had Rocket leaves for the first time at Pizza Express (their pizza's and salads have rocket leaves sprinkled over lavishly) and simply fell in love with its taste and freshness. Excellent article Bushra x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jyoythi! Recently Pizza Express opened a store in the newly opened DLF Mall of India. I am going to try out their salads and pizzas at the very next opportunity I get. I too have become a rocket fan :)
DeleteHi, can you give me the name and contact number of the person who was selling lettuce, celery, rocket, and such herbs at the Noida Flower Show?
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I am afraid Sangeeta I do not have the contact number of the person. But I have a flyer from Supplified(dot)com to shop for plants online or through phone on 9999999995. I am not sure if it is from the same stall at the Noida Flower Show.
DeleteWhat a lively show when you can speak to people who know their plants and get your own :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It was great interacting with the people at the flower show. An d I am so happy with my plants too :)
Delete