Flowers don’t go waste after Lalbagh shows

Have you ever wondered what happens to the mountainous heaps of flowers that arrive in Lalbagh after the flower shows?

This year, for example, the replica of Bangalore Palace has been created using 2 lakh Dutch roses sourced from five companies in flower trade in the city. Almost 95 per cent of them are replaced with fresh ones overnight after five days of the show, say Lalbagh officials.

“After the show, nearly 4 lakh dry roses, along with about 100 kg of other dry flowers, twigs, and foliage gathered from around the garden would be assiduously mixed with red soil and earthworms are let into the mixture at the compost units of Lalbagh. What emerges after a few weeks is nearly 500 kg of organic manure,” says Gunavantha J., Deputy Director of Horticulture, Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

“Nothing goes waste; if it is organic, it is recycled or reused, including green carpets of lawns that are created for aesthetic showcase,” says Kodandaramaiah, vice-president, Mysore Horticultural Society.

Numerous varieties of greens arriving for roof-garden concepts, the loose leaves and twigs gathered from nearly 10,000 potted plants and floral pedestals, shrubs, flowering and topiary plants assembled during the shows generate dry waste.

The dry waste is collected and handled at the composting and sorting unit, and is used for adding volume of the manure. “Everything is used for the huge expanses of the Lalbagh garden,” says Mr. Kodandaramaiah. “Flowers for Lalbagh shows are generally sourced from Bengaluru and the surroundings, Ooty, Thailand, and Holland,” says Mr. Gunavantha.

For this year’s Republic Day show, nearly 4 lakh Dutch roses were used to make a replica of the Red Fort, and 40,000 roses were used for the India Gate replica. “If the flowers remain fresh, they are reused by our suppliers for decoration. On an average, we generate about 400 to 500 kg of the best quality vermicompost worth nearly Rs. 20,000,” he says.