It was colours ahoy at AMP Vaisaakkhi mall last weekend as Bidhannagar Horticultural Society held its annual flower show. “This time we saw some great quality Petunias, Dahlias, Marigold and Roses,” said secretary of the society Bijan Ghosh. “We had 40 entrants in the individual and institutional categories.” The show was inaugurated by theatre veterans Manoj Mitra and Maya Ghosh. “Although this was our 23rd annual show, 2018 is the silver jubilee year of our society. We have plans to put up many large scale events in the course of this year,” said Ghosh.
TT Bureau
Published 09.02.18, 12:00 AM
It was colours ahoy at AMP Vaisaakkhi mall last weekend as Bidhannagar Horticultural Society held its annual flower show. “This time we saw some great quality Petunias, Dahlias, Marigold and Roses,” said secretary of the society Bijan Ghosh. “We had 40 entrants in the individual and institutional categories.” The show was inaugurated by theatre veterans Manoj Mitra and Maya Ghosh. “Although this was our 23rd annual show, 2018 is the silver jubilee year of our society. We have plans to put up many large scale events in the course of this year,” said Ghosh.
BJ Block’s Hiya looks on as her father Saurav Chakravarty shows her their home-grown Dahlias. “I inherited a passion for gardening from my father G.S. Chakravarty and I’m glad my daughter too has taken to it.”
Among medicinal plants this Harbhanga tree attracted shutterbugs. “One is to smash the stems and smear the paste to help fix broken bones,” said Janmenjoy Malik, who had got it from DK Block’s National Dairy Development Board office.
Rina Chandra of BD Block (left) shows Namita Bandyopadhyay of GC Block her succulent. “I had bought this plant as I loved the light green markings on its dark green base. A bonus was the beautiful flowers that started appearing in winter,”said Chandra.
Among the foliage was this plant with purple leaves shaped just like butterfly wings. “I don’t know what this is called but it looks very pretty,” said Manjusri Dutta, a resident of CB Block who had brought it. And no, she has never spotted real butterflies on it.
This bonsai forest had been sprouted — not from a pot but — on plywood. “I did it to make the base look like a hillock,” said Arijit Poddar of GD Block. “This plant is colloquially known as Nakal Chandan as it smells like sandalwood. And the bark sheds its skin like a snake does.”
The overall prize went to National Dairy Development Board, that has its office in BK Block. “We brought flowers, foliage, medicinal plants…” said Niranjan Makal, one of their gardeners. “We are very proud of our white Marigold that has bloomed this time. It’s rare.”
Manjusri Dutta of CB Block and Namita Bandyopadhyay of GC Block created two floral arrangements in memory of The Telegraph Salt Lake columnist Renuka Saha, who was their friend and former vice-president of the horticulture society, who passed away last year. “Renuka would join this contest every year. She was a perfectionist and had won this contest last year. We are really missing her,” said Dutta.
