City Grows up to Art Plants

"A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart." - Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons, 1964

It is precisely this "warming of heart," the therapeutic effect that greenery has on human mind that hospitals have long had green for accessories such as curtains. Also, the beneficial effects of greenery in homes and office spaces have been more than well established.

But, with today's dwindling time, and indoor and outdoor spaces, the growing and maintaining of plants, shrubs and creepers has become a difficult proposition. It is here that artificial plants and flowers, or art plants, have come to play a beautiful and effective role.

Hyderabad, catching up with the rest of the world in consumerism and cosmopolitanism, is also increasingly growing up to the trend of art plants. Not surprising, then, that there are more than half a dozen exclusive art plant showrooms in the city. All doing a roaring business, thanks to an industry estimated at tens of millions of rupees in twin cities alone.

“Earlier we had to create market, go and aggressively market it to companies and individuals. But, now there’s a lot of awareness. It’s a growing market and people are showing interest, so there’s good demand,” says Kishore R Katar of Art Plants, Wellington Road, Secunderabad. And thanks to the increasing demand, the agriculturist-turned-interior-designer is planning another showroom in Punjagutta.

Everybody is realizing the interiors look incomplete without greenery, says C Parekh of Interdecor, part of Wallking in Abids. With companies and individuals looking at hassle-free quick solutions, art plants serve an effective purpose. Now, it’s not just plastic alone, but nylon, PVC, latex, and silk being used for the leaves of the plants, which are imported from China. So you get a natural look. The plants do not need any watering, which causes water draining, spread of dirt, worms, which eat away woolen carpets. Now, they don’t need to appoint an additional person to take care of plants, he argues.

“Moreover, not all kinds of trees grow in indoor environment. You can have a cedar in the interiors now,” says Parekh, who is also opening another showroom in Secunderabad shortly.

Malati Raj of Classic Systems, earlier called Showcase, had shifted into furniture, but had to get back to art plants thanks to public demand. “People are aware and willing to spend too,” says Malati.

Corporates form majority of the orders. Software companies like Satyam, Seranova, Wipro, companies like Nagarjuna, GVK Industries and Dr Reddy’s Labs, banks such as GTB, Vasavi, Development Credit Bank, SBH and SBI, and even the Hyderabad Airport, have adopted plastic plants and flowers, they add. “We make an average of Rs 1 to 2 lakhs a month. Of this, individuals contribute only about Rs 30,000 to 40,000,” says Malati.

Guniram Chaudhary of Art Creations, Ameerpet, says it’s not just the upper class, but the middle class too adopting this trend. “People are not bothered about pricing, but about the variety. But, companies make bulk of the purchases. We give free displays to companies and 50 per cent of them turn into sales,” says Chaudhary, who averages sales of approximately Rs 1.5 lakhs a month. Agrees Katar, who makes around Rs 2-3 lakhs a month.

However, not everybody can put up a showroom. The leaves are imported, but locally assembled into plants, shrubs, bonsais, and creepers. A steel wire coated with plastic is used as thin branches, while real wood powder is molded into trunks and main branches. Skilled workers, who are basically from agriculture background, make formations, he adds. The flowers, though, are imported in the stick form, Katar says.

The plants and creepers are available in more than 300 varieties and combinations and there are more than a hundred varieties of flowers, mainly imported from the US and from China. There are about 50 varieties of creepers, including grapes, maple, delicate crotons and flowered creepers, priced anywhere between Rs 100 to 200. They are even customized and priced according to number of leaves used. Then there are various kinds of plants and shrubs, even bonsais -- fycus, capansia, bamboo, maple, and cycus palms etc, priced between Rs 500 to 8,000. You can have a pick of flowers -- dancing orchids, Singapore orchids, snowballs, daisies, roses, iriss, agapnathus, Persian lilac, gerbera, easter lilies, carthemus, sunflower, prices between Rs 50 to 200 per stick.

An ordinary office cabin or a small room in the house would not require more than Rs 1000 to 2000 for a green look. You could get two corner plants or shrubs, such as Fycus and a Canadian maple, a creeper such as photos (money plant), mangrolias, or maples, and 2-3 flower arrangements, depending on the variety.