There's a growing interest in bonsai

Bonsai trees seem to be everybody's favourite. This is evident from the crowd they attract in exhibitions and the fact that their sales are skyrocketing.

The bonsai techniques can be used to grow plants indoor which is more manageable.

This encourages city women to learn the art of bonsai cultivation and maintenance from horticulture associations and trusts.

Kiran Desai, executive of Gujarat Horticulture Association, a charitable trust, said, "The number of people enrolling with us for the classes of bonsai cultivation are increasing every year. In order to accommodate all those who have registered, we have started classes in batches."

Nowadays, people are more ready to spend a great deal of money in decorating their gardens and beautifying them.

A look at the sales and the profits made at a recently organised horticulture fair suggests that not only the elite but working middle class are also spending on gardening. While on an average, a middle class family spends Rs5,000 a month on gardening, an elite family spends as high as Rs10,000-15,000. 

Most of the visitors at a recently held three-day fair were seen buying nursery plants. Fertiliser and gardening equipment were the second largest purchase, said Desai.

The plantation season starts in October and continues till February.

During this period various horticulture exhibitions are held where people spend on acquiring plants and other gardening requirements.