If you have a deep wallet and are bored of the usual roses, sunflowers or lilies adorning your living room, may be it is time for a change. Khushroo Dubash’s Orchids Etc is now offering the city’s flower enthusiasts a chance to rent or grow plants of rare, exotic varieties. From orchids to anthuriums and bromeliads and costing anywhere between Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 54,000 for a single rare plant annually, there is a something on offer for all.
“Most of these plant varieties are widely used abroad, but are unknown in India. Mr Dubash, who has been a hobbyist for the last 20 years, wanted to change this attitude and so we started this service,” says Deepa Mordani of Orchids Etc, who says that they aim to increase the public’s knowledge about plants.
As part of a one-year contract that is on offer, people from Orchids Etc visit your home and give advice on what plants would be suitable and where they should be placed. A single plant can cost anywhere between Rs. 450 to Rs. 4,500 per month, depending on how rare it is. If people want to maintain the plant themselves, instructions on how to take care of it are provided as well. “All the plants we have on offer suit Mumbai’s humid climate and can survive indoors for long. Just a little sunlight and one to two cups of water daily is needed for sustenance,” says Mordani.
Rare species are also on offer for collectors and hobbyists. These are procured along with the usual orchid shipments from Taiwan and Thailand. “The thing is, most people want blooming plants. And most of these species flower only once or twice a year. So they prefer renting the plants already in bloom, as they last in this state for at least a month before the flower falls off. That’s when we replenish the stock,” says Mordani.
{{/usCountry}}Rare species are also on offer for collectors and hobbyists. These are procured along with the usual orchid shipments from Taiwan and Thailand. “The thing is, most people want blooming plants. And most of these species flower only once or twice a year. So they prefer renting the plants already in bloom, as they last in this state for at least a month before the flower falls off. That’s when we replenish the stock,” says Mordani.
{{/usCountry}}Popular species that are taken on rent often include the dendrobium (that blooms twice a year for three to four weeks and the phalaenopsis. Anthuriums (tropical flowers found in rainforests) and bromeliads (pineapple family flowers) are the other varieties that are in demand.