Noida flower show: Air purifying plants a hit on Day 1

Air purifying plants outshine spring flowers in terms of demand on Day 1 of Noida Flower show at the Noida stadium.

A cool breeze and bright sunshine ushering in the beginning of spring provided the perfect ambience for Noida residents to enjoy beautiful flowers and plants on the first day of the annual flower show by the city authority.

Visitors enjoy various floral arrangements on the first day of the flower show on Friday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT Photo)

However, it was not just the beauty of spring flowers that drew the attention of nature lovers as the theme of this year’s Noida flower show was ‘plants that reduce air pollution’. A large number of residents were seen buying saplings of plants that ‘reduce pollution’, ‘add oxygen’ and act as ‘air purifiers’.

“We bought two saplings of aloe vera and areca plant and both are famous as air purifiers. We live in a high-rise apartment and apart from a few trees, there is hardly any greenery in our society. The least we can do if we use air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens is to have such air purifying plants,” Girish Mishra of Gamma sector in Greater Noida, said.

Mahendra Prakash, deputy director of horticulture department of Noida, spoke at length about the decision of choosing plants that reduce air pollution as the theme for this year’s flower show.

“The flower show has always been one of the most awaited events for nature lovers in Noida. But, this year, we also wanted to give a message about the alarming rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR and this is the reason we chose ‘pollution less’ plants as our theme. We wanted to sensitise people towards the preservation of such plants that will help our ecosystem,” Prakash said.

Many nursery owners also shared their experience about their first day sale, saying Noida residents are showing keen interest in saplings of plants such as money plant, aloe vera and peace lilly.

“We have over 500 varieties of indoor, outdoor, creepers and flowers for nature lovers. Yet, majority of people are showing interest in indoor plants such as aloe vera and peace lilly that provide oxygen and act as air purifiers,” Pappi, nursery owner of Brijwasan New Rajasthan Nursery, said.