Day and night, gardeners work to take care of plants and flowers grown at nurseries that dot the roads of Rawalpindi, from Rewat to Saddar, Peshawar Road and Motorway Chowk.

These nurseries provide plants for people’s homes, public and private offices and for agricultural use. Grown trees and plants are even exchanged as gifts, and due to the time consuming nature of sapling plantation, many now prefer to buy grown trees, such as date palm trees, to plant in their homes.

These nurseries, which have sprouted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad – particularly in Chak Shahzad, I-9 and the area around the Islamabad Expressway – also provide services to help people plant grown trees and other plants in their homes and provide employment for gardeners who tend to the plants from morning to night.

Gone are the days when nurseries simply provided plants and seeds, with many also selling earthen pots of various shapes and sizes. Nurseries’ staff also guide customers on how to use leftover utensils to grow plants and vegetables at home and sell medicines used in gardening.

Some nurseries also sell imported plants, such as straight and lucky bamboo.

“It is not difficult to prepare flowering plants and other local plants, but handling imported plants is a difficult task. The gardeners are extra careful while handling pricey plants,” Mohammad Awais, the owner of a nursery in Chak Shahzad, said.

He said making bamboo curve naturally is difficult work, as a gardener must play attention to each plant for three to eight months, and spend three to four hours a day nurturing it.

Growing plants in nurseries takes over a month. Nurseries grow plants in open fields, greenhouses and in containers. The process begins by mixing fertiliser with earth obtained from the riverside.

Then, seeds are planted, after which gardeners observe and water the plants according to their requirements.

Mohammad Jameel, a customer at the nursery, said planting seeds and growing plants is not an easy task, and it is more convenient to purchase grown plants and plant them in the garden.

“I work, and have no spare time to grow plants, so I usually buy the season’s plants to grow in pots and in the lawn, as refreshing green and colourful flowers bring freshness,” he said.

Westridge resident Sadheer Raja said nurseries are a blessing for people who love greenery and nature. He said he purchased three grown palm trees, which usually take three to four years to grow.

He said that he has hired a gardener, but still bought plants from the nursery because more space is needed to grow seasonal plants.

“On a commercial basis, the cost of growing plants is manageable but with small houses, we need some plants and nurseries fulfil [the requirement],” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2017