Indore: Vertical gardens add green oomph to Swachh lifestyle

INDORE: Tier of stacked planters against walls or pillars beautifying a dull corner or gracing the entrance is the fast picking trend in city among households, private and government offices with increasing urbanization and reducing ticket size of land.
A soothing sight of mini-gardens in geometrical patterns with colourful flowers or dark leaves hanging on walls is the buzz in country’s cleanest city, Indore.
Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) took a lead in putting vertical green patches at around 20 locations covering nullahs and drainages by transforming trash into visual treat.
IMC garden department in-charge Kailash Joshi said, “Erecting vertical gardens at nullahs and drainages not only added beauty to that place but also stopped people from throwing trash into water.”
Looking at rising inclination of customers towards greenery at home, architects and urban designers are being hired by developers to plan green patches.
Pragati Jain, an architect from Indore said, “As the city is becoming more and more populated and dependent on apartment living, demand for vertical gardens is rising. This is not restricted to high-end clients. Even small apartments with space constraint are using their vertical space to gain green area indoors.”
Most of the posh hotels have hired urban designers from Mumbai, Delhi and even overseas to install vertical gardens.
Jitendra Kothari, a businessman from Indore has recently put up a vertical garden at his farm house and transplanted trees. “I was mesmerized by the look vertical gardens add to walls, when I first saw at a five-star hotel. I have a farm house covered with plain walls, which I wanted to beautify. I hired an architect from Mumbai to draw a plan and erect green patches against dull walls.”
Cost of vertical gardens ranges between Rs 250 per sq ft to Rs 800 per sq ft depending upon the plants, holders and the space, industry experts said.
Many premises in city opting for green certifications from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) or GRIHA have also erected green spaces against pillars and walls.
Architect Prakriti Sethi said, “People are becoming more environment conscious and opting for eco-friendly measures. A vertical garden not only adds aesthetic value but also reduces heat penetration on walls.”