Among the several kinds of flowers grown in the garden, only a few are natives of our country. The important flowers which are natives of India and which are under cultivation in different parts of the world are orchids, rhododendrons, musk rose (Rosa moschata), begonia, balsam (Immpatiens balsamina), globe amaranth (Gomphrena Globosa), gloriosa lily (Gloriosa superba), foxtail lily (Eremerus himalicus), primula (Primuladenticulata P.rosea), blue poppy (Meconopsis), lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), water lily Nymphae spp.), clematis (Clematis Montana- a climber) and the wild tulip of the Himalayas (Tulipa stellata and T.aitchisonii)."";
Of these, only the lotus has been mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit scripture of the Vedic times. Mention of the lotus was also made by Kalidasa in his play Shakuntala. The poet Asvaghosa (A.D.100) also mentions the lotus in his Buddha Charitra. According to Dr. M. S. Randhawa, the flowering trees were commonly grown in the gardens in the Hindu-Buddhist periods and the native annual herbaceous plants were perhaps not cultivated. Gardening has been popular in India from ancient times. In the Ramayana, mention is made of the Ashokavana, in which Sita was held captive. Ashoka trees (Saraca indica) were predominant in this garden. A description of the layout of gardens and parks and artificial lakes in the city of Indraprastha is given in the Sabha-Parva of the Mahabharata. Several trees, such as Saraca indica, Terminalia Arjuna, Mesua ferrea, Ficus benghalensis,
F.religiosa, Michelia champaka, Butea monosperma and Casia fistula, have been mentioned in the Ramayana. Almost all of them have also been described in the Mahabharata. The association of Lord Krishna with the Kadamba tree (Anthocephalus indicus) is well known. In the ancient Sanskrit work of Panini in Ashtadhyayi, several beautiful trees are mentioned, such as Ficus (F.religiosa, F.benghalensis, F.infectora), Butea monosperma, Prosopis spcigera Kadamba and a few others. The poet Asvaghosa described the Nandanavana in which Siddhartha Gauthama saw flowering trees and lotuses. During the Buddhist period, gardens were laid out around the monasteries and stupas and there were beautiful gardens in Nalanda and Taxila. It is said that Lord Buddha was born under a tree in a garden, the pipal.
The Bodhi tree, under which The Buddha attained nirvana, is sacred to the Buddhists. The planting of roadside avenue trees (margeshuvriksha) was an important contribution of the king Ashoka (233B.C.). Similarly, Shudraka (100B.C.) has also given an account of gardens and flowers in the Mrichhakatikam. Kalidasa (about 57B.C.) in his play Shakuntala has mentioned the pleasure garden having a bower of the madhavi creeper (Hiptage madablota) and several beautiful trees like Ashoka (Saraca indica), Kadamba (Anthocephalus indicus), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna)Vakula (Mimusops elengi), Palasha (Butea monosperma), Parijata (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) and Kavidara (Bauhinia varieagata). The art of gardening has been described by Saragadhara (A.D.1300) in his Upavana Vinoda, and Sarangadhara Paddhati, wherein mention is also made of some trees. Vatsyayana (A.D.300-400) has also rendered interesting accounts of four kinds of gardens, namely, pramadodyan, udyan, vrikshavatika and nandanavana. Classical Sanskrit literature, as mentioned above, as well as the flower and tree motifs delineated in old sculptures and the architecture of Mathura (Kanishka period A.D.78-101),
Bharhut, Sanchi and several others and displayed in the Ajanta frescoes (A.D.100-600) bear testimony to the importance of gardening and flowers in Indian culture. Like many crop plants, several of the flowers, particularly the herbaceous annuals, biennials and perennials and bulbous flowers grown in our country, have been introduced from abroad. These exotic flowers have come from Europe, America, Africa, China, Japan and other countries. How these exotic flowers were introduced in India has not been properly recorded. However, it can be said that most of the exotic flowers were introduced during the Mughal and British periods. From centuries flowers are symbol of beauty and love essentially grown for aesthetic, social function. Besides, they have the extraction of essential oil and manufacturing of perfumes.
India is the only country gifted with suitable climate to grow spectrum flowers. Indian floriculture industry is witnessing an unprecedented growth and increasing acceptability today. The consumption of ornamental and flowering plants is generally by the affluent class of the society. Higher standards of living and growing desire to live in an environment friendly atmosphere have led to an increasing demand for floriculture in India. Commercial cut flower production requires high light levels, temperature-controlled environment and demands high labour requirements. Most of the world’s production is produced in the developed countries where technology has developed to address these requirements resulting in very high capital costs to combat the low winter light levels, high energy and labour costs. This technology is totally unsuited for Indian conditions where light levels tend to be very high, sometimes too- high, where the climate is warm requiring
little energy to maintain the ideal temperature and where labour is abundant and in world terms, relatively low cost. During the early stages of floriculture development in India many mistakes were made in technology transferring in appropriate Dutch or Israeli technology often with disastrous results and unnecessary high capital expenses. This 'Blue Print' is the result of the findings and experience during the three years UNDP/ITC/APEDA programmed of technical assistance to the floriculture industry in India. Its main purpose is to provide a background to Indian floriculture for intending investors as well as a refresher and source of reference to existing producers. Indian floriculture
has centered on one major export crop. Roses and it is the production of this crop that forms the background to this blue print. The fundamental principles for rose production apply equally to the major of floriculture crop. The company has launched a unique concept 'feeling expresso - Phool se Dil tak Kabhi bhi kahee bhi' the concept revolutionizes the rose culture present in India at the moment by giving a new way to express ones feeling directly on the petal of a natural rose flower.
