| White Hall, Close by the White Memorial Hall and just below the Palace Ridge park is the more recent Flower Show Hall. In recent years this show has become quite popular and famous as there are flower exhibitions throughout the year in accordance with the seasons and the flowers in bloom.
certain mystique has surrounded orchids for centuries. Orchids
are undoubtedly some of the most exquisite and abundant members
of the plant kingdom. A moderate estimate would suggest about
25,000 species in the plant family Orchidaceae. In the 19th
century, fascinated by these beautiful and intriguing flowers
wealthy and powerful spent fortunes to maintain them in their
backyard. But thanks to the modem propagation and production
technologies, today they are accessible to a much broader
section of people. Horticulturists world-wide today grow orchids
not only because they are mysterious, but mainly due to the
factthatthey are highly priced and occupy 8% share of the
Global floricultural trade.
Sikkim Florist
India is home to about 1,700 species of orchids, of which about 800 are found in the North Eastern region of the country. North Eastern, Himalayas are not only rich in terms of number of species, but more-importantly many of them rank at the top of the list of ornamentally important ones. Sikkim Himalaya, comprising the hills of Sikkim and Darjeeling, harbours about 450 species and the centre of origin for important species like Cymbidium. However, many of these, once abundant, species are threatened or might have already disappeared in the wild.
er researc port is imperative to save ese beautiful members of
plant kingdom, and also to harness the economic potential
by scientific and judicious management. None other, but ICAR
has taken the lead to fill@-the gap by establishing a National
Research Centre for Orchids, based on the recommendations
of the Planning Commission. 'The site has been identified
by a team of experts from ICAR under the chairmanship of Dr
K.L. Chadha, DDG (Hort.) at Pakyong, Sikkim for establishment
of the centre. Sikkim State authorities approved and handed
over 22.19 acres of land belonging to regional agricultural
centre along with all other assets. The MOU and lease deed
were signed on 4 December 1995 and land was handed over in
October 1996. In October 1997 the centre also took over the
Darjeeling centre of CPRI.
Sikkim Flowers, Sikkim Florist, India Florist, Flowers
of Sikkim India
Flowers for export and hi-end consumers in India — anthuriums, tulips, lilies, gladioli, gerberas, iris, amaryllis, hyacinths, zantedeschias, carnations and several other varieties — are grown according to the latest European technology, with plants germinated and cultured in a protected environment in fully-equipped laboratories. Several Indian companies have collaborations with European flower growers, who supply not only the technology but also seeds or mother plants. These are grown in-vitro, somewhat like a human foetus, and then planted in the correct soil in a polyhouse. The flowers, when ready by international standards, are cut, packed and transported in refrigerated vans within hours to the airport. Export quality Indian flowers are flown to Holland, which is the world’s largest flower market. In Holland, the blooms are auctioned and then distributed all over Europe. Holland is the world’s hub for the flower industry, being a leader in growing tulips and other exotic flowers. Its floriculture technology is the world’s best. Holland’s floriculturists collaborate with Indian hi-tech flower cultivators to provide Europe with a plenitude of rare flowers in the winter when Europe’s gardens are frost-covered and barren.
Young agro-scientists are also drawn to this industry because of its glamour, ever-new technology and export potential. Many are turning their traditional fruit orchards or flower farms into hi-tech floriculture poly-houses and are launching new business ventures. Though Holland and Israel in Europe and Colombia and the USA in South and North America are leaders in the world market, it is predicted that India will soon earn a top place among flower-exporting countries.
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