SDMC to develop vertical gardens

MOSAIC CULTURE IS THE HORTICULTURAL ART OF CREATING ORNAMENTAL SHAPES OR FIGURES IN IRON MESH SHELLS

NEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation is reviving the practice of developing vertical gardens using ornamental shapes or giant figures with plants.

Such figures were used during the Commonwealth Games in 2010 when the Games mascot Shera and others were created using technique called the mosaic culture. These figures were displayed at prominent intersections.

“We have already created vertical walls at zonal offices in Green Park and Lajpat Nagar and work is on at other municipal buildings. But in the long term, we aim to develop mosaic vertical gardens in markets and outer walls of neighbourhood parks, depending on the amount of space,” said Puneet Goel, commissioner, SDMC.

Mosaic culture is the horticultural art of creating ornamental shapes or giant figures in iron mesh shells. Soil is filled inside the shell structure and locked in with a ‘polynet’ woven over the iron mesh. Simultaneously, plants are grown in a green house and preserved.

“Once the base is ready, the plants are meshed into the net through tiny holes. These plants are trimmed from time to time to give a fine floral structure to the mesh structure within a month. These gardens help in beautify- ing the city while keeping the maintenance cost optimum. Moreover, they also help in keeping the surroundings cool,” said senior official from horticulture department on condition of anonymity.

“The concept is good as long as these iron meshes hold the plant properly,” said CR Babu, professor emeritus at the department of environmental studies at Delhi University. “In any case, we need more and more vertical gardens, especially at buildings adjacent to highways and main roads to reduce air pollution. These gardens assimilate polycyclic hydrocarbons released from automobiles,” he said.

This year, other civic agencies have also introduced vertical gardens. They have developed the spaces beneath flyovers, busy roundabouts and public places.

“But unlike them, we are not using soil and pots for planting trees. Rather, fences are used in to carry plant and soil is being replaced with coco peat, which is less in weight and has more water retention capacity. These components will help us maintain the vertical gardens easily and increase their height also,” the official said.