the goan I network
PANAJI
Plant lovers are in for a feast this weekend. At the Garcia de Orta garden in the capital city, potted plants -- flowering plants, foliage ornamentals, cycads, palms, succulents and cacti -- of varied hues will be on view at the Plant Utsav festival organised by the Botanical Society of Goa.
This year, the Corporation of the City of Panaji is collaborating with the BSG and the Utsav will be inaugurated on November 15 by Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate at 10 am. The Utsav will remain open to the public from 10 am to 8 pm for three days up to Sunday.
A statement issued by BSG Secretary Alvito D’Silva said plant nurseries and garden input providers including Green Fingers, Green Essentials, Shree Agro, Plant World and others will put up stalls.
“There will also be knowledge stalls disseminating information on vegetables, medicinal plants, gardening techniques, organic pest and disease management,” D’Silva said.
Also on the cards at the Plant Utsav is a contest for ‘potted plants’ such as flowering plants, foliage ornamentals, cycads, palms, succulents and cacti. The contest will be judged on November 15 morning and entries will be accepted from 4 to 7 pm on Thursday and from 8 am to 9.30 am on Friday morning and the plants for the contest should be delivered at the entrance of the Garcia da Orta Garden, BSG said.
There will be simultaneous on-the-spot petals rangoli, garland (jhelo and venni) making and flower arrangements (commercial cut-flowers and wild flowers) competitions from 5-6 pm on the inaugural day.
Also, a fruit and vegetable carving competition will be held from 4-5 pm on Saturday, which will be followed by a demonstration in flower arrangements by Daniel D’Souza at 5 pm.
On Sunday morning, there will be a drawing contest for school students at 10.30 am and a fancy dress contest with participants required to dress as a fruit, vegetable, flower or in the attire of a traditional Goan occupation in the afternoon at 4 pm.
This year a new rolling trophy is being instituted in the memory of Dr Arvind G Untawale, founding President of
the Botanical Society of Goa, who passed away recently in September. The trophy will be awarded to the person who scores the maximum points in the Plant Utsav for competitions in various categories, D’Silva said in the statement.
Aspiring participants or those desirous of putting up stalls at the Utsav may contact D’Silva (9421241536) or Priyanka Parab (7507887303) or email to [email protected]
