Soon, you could be swapping orchids between listening to conversations on gardening in an iconic British bungalow.
Owned by the British when they settled in Coimbatore and later by T Staines and Company, this heritage site is now a garden centre. Taking inspiration from garden centers abroad, Kalyani Narayanan, Senior Manager – Business Development at T Stains, started working on the concept six months ago.
The culmination of their efforts, along with a company team, is Staines Garden Center. It welcomes plant lovers from Coimbatore and surrounding areas with selfie corners, a beverage kiosk selling tea from tea stands, a pond, vertical gardens, and of course, hundreds of plant gardens.
“Gardening brings a sense of belonging, and garden centers are local to the community they support. In countries like the UK, almost every home has at least one small vase at the entrance. And there are many garden centers We want to leverage the interest in horticulture in Coimbatore. There are tons of posts on Instagram of home gardens in Coimbatore. There is scope to develop this interest into knowledge-filled skills through workshops and garden clubs,” said Kalyani, 25 says.
Selfie Point at Staines Garden Center | photo credit: Shiv Saravanan
“The center is a one stop shop for orchard enthusiasts,” says Lakshmi Narayanan, whole-time director, Tea Stains & Co. In the center of the driveway, in the shade of a netting green, bar-coded pots of plants stand on tables. Baskets are available for the customers to choose the plants of their choice.
There are over 15,000 plants here, from 300 categories – flowering plants, fruit trees, herbal plants, cactus, and crotons, to name a few. One section has plants and trees recommended for various birth stars and another is dedicated to herbs. All the plants are tropical varieties that can be easily grown locally.
Kalyani Narayanan, Senior Manager – Business Development at T. Steins & Co. photo credit: Shiv Saravanan
For those looking to buy pots, fertilizers, pesticides or garden tools, the center has organic products grown in-house. “We have been interacting with farmers in rural areas for many years and some of our products are household names. We want to make these available to urban plant lovers,” says Lakshmi.
Among the new plants and old trees are stone benches where visitors can sit for a cup of tea or meet with friends. A lily-pond with a vertical garden on its sides and a selfie point is another attraction.
To encourage people to gift plants to their friends, the center encourages visitors to pick up a plant and pot, then share the recipient’s address with the center’s staff, who will distribute the plants.
There is also a helpdesk where customers can take guidance from experts and also avail after sales support for maintaining the plants. In the coming days, the center plans to have workshops focused on home gardening, gardening clubs and programs.
For more information, 6380829127/9080384045. call on