DUBAI If you are travelling and have no one to look after your indoor plants while you are away, here is an offer you wouldn’t want to miss.
For the first time in the UAE, the Dubai Garden Centre has launched a service where residents planning a vacation can leave behind their potted plants at the Shaikh Zayed Road shop so they can be taken care of in their absence.
Called Plant Summer Camp, the service is free of charge and can be used till August 31. Karen Mascarenhas of the centre said its staff water, feed, nurture, even repot the plants if necessary. Owners are also given social media updates on how their plants are doing while they are vacationing.
The plants, however, must meet the centre’s criteria. “We accept only indoor plants and just three per customer. The maximum height of the plants should be 1.25 metres and they should be in a healthy condition. No sick plants will be accepted,” said Mascarenhas.
Each plant that is left behind is tagged with the owner’s name and details. A full log of its water and nutrient requirements is also kept.
Mascarenhas said the idea of the community service came about following enquiries for such a facility by the centre’s customers.
Expectedly, it has received a huge response. “We have had people from Abu Dhabi too dropping off their plants here.”
Mascarenhas said the common indoor species being brought to the camp include howea fosteriana or the Kentia Palm, dracaena massangeana, phaleonopsis, anthurium and dracaena marginata.
