Making a pookalam this Onam? Here is where to buy the flowers in UAE

Dubai: The pookalam is the heart of every Onam celebration, a floral carpet built up day by day from Atham to Thiruvonam, growing more elaborate with each passing star day. If you are making one at home this year, here is where to find the flowers.

What you need

The traditional pookalam uses marigolds for their rich orange and yellow hues, jasmine for fragrance and delicate detailing, roses for colour and elegance, chrysanthemums for texture, and lotus flowers for the centrepiece. Fresh petals rather than whole flowers are what most people work with when laying the design.

In-store options

Perumal Flower Shop, Bur Dubai is one of the most established names in the city for Onam flowers, with branches in Bur Dubai and nearby areas that stock loose flowers and pookalam-specific arrangements during the festival season. Perumal Flower Shop has branches in Bur Dubai and has previously announced Onam flowers available across its locations located across UAE. Worth calling ahead to check stock before Thiruvonam.

Karama and Bur Dubai flower markets are the most reliable walk-in options for loose petals and fresh stems during the Onam season. Vendors in these neighbourhoods stock up specifically for the festival, and you can usually buy by weight or by bunch depending on what you need.

Lulu Hypermarket and Nesto carry fresh flowers in season and are convenient if you are already picking up sadhya ingredients at the same time.

Online with delivery

CheapFlowers.ae delivers across more than 100 neighbourhoods in Dubai, from Downtown and Marina to Bur Dubai and Deira, and carries Onam flower arrangements during the season.

Carmel Flowers ships loose pookalam flowers starting from Dh145 including marigold and jasmine with same-day delivery across Dubai.

Amazon.ae carries the FreshToHome Onam Flower Box, an 800g pookalam kit that includes a ready-to-use selection of dried and fresh petals for Dh54, useful if you want a hassle-free starting point rather than sourcing individual flowers.

Practical tips

Buy flowers the evening before or the morning of the day you plan to lay your pookalam. Fresh petals last best within 24 hours of purchase. Keep them in a cool spot away from direct sun and mist lightly with water if they begin to wilt before you are ready. If you are building a pookalam across multiple days as tradition dictates, buy small quantities daily rather than stocking up all at once.