​Dandi Bagh, Himachal Pradesh, India, 13th September 2016, 7:30 am:

For the past few years, Mela Ram Uncle’s elder son Manoj and his wife Anu (Anita) Bhabhi have been working here on a nursery, making flowering plant saplings for sale. Over the years, they have increased the variety of flowers being brought up, even going to the extent of rearing them in different seasons other than the traditional.

They send these plants to Chandigarh for sale. Their reputation has grown such that sometimes the pickup vehicles directly come to their home to buy and take away the plants.

This time round, I saw the following plants at the nursery:

• Begonia
• Sempleflorens
• Salvia
• Dianthus
• Pansy
• Marigold 
• Cyclamen
• Gazania
• Barbina
• Geranium

Manoj Sharma shows the nursery; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Anu Bhabhi takes a break from work; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Makeshift arrangements; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

The Greenhouse Nursery; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Marigold saplings inside the greenhouse; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

More Marigold and Begonia saplings in the greenhouse; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Blooming Salvia; Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh

Photo: Ameen Shaikh