Kerala couple’s bougainvillea garden attracts national & global customers

Kottayam: Inspiration from others sometimes changes the lives of several individuals. So is the case with S. Siji and his wife Shyama from Kottayam district of Kerala. The couple gradually developed an exclusive garden known as Bougainvillea. It has the quality to produce flowers in seven different colors on the same plant. Their dedication and creativity have drawn the attention of customers from India and abroad.

This is not enough; a visit from Kerala Agriculture Minister P. Prasad and his suggestion to cultivate bougainvillea on a larger scale and his encouraging words had changed the mindsets of Shyama and his wife Siji. The couple expanded their garden to 25 cents and put every ounce of their energy into the cultivation of bougainvillea plants.

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The garden features varieties like Maharani, Adarna, Flame Red, and Sakura. The couple started their venture four years ago when he found a discarded plant and, with his background in pepper grafting, began experimenting with grafting different colors onto a single plant. Meanwhile, their research helped them to grow bougainvillea; the plants are currently available at the price of Rs 3,000 to Rs 30,000. The seedlings of the plant are started at Rs 300, while large, multi-colored plants have been sold in lakhs in the market.

Siji and Shyama’s new innovations are continuing their grafted varieties from the Philippines and have a huge demand in local and international markets. Their YouTube channel and international bougainvillea groups have further boosted the popularity of this plant. The passion of the couple helped them to increase their income and gained recognition due to their farming of the colourful bougainvilleas, inspiring the floriculture community.