Flower Gardens in Desert

By Victor DSouza, Doha
Bellevision Media Network

Doha, 17 May 2010: Since few weeks in this season I have been seeing the beautiful array of plants and flowers on either side of the roads in Doha. This is the perfect season for these flowers to bloom and they are a wonderful sight to see. I had some leisure time on last weekend, so took a drive around in part of the city and captured some pictures of this beauty of nature.

Flower beds like these are a common sight along the roads and roundabouts in the Gulf Countries. The local municipalities make lots of efforts to make the city green with palm trees, shrubs and flowers. With all the towering buildings and the construction works all around, it is nice to see how these attractive flowers add a soft and natural touch to a busy city like Doha.

These plants and flowers will survive until the summer heat when eventually they loose life. Many plants have evolved clever ways of adapting to dry conditions and even surviving extended periods of summer. Most of the city showrooms, offices, hotels and private residential compounds too grow gardens or at least grow some plants in pots which also contribute to the greenery of city.

Maintaining and taking care of the garden plants and flowers is also a hard task. Municipality with its own workforce or through the contractors takes care of the plants and tree maintenance, pruning, weeding, hedge trimming, landscaping, planting, soil treatment, soil irrigation and water distribution on regular basis.

Maintenance is an integral part of gardening regardless of the size of the garden, which is needed to ensure that a garden is always in peak condition. The flowers bloom in the winter, but once the flowers are done, it needs maintenance. With the modern tools and equipments the job of pruning and tidying has become considerably easier, which helps to keep the tree or shrub as close to the natural shape as possible.

Sometimes when we pass by in the mornings, we get to see the gardeners trimming the hedges or mowing the grass or simply tidying up the garden, either using hand tools or power trimmers. We can feel the fresh smell of grass at this time. These gardeners are well skilled and they do it smoothly with minimal disruption, producing the desired finish. It is a continuous job as the trimmed shrubs may only look fine for a few weeks, until they look messy once again requiring maintenance.

The street plantations and the garden environments are often spectacular and stunning. The Qatari nationals and residents have always held a special feeling for nature, and especially for flower gardens. The gardens with its clean and well-maintained flower-beds surrounded by lush greenery lining the roads produce a pleasant environment.

It is a unique environment created to reduce stress with a lasting beauty that can be enjoyed, in whatever mood you are. While you are going to work or returning back after work the soothing views of the trees on your way, which are cultivated as ornamental plants along roadsides and the gardens full of flowers are a great way to start or end the day.