To our surprise,in the very first meet they were jovial with us and even cracked few jokes. We were touched by their simplicity and courteous manners.
Mangalamma (Mrs. Raghavendra) sat with us for a general discussion and explained her expectations.
As per our usual procedure within few days we went up with a plan with few sample pictures for selection.
She was very happy with the options provided and handpicked the fiber pots which looks like granite/stone and also the hanging metal pots lined up with coir pots.
It was during the time of marriage of Dr.Shiva Rajkumar’s daugther, that we had the opportunity to decorate the space.
We only had 2 days to go to: plan, to research, to buy materials and to install all of them.
We had just two things to do fix the hanging planter baskets, arrange the fiber pots with plants in a row, sounds easy right?
But like every project, we had our share of challenges.
Day 1 : We had to find 40 hanging baskets which looked all the same, and this was challenging because no vendor carried a stock of similar baskets of that quantity. After many phone calls we came across a store named Minerva Naturals who assured us that they would be able to arrange it the next day.
We rushed on to Minerva Naturals to check the Hanging planters sample, we noticed that the hooks provided in the metal baskets are not suitable for the bars in the pergola. On site, The long stretch bars were made out of a combination of wood and metal and had different width and length. We had to find a common design to make sure everything hangs at the same length.
After an hour of research in the market we found “U” hooks which were flexible for all the bars to provide us with uniformity, but these hooks don’t come as per our requirements and we had rush back again to a local factory to customize it to suit our needs.
By end of our 1st day all we had was the metal “U” hooks customized for us and a promise from the vendor that the hanging pots would be available the next day.
Day 2 :
We called Pramod, our dearest friend and savior. We explained him about the shortage of time and informed him that we would be collecting the hanging baskets from one end of the city and he needs to arrange for the rest like soil, compost, fiber pots, plants etc.
As we set out to buy the hanging baskets we noticed it was a sunny day, and which was unusual for rainy season, and the sun burnt bright on us first half of the day, and as we collected the baskets and headed back to our nursery the weather pattern changed and heavy rains started lashing on us by noon.
Within a short period of time the streets were logged with water, the high density traffic came to a stand still. We had a difficult period traveling through the slow moving traffic.
By the time we reached back our farm, it was around 5pm.
Luckily, Pramod had arranged for the pots, soil, compost, pebbles and other tiny things. But we had to hand pick the plants quickly as we were running short of day light. Once done, the day light started dimming and we had our staff plant them in the pots.
It took nearly 2 hours for the whole planting to be done and it was 9pm by the end of it.
We were happy that the day ended with all the things ready to be installed.
There were also few pots ofHydrangea with a cluster of blue flowers placed at the opposite end. Finally the soil in the pots were decorated with white pebbles to sync it with the pot color.
We had a splendid day, and with all this we shouldn’t forget the courteous clients. Everybody from their home made sure we were sufficiently refreshed with beverages, buttermilk and juices the whole day.
It was celebrations time at home, and there were lot of people who appreciated our work with a bright smile on their faces.
We are happy and proud to have had an opportunity to work at their place. Thank you!
THE CHERRY CLUB 