Delhi Flower Market : Walk on the Flowery Side
The Glimpse of Delhi Flower Market
Delhi makes you travel through time. Marvel on the remnants of mogul monuments, the well-preserved heritage sites, British-era parliament building, the skyscrapers and concrete jungle of Gurgaon as the fast and flashy metro takes you to the space era just when you leave the old and narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk. Delhi’s chaats, flamboyance, and swag are famous all over as the city reborn each day, keeping the hindrance and bad reputation aside to welcome people from all walks of the life. Besides, not many of us are aware of the exotic and flowery side of the capital, which is its flower markets. Delhi has two flower markets, one in Ghazipur and one right at the heart of the city, Connaught Place.
Despite the sleepy and cozy winters and awesome summer mornings when you wouldn’t even have the courage to come out of your air-conditioned room, these markets sail through at the same working hours, regardless of the weather and temperature.
Apart from these two major flower markets, Delhi also has two other markets- Chandni Chowk and Lado Sarai Mandi but they largely deal in loose and locally grown flowers such as marigold and rose.
The flower markets are the delight for the photo journalists and visitors who admire flowers. Making exotic and regular flowers available at the wholesale prices, event organizers and flower retailers often flock them to get a good deal on the flowers. Attracting every type of buyers including florists, wedding planners, and vendors, the market is nothing short of a treat for the eyes. Apart from huge Delhi flower market, we have already discussed about Mumbai flower market and Hyderabad flower market in previous posts.
The flowers make it from all over the world to the market. Sourced from China, Holland, Thailand, and Vietnam, here you have flowers that are as common as gerberas and marigolds and as rare as anthuriums and white orchids. You also have artificial silk flowers from China and Vietnam. Available in every type of colors imaginable, red, orange, yellow, white and blue, the flowers present for an aesthetic treat. Apart from these, you can also find dry flowers, potpourri, cane baskets for flower decoration and much more.
The market churns out an annual unofficial figure of over $80 million however, it is temporary and the proposal to make it a permanent market is underway. The wooden planks and vendors setting their shops near the sideway are an unauthorized development.
How to Reach Ghazipur Phool Mandi in Delhi
Thanks to Delhi Metro, every place is accessible in the NCR region these days. Take Anand Vihar Metro to reach to the market. The market starts at 4:00 AM and as soon as it resumes its commercial activities, the market has its usual visitors looking for wholesale flower buying at dirt-cheap prices. The second hour of the market is dominated by major retailers, so, this is a time where people wouldn’t have time to smile for the camera, let alone a faint recognition of the fact that they are being clicked!
Shortly thereafter, the madness of market fades away and the next hour is a bit relaxed as you can now see them sipping on tea, provided by the roadside vendors. This market is not just about flowers, it, in fact, is the lifeline of several small-time vendors who thrive on the flux of visitors and they won’t care what type are they, as long as you buy a cup of tea and a packet of biscuits from them.
However, if you want to see the drama and frenzy of Delhi flower market unfold in front of your eyes in its full glory and capture all the emotions ranging from awe to fatigue, you would have to compromise a bit on your sleep for a day and be there as the dawn arrives. People also order flowers for Delhi from these places for same day flower delivery in Delhi.
Connaught Place Flower Market in Delhi
It is one of the largest flower markets in Asia and mostly known as ‘phool mandi’. This flower mart at Kharak Singh Marg’s Emporia Complex starts at 4 AM and operates till 9:00 AM. The flowers come from South Asia, Thailand, Holland, and Bangkok while the local varieties come from Kolkata, Bengaluru and Maharashtra. The vans drive in the cargo including flowers, foliage, silk flowers, bouquet accessories, and gift baskets. Bamboo varieties, reeds, and artificial flowers are also finding space in the CP market seeing the new demand and the influx of clients demanding “better and luxury products” such as ferns, fronds and palms. This wholesale flower market is supposed to be found by Mr. Brij Mohan Khanagwal in 1995 and it churns out about Rs. 30 lakh on a daily basis.
The market has roadside tea-vendors sitting amidst the flower sellers. These vendors also rake in moolahs because the visitors keep pouring.
How to Reach C.P Phool Mandi?
The market is situated in one of the busiest commercial hubs, Rajeev Chowk in Delhi. You can hop a ride on the metro, public buses or auto.
Tips for Visitors
Delhi junta is a pro at bargaining, courtesy flea markets at Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar. And don’t you forget to try that too! Bargain for good prices. It is little difficult to bargain during the peak season such as Valentine’s Day, wedding season and New Year’s Evening.
The market is open for wholesale as well as retail customers.
The markets are the perfect place to buy wholesale flowers, however, if you are looking for fresh flower bouquet to gift your loved ones on birthdays or anniversaries, it is always better to trust your local online flowers.
Take care of your valuables and belongings.
If you are looking for better prices, you can go to market at 8:40 AM. The vendors start wrapping up by this time and they want to offload their stock because keeping the perishable stuff like flowers is costly and usually, the vendors don’t have the infrastructure for it. However, you wouldn’t have many options available to choose from.
Besides, you would also need to check the flowers that are handed over to you.
Show little courtesy before clicking the pictures of customers and vendors.
