preserve educate inspire
The project's aim is to:
- preserve the native plants of Nepali flora before they disappear for ever
- educate about the local flora and the impact it has on ecosystems
- inspire young generation to preserve native species, protect their natural habitat and grow their own gardens
We also aim to help introduce variety and enrich the diet of local people by encouraging them to grow vegetables and fruit that have been forgotten or are not cultivated in the region in their kitchen gardens.
Garden in the Himalayas is tended by two gardeners and twice yearly, on Purna's visits to Nepal, plant hunting expeditions take place which are a great chance for explorers and botanists to join in.
The plants in the garden are collected during the expeditions as well as from the nearby forest and surrounding villages. Some of the species planted include: Berginia, Lobelia, Primula, Daphne, Mahonia, Clematis, Honey suckle, Cyathea, Cardiocrinum, Osbeckia, Costus, Scabiosa.
Vegetables planted include; spinach, cucamber, beans, yam, tree tomato, cauliflower, banana, sweet peas, soya beans and sweet corns.
The ambition is to plant many more, including endemic species whose cultivation has been forgotten re-introducing them to traditional diet by distributing the seeds.
