We have had a conversation with Gholamhossein Sultan Mohammadi, director of the Flower and Plant Union of Tehran Province and a member of the National Union of Flower and Plant Producers of Iran, about Iranians' interest in flowers and home decoration design with houseplants, which you will read below.

According to Hamshahri Online, there is no doubt that there is no one who does not change his mood when he sees flowers, plants and greenery. Even now, to make our people happy and to show our love and affection, we give them flowers from time to time inappropriately or on occasion. On the other hand, due to the fact that our country is a land of four seasons and has a unique and remarkable ecosystem and weather conditions, we are leaders in terms of diversity and flower production; According to the director of the flower and plant union of Tehran province, we rank 17th in the world in the field of flower and plant production.

We have had a conversation with Gholamhossein Sultan Mohammadi, director of the flower and plant union of Tehran province and a member of the national union of flower and plant producers of Iran, about the interest of Iranians in flowers and home decoration design with houseplants, which you will read below.

How many types of plants do we have in Iran?

We live in a country with very good climatic conditions, that's why we have about 15,000 flower and plant producers and 8,000 plant species in the country. Many of these plant species are known and many are not known and have not been exposed to the public.

What kind of flowers do Iranians like the most?

People like the flowers they know best. For example, one of the flowers that can be seen a lot in flower shops and florists is "Rose", which has a variety of colors and good quality. "Lilium" and "Anthurium", "Orchid", "Chrysanthemum", "Mariam" and "Glyol" are popular among Iranians. Different people choose roses for viewing and visiting, gladiolus for mourning ceremonies, anthurium and lilium for the beauty of the flower basket, chrysanthemum and alstroemeria for their purchase because of the reasonable price and long shelf life. Of course, in general, in our country, many people do not buy flowers for their own heart, while the variety and abundance of flowers in the country is great, and most importantly, flowers are food for the soul, and those who get used to looking for food for the soul will live better.

How should these conditions be reversed so that people buy flowers for their own pleasure in the household basket?

We must create conditions for people to buy flowers. First of all, we have to create culture to buy flowers and then balance the prices. You can imagine that buying flowers for various ceremonies is common among Iranians, because it has been cultured in this field. Our people only buy flowers for special occasions such as Mother's Day, birthday, Father's Day, seeing and visiting, visiting the sick, wedding, mourning and some special days such as doctor's day, teacher's day, etc. We sell the most flowers in Iran on the birthday of Hazrat Zahra (pbuh) and Mother's Day. However, in general, it can be said that buying flowers, especially cut flowers, has opened its place.

Can home decoration design with houseplants be another reason for people's acceptance of flowers and plants?

Yes; Plants have opened up space in the design of home and office decoration. Most of the plants are green leaves, but before buying any type of flower for the apartment, it is better to learn how to maintain them and not to buy flowers just for the beauty of the house without knowing the principles of their maintenance. First of all, we need to know what kind of plants are suitable for keeping in our apartment or house. In order for a plant to live well, it needs 6 main factors: temperature, light, water, soil, fertilizer, and most importantly, speech. When there is excitement and life in the house, the plant is also fresher. If you travel for a long time, plants will become depressed, because they are living creatures that enjoy our enthusiasm and get energy.

Why is the price of a flower different in online stores and flower shops?

The pricing of flowers in online stores and websites is not in the hands of the union. All these online stores do not have high-quality flowers, but they are only a few of them and they deliver fresh and fresh flowers to people, but it does not apply to all of them. While florists have good experience and higher quality flowers. The shopkeeper has to pay insurance, property, water and electricity costs, taxes, labor costs, etc., so it is natural that there is a price difference. This is despite the fact that online stores do not have any of these costs, and that is why they have hit flower shops and taken away their ability to compete. The customer who is usually looking for cheap material, but the one who is looking for fresh and good material, undoubtedly prefers to buy from a flower shop in person.

Why were flowers and plants valued so much in the past that, for example, the name of the importer was put on a street; Like "Pich Amin al-Doulah"?

Peach means jasmine, and because Ali Khan Amin-doleh, the chancellor of Muzaffaruddin Shah Qajar, planted this plant for the first time in Iran in the garden of Amin-doleh, it was named like this. Or a botanist brought a flower into Iran and gave a gift to the Qajar king and the king gave him a hundred tomans as a tip, so it became known as the "hundred toman" flower. But now there are so many varieties of flowers and thanks to the internet, the names of all flowers are available that we rarely face such cases.

Do you have any advice or advice about this?

I hope men go home with a flower branch every night and give joy and happiness to their families.