``India has such a profusion of blooms of every kind that it seems a shame to see them being under-utilised in terms of design,'' says Theo Boerma. Head of the institute, founded by his grandfather Pieter Boerma in 1922, Theo is at the helm of things, including at the school's, established outlets in Japan and Taiwan. They were invited to India by the Pune-based floriculture consultancy So Vitro Trading and Services. After experimental sessions in Pune and Bangalore, the four-member team zeroed in on Delhi and Mumbai. The Boermas will hold demonstrations at Green Grower in Bandra on Tuesday, and the Taj Mahal on Saturday. The demonstrations will be followed by workshops teaching different kinds of flower arrangements: the traditional Dutch hand-tied bouquet, cascades, weddingbouquets and centre-pieces. People are free to pick what they want to study in greater detail.

``There is great scope in India, a country that has statistics to prove how powerful a force it can be in the international floral market,'' says Jan van Heerde, director of So Vitro. ``For instance, India has replaced Holland as the largest supplier of roses to Japan, and is one of the biggest exporters of flowers to Holland and Germany. And it is a market that has just started international dealing in 1991, after liberalisation,'' he adds.

Boerma's offshoots, floral services like Interflora and Teleflora, that deliver flowers anywhere in the world, are also pitching their tents in the country. In India, flowers often stand in for traditional gifts like sweets in any season. And floral art fits in for the discerning who know their roses and are choosy about the look of the flowers, which is what the team of four are here for.

``Anyone, from the home-maker to the entrepreneur who hopes to make a career sellingflowers can learn a whole lot of basic things here. Simple things make big differences - for instance, if stems are kept out of water for over 10 minutes, the water supply to the flower gets cut off. You have to then trim them further to make the flowers last,'' explains Nicolle Boerma, Theo Boerma's daughter, and one of the experts who will be conducting demonstrations here.

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