What started as a pastime for urban residents has grown into a thriving green movement in the divisional city of Khulna, where rooftops across the city are being transformed into colourful gardens, mini farms and even profitable businesses.
The trend, once limited to hobbyists, has gained widespread popularity as residents of the south-western region’s largest city embrace rooftop gardening for recreation, household nutrition and income generation. Spending afternoons with family in these small green spaces has become a part of urban lifestyle.
From small residential terraces to large apartment rooftops, greenery has become a common sight across Khulna. Many gardeners are cultivating vegetables, fruits and ornamental species for both personal use and commercial purposes.
Tomatoes, brinjals and green chillies, along with nutritious fruits such as mangoes, dragon fruits and malta oranges, are being grown in these spaces.
Abu Masud, owner of Dalia Nursery and general secretary of the Khulna Nursery Owners’ Association, said, “Although there is no official data on the number of rooftop gardeners in Khulna, their number is much higher than at any previous time. The future of rooftop gardening is highly promising.”
A rooftop forest built over two decades
Among Khulna’s most remarkable rooftop gardens is that of physician Amirul Khusru, whose terrace has evolved into a small urban forest housing more than 1,100 rare plants.
Khusru began his journey in 2000, learning plant care and bonsai techniques through books without formal training or modern equipment. Over the years, his rooftop collection has grown to include hundreds of bonsai, fruit and flowering plants.
The garden features rare varieties such as purple krishnachura, weeping tamarind, blue bell, ruby longan and cardamom lemon — plants rarely seen in Bangladesh.
Many of the bonsai trees, some nearly two decades old, were created by Khusru himself. A distinctive feature of his garden is the handmade pots designed and produced in his own small workshop, where he uses clay, ceramics and wood. The workshop contains equipment worth around Tk3-4 lakh.
The rooftop ecosystem has also attracted birds, including sparrows and purple sunbirds, turning the space into a lively natural sanctuary above the city.
College student turns passion into business
Sadia Tarannum, a college student from Nazirghat, started a cactus garden on her rooftop in 2022 while staying at her sister’s house. Later, she added decorative snake plants. What began as a hobby has now turned into a commercial venture.
Sadia cultivates more than 100 cactus varieties and over 200 snake plant varieties. She has created a Facebook group for her initiative, which now has more than 31,000 members. Through the group, plants are supplied to different districts, including Khulna. The prices range between Tk1,000 and Tk2,000.
Sadia said she learns techniques from YouTube videos and creates new varieties through cross-pollination. Her rooftop currently holds saplings worth Tk5-6 lakh, while she earns Tk20,000-25,000 per month from the garden.
‘Smile in green, live in green’
Tanvir Ahmed Sajal, who is associated with an event management organisation, founded a group called ‘Smile in Green, Live in Green’ to bring together rooftop gardeners in Khulna, facilitate information sharing and build a community.
Creating interest in plants among school and college students and bringing the younger generation closer to nature are among the organisation’s key objectives.
Sajal said his initiative aims to popularise vertical gardening on rooftops and buildings, meet family nutritional needs and make the city greener.
His indoor and tropical plant garden is rich in ornamental and exotic species.
In 2019, he launched an initiative named ‘Easy Door’ to distribute plants among people in exchange for waste materials. However, he had to shut it down due to a lack of response. He later continued selling plants from his rooftop garden.
Currently, he has a collection of more than 200 varieties of foreign plants. Besides plants, he also sells fertilisers, soil, pots and other gardening accessories. His average monthly sales stand at Tk70,000-80,000.
Record sales at tree fair
The growing interest in greenery is also reflected in the month-long tree fair at Khulna Circuit House ground, where visitors are flocking to buy plants.
Stalls selling local and foreign fruit, timber, medicinal and flowering saplings have witnessed heavy crowds, particularly during holidays.
In the first month of the fair, 64,546 saplings were sold, with a total market value of Tk92.56 lakh — the highest sales recorded at the event so far.
Jointly organised by the Khulna district administration and the Khulna Sundarbans West Forest Division, the fair began on 11 July and will continue until 11 August.
