It is an eye soothing scene all around with marigold and tuberose on most fields in 17 villages in Kaliganj upazila, about 25km south-west of Jhenidah district town.

The villagers also grow various types of roses.

Most of the farmers in the area started flower cultivation instead of growing traditional crops like paddy and jute as it is more profitable. Flowers can be cultivated three times a year, farmers and agriculture officials told the Daily Star correspondents recently.

The flowers grown in the villages include Trilochonpur, Baliadanga, Gobordanga, Boro-Ghighati, Chhoto-Ghighati, Boginathpur, Fadilpur, Banuria and Tillia.

Commercial flower cultivation in the area began about eight years ago. Trilochonpur union is now known in the district as a 'flower garden', thanks to the initiative by farmer Sabdul Hossain.

Sabdul said he has already earned around Tk 50,000 from flowers on two bighas this year. A similar amount may be earned if the weather remains favourable, he said.

Flower cultivation is spreading to other areas of the upazila and parts of the adjoining Chuadanga district, Agriculture Extension Department (AED) officials said.

According to AED statistics, out of some 2,400 bighas of land in Trilochonpur union, around 2,000 bighas are now under flower cultivation.

Abdur Razzak, a former chairman of Trilochonpur Union Parishad said most of the people in the union are directly or indirectly involved with flower cultivation and trade.

The correspondents found that most of the people are flower lovers as it earns them bread and keeps the area beautiful.

During this ongoing peak season, farmers in Trilochonpur union sell two truckloads of Marigold and at least 80 bundles of tuberose per day at Kaliganj upazila headquarters.

Each bundle contains up to 3,000 sticks of tuberoses. The flowers find their way to flower markets in Dhaka, Chittagong, and other cities and towns.

"Now people of 17 villages in Trilochonpur union sell flowers worth about Tk 85,000 a day. But we had bad times in the past", said Razzak, also a flower grower.

"Traders from Dhaka used to cheat us, make payments late and in small installments. Now we sell flowers on cash payment", said Saifur Rahman, a flower wholesaler in Kaliganj upazila headquarters.

Kaliganj upazila AED official Shahidul Islam said farmers in the area took to flower growing as it is more profitable than paddy, jute or other traditional crops.

Abdul Kader Sarkar, Deputy Director (DD) of Jhenidah district AED said, "Seeing their success, we have decided to provide them special training".