Ooty: Horticulture department chips in with new roses

Ooty: Bubbling with blooms, beauty, colours and elegance, the Government Rose Garden(GRG) here provides a visual treat to the summer tourists as the Horticulture department has made it extra special this year by adding 200 new varieties  apparently  to commemorate the bicentenary of the Modern Nilgiris. Yes, thus contributing its 200 for the 200th year of modern Nilgiris.

While the second week of May generally sees all roads leading to GRG, the largest garden of its kind in the country in terms of maximum rose varieties in a single garden, for the famed rose show, the poll model code this year already took its toll with the show cancelled when modern Nilgiris is celebrating its bicentenary.

Nevertheless, the enthusiastic Horticulture officials proved their prudence by planting 200 new rose varieties such as Twilight trust, Up town girl, Truly yours, Whisper,  Yasemin cavas, .

Maurice utrillo, .Wauheke and Morning star, to add the “additional rose-charm” to celebrate the bicentenary of modern Nilgiris.   

Of course, these new varieties have begun to bloom now.

With this the total number of rose varieties in the GRG rose to 4,200.

Spread over 12 acres, the GRG began its journey in 1995 with 1,800 rose varieties,  had grown leaps and bound since then and bagged the “Garden of Excellence” award from the Federation of World Rose Societies in 2006.

With some rare rose varieties such as the green rose and blue rose, around 60 heritage rose varieties and quite a few imported breeds, the GRG always give the “Rose lessons “ and “Rose treat” to make the tourists bathe in the world of roses.   

With summer on, tourists are flocking to enjoy the salubrious summer in Ooty, even as the grandeur of roses in the GRG is bound to charm them even more.