Ooty: To keep the Government Botanical Garden (GBG), a major tourist attraction in full bloom in the coming summer season and during the annual flower show to be held there in May, the GBG administration has set in motion planting operations of five lakh lower saplings. Nilgiris Collector Innocent Divya inaugurated planting operations on Wednesday.
The Collector said that saplings of 230 flower varieties needed for planting have been produced in the nurseries attached to the garden. Besides, regular flower varieties like Verbena, Lillium, French Marigold, Petunia, Dahlia, Inka Marigold, Pansy, Stalk, Calcilaria, Primula, Genia, Stalk, Gladiolus, Cyclamen, Coleus, Sapanaria, Flox, Dianthu, Viola and Aster, this year's new varieties such as Ornamental Gale, Asiatic Lily and Oriental Lily, will be planted in the flower beds across the sprawling GBG.
Plantings of these flower varieties will be concurrently done in 15,000 flower pots to keep them ready for the annual flower show in the GBG in May, she added.
Meanwhile, horticulture department sources said that conditions are ideal now for planting. Proper protective measures will be taken to protect the plants from frost bite and other weather change factors.
