A house of flowers for Mr Krumbiegel

The Republic Day flower show will be a floral tribute to GH Krumbiegel, legendary gar dener and one of the architects of Lalbagh. On the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary, a floral replica of the house in Germany , where the gardener spent his childhood, will be installed. The floral model, spread across an area of 30X20ft and scaling up to 25ft, is made from over five lakh tiny flower pots featuring about 50 varieties of flowers.
And it has been painstaking work.Krishna Chauhan of Ratnashri Landscapers, who is the chief architect executing the project, said they procured these flowers pots from Pune, after culturing them for 21 months.“This will be for the first time in India that we will use live flowers (from flower pots) for a floral model of this scale for any flower show. Pancy, Petuniya, Portulaca, Dianthus, Begonia, Geranium, Calanchu and Chrysanthemum are some of the flower varieties used. The model will be similar to formations in Dubai Miracle Garden,“ he added.
A senior horticulture department official said they want the flower show to be close to what Krumbiegel had envisaged. “He wanted his designs to be closer to nature and most of his works were informal. Similalry , we are using live flowers (those grown in pots) for the replica of the house, instead of cut flowers (Dutch flowers), which is the usual practice,“ he added.
Born in Lohmen, near Dresden of Germany , Krumbiegel went through apprenticeship in horticulture at the King's Garden at Pilinitz. “His huge interest in gardening took him to Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, UK.Later he came to India on an assignment to improve palace gardens in then Baroda state and went on to become a legend in gardening and parks development in Bengaluru and across the country. A floral replica of his house will give visitors a new experience on how the legendary gardener spent his early days,“ said S Narayanaswamy, a historian, who has done research on the life and works of Krumbiegel.
The department will also display a picture gallery of period photos of Krumbiegel. Rare photos of his family and those depicting his association with Karnataka will be on the display .
GERMAN CONSULATE CHIPS IN TOO
The German Consulate in Bengaluru said its members are delighted to participate in the flower show dedicated to GH Krumbiegel. In Germany, Krumbiegel's 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated with a special exhibition titled `The Maharajas' Gardener ­ A Saxon Enchants India' at his alma mater Pillnitz Castle Park in Dresden, Saxony. The exhibition includes a special floral arrangement between June 1 and October 3, 2016 and a photo exhibition in the New Palace Museum between April 30 and November 1, 2016.The representative from Pillnitz Castle Park, Dr Anja Eppert who is also part of the Krumbiegel commemoration project said, “We are delighted to honour a former Saxonian and pay tribute to the splendid work done by him in India. We are especially grateful to the Mysore Horticulture Society for presenting the bust of Krumbiegel for the exhibition in Germany.“