India Gate replica in Ooty rose show awes visitors

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The famed rose show in Ooty was inaugurated on Saturday by district Collector J Innocent Divya at the Government Rose Garden. About 20,000 tourists visited the show on the first day.
The show, which has entered the 16th year, is considered to be the jewel of the annual summer festival. Even after the two-day show, display of floral features and cut roses will continue for over a week.
Crowd-puller of the show was India Gate model made of thousands of roses with different colour buds.“India Gate replica has been made of about 30,000 cut roses by the Nilgiri district horticulture department,” joint director of horticulture Shiva Subramaniam Samraj told TOI. Besides, four other districts’s - Krishnagiri, Erode, Madurai and Tirunelveli - horticulture departments have contributed to the show, he said.
The other attractions include floral model of peacock, bull and a boat. Besides, the GRG with 30,000 rose plants of 3,999 varieties is itself a favoured spot for tourists who visits the hill station in summer.
“The show is spectacular. The number of varieties of roses in the garden is amazing,” said K Joseph, a tourist from Kerala.
“More crowd is expected on Sunday,” said Samraj. Over 50 rose growers have entered the fray to bag the best bloom of the show. As many as 13 rolling cups and 35 first prizes for different categories will be distributed on Sunday evening.
The GRG, which had received Garden of Excellence Award, is spread over five acres. Of the 3,999 varieties about 500 varieties of roses were added in the past 3-4 years. The rose garden in Chandigarah, which is spread across 36 acres, has 900 varieties.