TN govt proposes to enhance collection of roses in GRG, Ooty

Udhagamandalam: In its agriculture Budget for 2024-25 presented in the assembly on Monday, the state government proposed to enhance the collection of roses in the Government Rose Garden (GRG) in Ooty as part of the establishment of new horticulture farms and parks at an outlay of 10 crore.In the first phase of the project, 100 new varieties of roses would be introduced at a cost of 5 lakh to attract more visitors to the park. One of the biggest and finest rose gardens in the country, the GRG boasts an impressive collection of over 32,000 rose plants, comprising 4,201 varieties.In his budget speech, minister for agriculture and farmers welfare M R K Panneersevam said, “The Ooty Government Rose Garden draws in an average of 10 lakh tourists annually. To further enhance the garden’s rose collection, the first phase will involve planting 100 new varieties of roses to improve the park to attract more visitors.”K Selvam, a resident of Ooty said, “Adding new varieties to the existing collection of roses in the GRG is a good move by the government as part of the enhancement of horticulture activities.”Developed and maintained by the horticulture department, GRG was started in 1995 to celebrate the centenary of the ‘Flower Show’, an annual feature at the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in Ooty. Covering an area of 10 acres and five terraces on the sloping land called Elk Hill, over the years since its inception, more and more roses have been added.The World Federation of Rose Societies bestowed its prestigious ‘Award of Garden of Excellence’ in 2006. In 2014, Steve Jones, president, World Federation of Rose Societies, who visited the garden, said then, “The Ooty rose garden stands as one of the 100 best rose gardens in the world.”An official from the horticulture department said, “We are making all efforts to maintain the excellence of the garden by all means.”
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