Having provided a visual treat to over 32,000 tourists and locals the two-day 12th annual Rose Show organised by the Department of Horticulture concluded at the Government Rose Garden (GRG) here on Sunday.
Among those who visited the venue on Sunday was Agriculture Minister S. Damodaran.
Addressing the valedictory function, the Project Director, Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) Srinivas R. Reddy said that efforts are on to expand the Government Rose Garden (GRG) which was being maintained by the Department of Horticulture.
Pointing out that the garden now extended over about four hectares and it featured 3,800 varieties, he said that all of them now bear names.
When the proposed expansion was completed the number of varieties would go up. Its collection of 33,000 rose plants was already the largest in Asia. The Chairman, District Panchayat, A. Maneka, said that the credit for bringing the garden into being goes to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The President, Nilgiri Rose Society, S. Ramasubramaniam, stressed the role of society in popularising the show over the years. A cultural programme including dances by Badaga children marked the occasion The Nilgiris Collector Archana Patnaik distributed the prizes.
The winners were: Outstanding rose garden (above 500 bushes): Good Shepherd International School. Outstanding rose garden (300 to 500 bushes): R. Ravikumar, Kozhipanai. Outstanding rose garden (200 to 300 bushes): Sterling Biotech, Ooty.
Outstanding Rose garden (100 to 200 bushes): TNEB, Kundah Bridge. Outstanding Rose Garden (50 to 100 bushes): G.N. Ravisam, Bandishola. Outstanding Rose Garden (below 50 bushes): Sagar Holiday Resorts, Valley View.
Sterling Biotech also walked away with the prizes for the best bloom of the show, best collection of roses in pots, outstanding collection of cut roses and outstanding collection of cut roses 12” to 18” stalk length. The rolling cup for the collection of roses from private/public gardens was bagged by Saint Joseph’s Boys Higher Secondary School, Coonoor.
