Tulips in full bloom and sweet-smelling roses greet visitors at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Mughal Gardens, which opened to the public on Friday.
The sprawling lawns feature spread over 15 acres boast around 70 varieties of seasonal flowers. The annual garden festival, Udyanotsav, will begin on Friday and continue till March 20. Visitors can come in from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, except Mondays which is when the gardens are closed for maintenance. The last day of the festival, March 20, will be reserved for farmers, differently-abled persons and Defence, Paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel. Entry to the gardens is from gate number 35 near North Avenue.
The highlights for visitors this year would be tulips, roses and primroses, said U.D. Kukreti, officer on special duty (horticulture).
“Another interesting plant is the flower called ‘Lady’s Purse’, which resembles women’s handbags,” Mr. Kukreti said. President Pranab Mukherjee, who enjoys his morning walk in the Mughal Gardens, will officially declare the festival open on Thursday.
The gardens, which are three successive terraces, have been inspired by the Mughal gardens of Jammu and Kashmir. With water channels running along the lawns, birds and butterflies flock to the flowerbeds that have dahlias, carnations, roses and pansies. This time, the horticulture staff has planted 12,000 tulips that were especially flown in from Holland.
“The blooming tulips show the hard work of our gardeners. The tulips are sent from Holland in a temperature-controlled environment. Our vans from the Rashtrapati Bhavan pick them up from the airport and the temperature is maintained in refrigeration units,” Mr. Kukreti said.
The tulips, which were planted in December and began to bloom in January, are likely to wither away by February 25, according to horticulture department officials.
Apart from the Mughal Gardens, visitors will also be able to take a peek at a herbal garden that has 33 medicinal and aromatic plants, a bonsai garden with about 250 plants, a cactus garden with 80 varieties and a musical garden with 12 fountains.