Lalbagh, ready to house Lotus Temple on August 5

BANGALORE: Depicting peace and serenity, the replica of ‘Lotus Temple’ of Delhi and the ‘Konark Wheel’ of Orissa will be the main two attractions of the annual Independence Day flower show at Lalbagh Botanical Garden, which will start on August 5.To add to the show’s charm, this year the Horticulture Department is also commemorating the 100th year of the annual flower show.Speaking to City Express Dr S Aswath, joint director of horticulture (parks and gardens) said, “Marking the historic moment we have arranged for ‘Splendor of Lalbagh’ in one corner of the glass house. Here we will showcase the various stages of different species of bamboos, canes, flowers, vegetables and fruits evolving from a seed till the plants start yielding its end products.” “The 20 feet high Lotus Temple structure with 30 feet width will be built in the centre of glass house. Tube roses, dutch roses and carnation flowers in varied colours will be used for its beautification.Adjoining to it will be the replica of ‘Konark Wheel’ done with floral arrangements using carnation and gerbera,” he said.In addition, the Indo- Americal hybrid variety will occupy 30 by 40 sq feet inside the glass house. Temperate flowers mainly agapanthus, lily, alstroemeria, prenula and cyclamen from Ooty, and more than 15 varieties of anthurium from Coorg will be displayed across an area of 60 X 20 feet.Meanwhile, the arrangements of flowers in the four corners of the glasshouse will be done by the Lalbagh and Cubbon Park employees.When asked about the choice of theme this year, Dr Aswath said, “Every year we have been taking up India Gate, Taj Mahal, dinosaur and Hampi styled themes.This year we thought of something different. Considering the fact that there has been lot of restlessness in the society and among people in general, this time we thought of the Lotus Temple monument theme. It will be a way to depict peace and serenity.” Flower enthusiasts can also have a view of exotic varieties of flowers like salvia, balsam, zinnias, poppy, brachycome, statice, caladium, gladiolus, roses and petunia. Besides the flower show, competition in ‘ikebana’ (Japanese flower arrangement) , Dutch arrangement, Thai arrangement with banana leaves, and flower arrangements with coconut leaves will be held on August 6.As any other year, the home garden competition for raising fruits and vegetables among various government sector enterprises and private entrerprises will also be conducted.The flower show will be held till August 15.Providing special arrangements for students so that they can get a full picture of the flower show, they will be provided free entry during the second half of the day on August 12. They will have free entry for the full day on August 15.