Walk through the garden of delight

The vibrant replica of Vijayapura’s Gol Gumbaz at the Lalbagh Glass House, made of red, white, yellow and pink roses, is surely grabbing eyeballs at the Republic Day Flower Show this year. Around four lakh roses have gone into constructing the structure, which is serving as the perfect backdrop for selfies by enthusiastic visitors. But that’s not all. There is a beautiful replica of a peacock and butterflies made with flowers that’s also a crowdpuller.

The other attractions at the flower show are ‘boat orchids’, a vertical garden made of 35,000 flowers, an exhibition themed on the ‘Father of Horticulture’, M H Marigowda, showcasing his achievements and quotes among others. Stalls selling food products, organic produce, plants and memorabilia have also been put up.

K V Krishnamurthy, who was visiting the show with his wife Rekha, said, “I have been visiting the flower show since 35 years, both in January and in August. There is something different to look forward to every time and it’s very nicely done. They take a lot of pains to organise the entire event; though, I feel that the show in August is more colourful and unique, mainly due to the rains that start in June. Nevertheless, it’s always on my agenda.”

Sunitha Renu, a pre-primary school teacher at KLES, Rajajinagar, was happy to accompany the tiny tots in her class to Lalbagh. “The children thoroughly enjoyed seeing a variety of beautiful flowers and learning new things. Altogether, it’s a different kind of experience for them. The decoration of the Gol Gumbaz, especially, is brilliant!” she remarked.

Many from outside the city were also seen flocking the venue to get a flavour of the coveted event. Kavya, who had come from Karwar to take an exam in Bengaluru, termed it as an “awesome experience”. “It’s a chance visit and I am glad I came to Lalbagh. Compared to other such shows, the event is very well-organised and cleanliness has been maintained,” said Kavya. For Prof S L N Rao, a retired professor from Osmania University and also a botanist, it was an interesting and engaging affair.

“I had a botany teacher who educated us about the names and uses of each of the plants in Lalbagh. I vividly remember all that and it has made each visit of mine here even more enjoyable,” he said adding, “I appreciate the dedication and hard work put into the flower show and it is evident in each and every arrangement that one can see. Every theme is unique and a lot of research goes into understanding it. The stalls this time are very useful; I was able to find these particular pesticides that I was looking for and hence, avoided a trip to the market where it would have been difficult to find them.”

Meanwhile, Vijayalaxmi, an old Bengalurean who was visiting with her husband Dr Shivashankar, said that though the Gol Gumbaz replica is nice, she found replicas of the Mysore Palace and Krumbiegal House constructed earlier much more unique. “What I particularly liked about them was the fact that they were made using potted flowers which could be watered and the freshness could be retained. It was such a wonderful concept that I clicked pictures and sent them to so many people. However, this time, the green wall house with vertical gardening is something that I found really appealing.” The show is on till January 29.