Planting for second tourist season in the Nilgiris inaugurated 

Planting for the second tourist season was inaugurated by Forest Minister K. Ramachandran at the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in Udhagamandalam on Thursday.

In a press release, the district administration stated that seeds of flowering plants from Kolkata, Kashmir, Punjab and Pune have been brought to the Nilgiris for the second tourist season, which is set to start in September. The flowering plants which will be included in the exhibits and galleries at the GBG during the second season will include Inca marigolds, French marigolds, asters, verbenas, cosmos, lilies, chrysanthemums and calendulas, among 60 varieties of plants.  

Over four lakh plants will be grown along the slopes of the garden in designated areas, while around 10,000 plants will be grown in pots and displayed in galleries and on the lawns of the GBG, the press release said.

The second season is expected to continue for around a month, and will commence in the second month of September, officials said. The district administration expects around three lakh tourists to visit the garden and the Nilgiris in September and October of this year. The Horticulture Department will step up to complete the preparations for the season despite the unexpected, heavy rains in the district, officials added.

Also present at the inauguration of the planting at the GBG was Nilgiris collector, S.P.Amrith and Joint Director of Horticulture, Shibila Mary.