Rose varieties named after President, wife

New Delhi: In a unique gesture, a special rose has been named after President Pranab Mukherjee and his wife late Suvra Mukherjee at the famous Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

While the rose named after Mr Mukherjee is yellow, the one in name of his wife is pink-purple. The approval for naming the two new rose varieties has also been accorded by India Rose Federation.

The roses, on display in the main Mughal Gardens, have not flowered yet, but the authorities are hopeful they will bloom before the garden closes on March 12.

“For the first time, two new roses named after President Pranab Mukherjee and his wife have been put on display. The special roses are developed by plant breeders from Pushpanjali rose nursery, Jakpur, West Bengal,” secretary to the President Venu Rajamony told agencies. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the gardens on Saturday.

“The nursery approached the rose federation corporation to release these two new varieties. The India Rose Federation approved the same and released the varieties in January during a rose show in West Bengal,” he said.  President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the gardens on Saturday.

This year’s ‘Udyanotsav’ will also feature special theme-based exhibition of vertical garden forms and air purifying plants. With an aim to increase awareness about the benefits of air purifying plants, around 30 varieties of them including Banana, Dedrobium orchid, Weeping fig, Moth orchid, Red edged Dracaena, Barberton daisy, Aloe Vera, English Ivy, Dwarf Date Palm among others, have been put on display in various sections across the gardens. A combination of flowering and other house plants has been used to inscribe words ‘India’ and ‘Jai Hindi’ on the walls of the gardens.

An exhibition stall displaying organic fresh vegetables and fruits grown in the President’s Estate organic farm will also be on display.

The dominant colour scheme for the all-time favourite tulips, roses and exotic flowers this year is yellow, red and orange. This time around 14,000 tulips are planted in the garden and are expected to bloom in phases up to March 5. Mughal Gardens will also be open for public from February 5 to March 12 between  9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., except on Mondays.