The warm spring sunshine graciously bathes the floral carpets of exquisitely manicured lawns of Mughal Gardens adorned with myriad flowers of every description. Rashtrapati Bhavan's treasured gardens are set to be opened to the public from Friday. While there are 120 varieties of roses across the 15-acre Mughal Gardens, this time around the main attraction is the 2,500 dahlias that will certainly grab eyeballs. A floral wall of dahlias can be seen encircling the Circular Garden -- a part of the Mughal Gardens. Scarlet flax, sweet william, christian dior and rose scentimental are among the flower varieties that embellish this sprawling garden.
"Though this year we don't have tulips, we have planted cyclamen. These flowers will be in full bloom in a fortnight," said Nigam Prakash Semiwal, officer on special duty (horticulture) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Semiwal said the hailstorm earlier this month affected the quality of flowers. The grandeur of the sprawling gardens is the result of conscientiousness of 35 gardeners who work here. While it will be President Pranab Mukherjee's maiden 'Udyanoytsav' on February 15, he strolls around the garden every morning.
"He likes to take a walk every morning and enjoys watching peacocks dance in the evening," Venu Rajamony, press secretary to the president, told IANS. The Mughal Gardens will remain open to general public from February 16 to March 17 while the differently-abled and the visually impaired people can visit it till March 19. "The President wants Rashtrapati Bhavan to be more accessible to public. He also wants the entire premises to be eco-friendly," Mr Rajamony said. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president's official residence, is spread over 330 acres and was designed by British architect Edwin Luteyns.