African and French marigold, petunia, among others to be featured at Malampuzha Flower Show

Palakkad: The Malampuzha Gardens will be home to tens of thousands of flowers as it hosts a Flower Show from January 23 morning. The Palakkad District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in association with the Irrigation Department is organising the flower show after a gap of nine years. “We started the work of raising flowers and saplings and cleaning the entire garden area three months back. We have raised over one lakh seedlings exclusively for the flower show. There are hundreds of varieties of flowers arranged this time, which promises a visual treat to the visitors,” flower show curator Padmaja Prabhakaran told Onmanorama.

The flower show would be spread over 30 acres of the Malampuzha garden set in front of the Malampuzha Dam. This time, 11 nurseries are also participating in the show. Four varieties of African Marigold, six varieties of French Marigold, hybrid varieties of petunia, salvia, vinca, dahlia, zinnia, chrysanthemum, coreopsis, gomphrena, dianthus, and a wide display of orchids would be decked for the visitors. The initial plan was to conduct the flower show during the Christmas vacations, however, it had to be postponed due to unprecedented delays in the blooming of the saplings.

Also, due to climatic challenges, authorities have not been able to bring exotic flower items, usually displayed in events like the Ooty Flower Show. The entry to the show will be from 8 am to 8 pm. Authorities will also set up sales stalls of the saplings for interested visitors. Food stalls offering Attappadi and Ramassery delicacies and an open stage for performing cultural programmes will also be an attraction at the flower show that concludes on January 28.