The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A picture of greenery

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Saturday, Nov 13, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A picture of greenery

S. Aishwarya

‘Semmozhi Poonga' likely to be inaugurated this month-end

— Photo: S. S. Kumar

CYNOSURE:A fountain show will be one of the highlights of the ‘Semmozhi Poonga'.

CHENNAI: The botanical garden – ‘Semmozhi Poonga' – taking shape in the heart of the city on Cathedral Road, presents an aesthetic picture of greenery.

With an all new vertical garden adorning the entrance, the new lung space of Chennai, likely to be inaugurated this month-end, is set to attract visitors with its exotic variety of flora.

Work on the vertical garden, which is the first of its kind in south India and set to be the cynosure, has been completed. Nearly 7,000 plants, in deep greens, dazzling yellows and muted maroons, were propagated through tissue culture. The plants cling to the 700-sq.ft. wall, which will be serve as the entry point.

Twenty-five thematic gardens, including herbal, aromatic, maze and cascade adorn every corner of the park. Bonsai garden is dotted with trees whose height range from one-ft to four-ft and sport bright colour fruits and flowers on their branches. At the fag end of the park is the Cascade garden that immediately catches the fancy, as water gushes out of little rocks placed close to one another.

The plants, shrubs and climbers have been sourced from Pune, Kolkata and Rajahmundry, said an official from Agricultural Engineering department. A few varieties of cacti, bonsai and lilies have been brought from China and Thailand. The budding water lilies would grow into mammoth flowers, with leaves that can withstand a weight of a kid, the official said. Weather-beaten trees, a few of them nearly 100 years old, sit majestically amid thick blankets of greenery. Most of them are uniformly pruned to create a green canopy. The landscaping around these trees took nearly 10 months to complete, according to a spokesperson of Sri Green Makers, the company in charge of landscaping work. The land, belonging to the Horticulture Department, now houses hundreds of butterflies and several varieties of birds, he added.

Rows of plants such as bird of paradise, croton, jasmine and thunder lilly border trees such as figs, bamboos, neems and African tulips. A 10-minute-long fountain show with water splashing in a myriad shapes and colours will be a highlight of the park. Work on the Cafeteria, amphitheatre and play zone for kids is nearing completion.

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