Shade Garden in wasteland

Shade Garden in wasteland
S Lalitha
The whole area in KG Road will be cleared up and the pots removed and 13 different genus of shrubs will be ground-planted here.

Motorists and pedestrians traversing along the Kasturba Gandhi road can enjoy a soothing sight in the near future. A vast stretch of Cubbon Park falling adjacent to it, largely viewed as a garbage dump at present, will soon be transformed into a lovely green stretch. Plants that flourish under conditions of shade or partial shade will be planted in this stretch.

This stretch, falling behind the nursery inside the Park, is easily the ugliest portion in the park right now.
Deputy Director of Horticulture K G Jayadev told Metrolife, “Work to develop the area with shade loving plants will commence within a week.“ The whole place is expected to be developed within two months and the place will have a whole new look.”

Various plants
The whole area will be cleared up and the pots removed and 13 different genus of shrubs will be ground-planted here.

They are Flathis Phyllum (Peace Lily), Begonias, Ooty Impatience, Maranta, Philodendron, Bromelids, Golden Fern, Tracaena, Sygonium, Rhoeo, Diffendechia, Pepper and Aglaonema. Other unique varieties including the Hydrangia and Pepromiea will also be planted here.

Apart from park visitors using it as a garbage dumping place, those walking along Kasturba Gandhi road throw waste material inside presently. “As the height of the compound wall is not that high, it is being easily done so. We will be raising Foxtail palms along this border of the Shade Gardens.” Jayadev said. “This is a special palm which has not been planted in the Cubbon Park so far,” he added.

Orchids will be also be raised in the Shade Gardens. All the shrubs will be procured by the Horticulture department.

The plants do not require any special care and the existing staff will tend to them.