Bengaluru icon Lalbagh Gardens to host 132 plant species from Western Ghats

One of the top destinations of local, national and international tourists in Bengaluru city, the Lalbagh Botanical Garden is adding another attraction to ones which are already there in the park. The horticulture department of the State will now convert six acres of waste and barren eastern ridge in the Garden into a dense forest patch which will have 132 plant species from Sahyadri region of Western Ghats.

Apart from making the area green, it will also help in saving endangered plant species of the Western Ghat. To begin with 150 saplings of varied species were planted yesterday and among these were bishop wood, monkey jack, kusum tree, fragrant padri tree, Ceylon ironwood, ben teak, mountain cedar, helicopter flowers and others.

The event of planting was presided over by S.S. Mallikarjun, Minister for Horticulture.

The 132 species which are to be planted in the area have survived from the 190 that were collected from Sahyadri region two years ago.

In the past this six-acre land was a dumping area and nobody went near it because of the stench that emanated from there. The area was cleaned and levelled out by the horticulture department staff who have also worked on its soil fertility.

Apart from the green cover, small ponds will also be created for aquatic creatures and to improve the groundwater level. This will help in the growth of trees. Besides, trees, shrubs, herbs and climbers from the Western Ghats will also be added in the coming days.

As the greenery is expected to make the place attractive for birds to come and nest, the authorities will be fencing the area.

LBG is spread over 240 acres and houses India’s largest collection of tropical plants and sub-tropical plants, including trees that are several centuries old. Other attractions at LBG include exhibits of Snow White and seven dwarfs, a lake, a glasshouse modelled around the Crystal Palace in London, a bonsai park and a watchtower on top of a 3,000 million years old rocky outcrop, which is a National Geological Monument.