Ooty's five-day annual flower show kicks off with captivating blooms, floral replicas

Showcasing 35,000 potted flowers of nearly 150 varieties along with an array of floral replicas of animals and birds, the five-day annual Ooty Flower Show kicked off at the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in The Nilgiris on Friday.

The major attraction at the show was a massive floral model of the national bird, peacock. Made out of over 80,000 carnations to a height of 48 feet and 40 feet in breadth, the floral replica turned out to be a visual treat for tourists. Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister K Ramachandran and Member of Parliament A Raja inaugurated the show. Floral replicas of some of the endangered wild animals and marine species like leopard, dolphin, panda, bear and rhinoceros, made of 70,000 coronation flowers of different colours, were among other big draws.

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Floral decorations in the form of ‘Ooty 200’ greeted the tourists at the show to mark the hill district’s bicentenary celebrations and also 175th year of Government Botanical Garden. The show also had exhibits to spread awareness on organic farming, use of ‘manjapai’ (yellow bag) as an alternative to plastic carry bags and a symbol of millets in view of the ‘International Year of Millets’.

The visitors were seen clicking selfies with families and friends at the selfie spot made of 30,000 flowers. The show was a visual treat for the visitors as it had on display over 35,000 flowerpots in different hues. Moreover, national flowers of 125 countries were also exhibited at the show.

The flower show turned out to be special this year, as Oriel Anna Sullivan – Alon and Jocelyn Mary Smith, the fifth generation descendants of John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty and modern Nilgiris, visited the show as special guests on the inaugural day. The flower show will be open to the public from 7 am to 7 pm till May 23.