Rose Fest at Nauni varsity

Flower lovers from Solan and surrounding areas flocked to the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni on Thursday to witness thousands of roses of different varieties and colours in full bloom. The occasion- Rose Festival organized by the University’s Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture at the DR Thakur Rose Garden located on the campus.

The DR Thakur Rose Garden has the largest germplasm collection of roses in the state. With over 600 varieties of roses, both exotic and local, the garden is a sight to behold. University Vice-Chancellor Dr HC Sharma was the Chief Guest on the occasion. He opened the garden to the public and also inaugurated a hanging garden established at the university. An exhibition on cut and dry flowers, pot plants, nursery, ornamental plants, bonsai and cacti was organised.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr HC Sharma urged the scientists to work towards making Himachal a model state in floriculture as it can play a big role in improving farmers’ income. He urged the students to undertake collaborative and interdisciplinary research, which aid in developing new varieties for the flower growers.

Throughout the day, there was a continuous inflow of flower lovers, students from various government and private schools to get a glimpse of the garden. Visitors were thrilled to see roses in different hues of red, pink, white, magenta, orange, yellow and green.

Established in 2010, the garden was expanded in the year 2011. It comprises of several classes of modern roses like Hybrid teas, Floribunda, Polyantha along with a beautiful repository of miniatures, shrub and climbing roses. In Hybrid teas varieties like Hot Point, White Delight, Gemini, Calico, Milky Way, Summer Fragrance, Ashwani etc are on display at the festival. In Floribunda, Orange Passion, Romance, White Arrow, Color Wonder, Funny Curl, Together Forever, Rainbow Sherbet are some of the prominent varieties. Varieties like Knock Out, Fedora, Starry Night, Candy Mountain in Shrub Roses and Pink Spray, Nartaki, Anjali, Chandrika, Best of Friends etc in Polyanthus can also be seen at the garden. Besides, over 50 varieties of miniature roses like Baby Blanket, Peek-a-boo, chipper, Red Fairy and 17 varieties of climbing roses like Royal Gold, Super Fairy, Twist adds another dimension to the garden.

Besides this collection, protected cultivation of commercial cut roses is being carried out in the university. Some of the desirable varieties include High and Mora, Blush, Lenny, High and Yellow Magic, Hollywood etc. The university makes available cuttings and plants of several rose varieties to the growers and flower lovers.