Shapes in the shrubs

A unique topiary park is coming up at the Talkatora Garden.

One unforgettable feature of the last Commonwealth Games was a giant piece of topiary art the mascot,Shera,made of green shrubs and fresh flowers. Delighted by the response New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) received for the topiary Shera,it has decided to develop an animal topiary garden,where trees and plants form shapes of animals,at the Talkatora garden. The Horticulture Department is working hard to put this topiary garden on kids outing list.

We all know children like animals and trees. It is an effort to combine both to give the garden a unique identity. We do not have a topiary garden in the capital. It is an ambitious task that we have been given responsibility of. We hope to make the garden an attraction for tourists too, says H K Pachauri,Horticulture Director.

The garden will have six animal topiaries a bear with cubs on the branches of a tree,a deer with fawns,and an elephant,a cow,a camel and a giraffe,each with its calves.

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The bio media in which we will grow the flowers,branches and trees is exported by the Netherlands ,and we have acquired that. This bio media will be placed in steel frames and cut into shapes of animals and then trees and branches or flowers will be planted on it. This will be unlike the temporary topiary displays that we showcase during various event, says the official. The topiary will be planted where Shahanshah restaurant used to be.

The topiary will not be green or white or yellow like the earlier displays. The officials at the Horticulture department say the animals would be in their original colours. Our team is working on shortlisting the flowers or shrubs or trees that have colours to represent the original colours of the animals, says the official.

The garden is expected to be ready by November as land preparation will alone take two months while another two would be taken by topiaries.

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