The gardens will stay open for people to visit from February 6 to March 9, between 9:30 am and 4.00 pm but will be closed on Mondays for maintenance and on March 2, for Holi, said Press Secretary to the President, Ashok Malik.
This year, the star attraction at the annual "Udyanotsav", will be 10,000 tulip bulbs in eight colours, brought from the Netherlands. The tulips, which have been flowering since the first week of January, are expected to blossom till the end of February.
Apart from the tulips, there are 70 varieties of seasonal flowers and 135 different kinds of roses which are the pride of Mughal Gardens. Roses are a permanent feature throughout the year, with rare varieties like the Green Rose, Black Rose and Angelique. Former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, had inaugurated a 'fragrant rosery' on one of the three terrace gardens during his tenure.
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Apart from the blossoms, the Mughal Gardens have a biodiversity park, with deer, ducks, turkeys, parakeets and migratory birds. A Tactile garden was inaugurated in 2004, comprising plants having specific texture and fragrance, which can be identified by visually challenged persons.The Mughal Gardens, often called as the soul of the presidential palace, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1917, but the landscaping was done and the trees were planted only around 1928-29.
