Blooming Cycle of Flowering Trees of Cubbon Park – Garden City Bengaluru
The Indian cities are distinguished for certain characteristic physical fractures. For instance, the cities of Delhi and Calcutta are distinguishable with their historic old monuments, the cities of Madras and Bombay are known for their lengthy panoramic beaches. Similarly, the Garden City Bengaluru, is famously known for its vast parks, gardens and more specifically for its owering trees, which blaze the city with a riot of colours during the flowering season.
The pre-monsoon months of March, April and May comprise the summer season in Bengaluru. During the summer season, the city looks more beautiful with its owering trees. All the trees ower botanically, but those which bear colorful owers are called the flowering trees. The salubrious climate of Bengaluru is very conducive to sub tropical, tropical and even temperate flowering trees. Each region in the world has its own flowering trees of pride. Likewise, the Bangalore city is proud of some of its lovely owering trees. The ‘Pride of India’, botanically called ‘Lagerstroemia spp. is one of the most enchanting owering trees, which blooms in the summer months – March April and May. While many such trees are well preserved in the Lalbagh botanical garden in singles, Cubbon Park has such owering trees in multiples.
The ‘Pride of India’ trees are in profusion in Lalbagh, Cubbon Park and in the gardens around the Vidhana Soudha.
A lone ‘Pride of India’ tree by the side of YMCA building on Nrupatunga Road is a feast for the eyes with its blazing colourfull lilac owers. Similarly, at all the corners of the Vidhan Souda garden, the ‘Pride of India’ trees present an enchanting view. Lalbagh has ‘Pride of India’ trees in its heart. There are two tall ‘Pride of India’ trees in front of Lalbagh Glasshouse, which are memorable because they are planted by leaders of USSR. One tree planted by Nikolai Bulganin, the Prime Minister and the other one by Nikita Krushov, the secretary of communist party. They were planted in the year 1955 during their official visit to India.
The ‘Pride of India’ is commonly called as ‘Hole Dasavala’ in Kannada and botanically called as Lagerstroemia flosreginae rosea. It is a moderately big sized tree, which bears large purple owers which are very showy. These trees enhance the beauty of avenues, parks and gardens. The ‘Pride of India’ creates the picturesque effect of landscape in the area where they grow luxuriantly and bloom in profusion.
A row of Australian chest nut trees were planted in the early 20th century in Cubbon Park. The trees can be found from Siddalingaiah circle to up to the circle of Chamarajendra Statue.
When the park was laid out in the 1870s, the whole area was planted with only owering trees. Over the years, the area was also lled with Bamboos, Shrubs, Creepers, etc. A hundred years ago, the public ofces (Atara Kacheri) could be seen from a distance as the area was devoid of lush green vegetation. There was even a path way in the centre of the Cubbon Park leading to the GPO. Now the whole area of Cubbon Park is under the canopy of trees.