Udhagamandalam: With the second phase of development completed , the Karnataka Siri Horticulture Garden (KSHG) in Ooty is all set to attract more tourists this summer.The garden, inaugurated on January 8 last year with its first phase extending to an area of 11acres, saw about 3.2lakh visitors. In the second phase, another 12acres has been developed. “The footfall registered in the last one year was more than expected. Entry was free till April 8. An entry fee of Rs 30 for adult and Rs 15 for children is collected now. But entry is free for school children from the Nilgiris district. We give concession to school children from other places,” assistant director of horticulture PK Krishnamurthy told TOI.Footfall is expected to double during the forthcoming season, the official said. “Out of the 38.9acres of land, presently, the garden is spread across 23acres. The rest of 15acres will be developed in the third phase.”With 20 varieties of flowers, the garden houses 50,000 plants, mostly potted. “Besides introducing new varieties of flowers such as azalea and boat orchids, this season we are going to introduce six varieties of aquatic birds and five varieties of fish,” Krishnamurthy said.With six ponds, the floral garden also has an Italian garden, maze and floral beds on lawns, extending to six acres and an amphitheater.It also has grazing land to an extent of two acres for sheep. “The garden has 20 sheep. It is an added attraction and a concept of ecology too,” the official said.Except for constructing the ponds, concrete or cement was not used in the garden. “Every small concept is designed as nature-friendly. The ponds store water from rain harvesting and natural streams. The water is used for irrigating the garden during the summer.”The garden, located at Fern Hill on the west end of Ooty, was once owned by the maharaja of Mysore. The specialty of the garden is its exclusive orchid house, besides a bunch of indigenous trees, a main attraction of birds.With parking facility for about 500 vehicles, the garden is located very close to the Ooty lake as well at the entry point from the Mysore Road.

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