Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens :

A promenade amidst the glamour of greens

By Ganga RATHNAYAKE

It was 11.20 in the morning on a warm, sunny day - February 20, 2013 – that I got lost in the glamour of greenery as I began my guided tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. The Peradeniya Gardens spanning 147 acres is divided into 20 sections, from ‘A’ to ‘T’, and is home to over 4,000 species of plants. The garden is open to visitors from 7.30am to 5.30pm (tickets are issued till 5.00pm) on all 365 days of the year including public holidays.

The charming Japanese Garden

We took the path that ran by the Plant House which was packed with tourists and came upon a roundabout overlooking the Orchid House. It was brimming with exquisite flowers of pastel shades and lovely patterns. The house also showcased posters illustrating the protected orchid species found in Sri Lanka.

Ribbon Border

After passing a roundabout, a breathtaking landscape suddenly emerged before us. It was the scenic Flower Garden lined by the striking Ribbon Border (also known as Coleus Border) where the broad hedges made up of coleus plants were dazzling in vibrant hues of green, yellow and maroon.

As we went up the Ribbon Border, we paused near an arch which stood just before the first bend. Through the arch ran another path which took the visitors to the Flower Garden. It was a path dotted by arches covered in vines, and the vista of arches appearing one within another was nothing short of an enchanting spectacle.

We continued along the Ribbon Border and came upon an octagonal structure called the Octagon House. It was covered entirely in a canopy of vine and housed indoor plants and ferns that preferred a cool and shady dwelling.

Next, we passed a lofty tree neatly trimmed in the shape of a giant cone and a charming Japanese Garden speckled with asymmetrical rocks, a solitary lantern, stepping stones and a willow tree.

Memorial trees

After crossing the shady fernery, which boasts about 100 distinct species, we came upon a path that led us to the famous Great Circle – an enormous circular lawn. It was a sight of grandeur encircled by something even more remarkable, as the path bordering the Great Circle was dotted with trees planted by eminent dignitaries and luminaries who visited the island including Queen Elizabeth of England, the Emperor of Japan as well as the astronaut Yuri Gagarin.

The Ribbon Border, also known as Coleus Border

Double Coconut tree

The Great Lawn and National Herbarium

The oldest tree among them was the Bo tree also known as Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) planted by the late King Edward VII in 1875. All trees in the garden are labelled with their names while the labels of the memorial trees included additional details of who planted them. Next we came upon a Na tree (Mesua ferrea), the national tree of Sri Lanka, which was planted in 1891 by Prince Nikolai (also known as Nicholas II) who was the Czar of Russia from 1894 - 1917.

The Great Circle provides four vistas along the four key directions of which the most stunning is the famous Royal Palm Avenue.

The royal palm trees (Roystonea regia) appear like slender giants stretching their palms towards the heavens, making the visitors seem like Lilliputians from a distance. In fact, the garden boasts of three palm avenues, the other two being Cabbage Palm Avenue and Palmyrah Palm Avenue running close to the eastern border of the garden.

After circling half way through the Great Circle, we headed towards the west side of the garden and came upon Cook’s Pine Avenue, running parallel to the Mahaweli River. These bristly giants called Araucaria (Araucaria columnaris) had intriguing postures as they mimicked the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in their own whimsical way.

Great Lawn

Through the bristly leaves of the Araucarias, I spotted yet another mesmerising sight, as the landscape stretched far and wide, flaunting a lush carpet of green. It was the Great Lawn which also snuggled the National Herbarium at one end.

As we walked further along a shady patch of trees, we came across a unique tree with feather-like protrusions growing out of its boughs. This tree, despite its mysterious facade, was a hub of biodiversity and a fine example of coexistence as it nestled various kinds of herbal creepers all over its boughs that seemed to do no harm to the tree.

We took the path that circled the scenic lake, designed in the shape of the Sri Lankan map, and arrived at the Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus). It’s a type of bamboo which grows up to a staggering 40m in height and claims to be one of the fastest growing plants in the world, as it’s said to grow about one foot per day.

Meanwhile, in the distance, we noticed a unique structure peeping through the rich verdure. The six-arched structure was capped with a dome and was dazzling under the spotlight of sun rays. This was the Gardner’s Memorial, built in honour of the Scottish botanist George Gardner, who was the Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya in the 1840s.

Double Coconut Palm Avenue

Then we entered a path that led to another charming avenue called Double Coconut Palm Avenue. These palm trees looked like midgets compared to their counterparts, the 200 plus species of palms dwelling in the garden. However, the Double Coconut Palm (Lodoicea maldivica) produces the heaviest seeds in the entire plant kingdom and also bears the largest fruits and the biggest flowers among palm trees. The double coconut fruits in Sri Lanka weigh around 20kg while the heaviest in the world weighs about 42kg.

At the Peradeniya Gardens, one can observe not only flora, but also certain types of fauna such as birds and butterflies.

The best time to see birds in action is before 9.00 am as they prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle that comes with the crowds.

After 9.00 am, one can spot the winged mammals in deep slumber as there are hundreds of bats camouflaged as giant fruits among treetops.

Among the breathtaking backdrops and intriguing attractions, there was one more sight which popped before us many a time - butterflies, swarming and fluttering about in dozens. They too joined the millions of visitors to set off on a promenade of their own, admiring the spectacular vistas and lush panorama in high spirits.

Pix: Ganga Ratnayake