Cactus Garden

Do you know there are over 6,000 species of cacti in the world and Panchkula alone has over 3,500 species?
Well, we too were amazed to see as many as 3500 varieties of cacti, 450 species from all over the world, 57 plants families and more than 1000 species including umbrella at the National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre, situated in Sector 5, Panchkula.

Not many may know that the Cactus Garden is Asia’s biggest garden devoted to rare and endangered species of Indian succulents, which was named after its founder Dr J S Sarkaria. The love of these people is evident from the number of plants they own.

The garden is a sprawling seven-and-a-half acres expanse of greens, and was established while Dr Sarkaria, the founder of the Cactus Garden, himself a connosieur of cactii, was trying to dispose off his personal collection owing to ill health. It was then that HUDA offered to allot him land for setting up the garden, and besides infrastructural support, is also providing monetary aid for maintenance of the garden. Other than the indigenous varieties of Caralluma Sarkariae and Caralluma Bhupindrian created by Dr Sarkaria, almost all known varieties of Caralluma, and over 70 percent of the varieties of Haworthias and Genus Mamammillaria are represented in this unique garden.
The ‘National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre’ which is formerly called Cactus Garden, was setup in 1987, as a result of the vision and hard work of Dr J S Sarkaria. The main objective behind the establishment of the garden was the preservation and conservation of endangered species of cacti and succulents, some of which are used in traditional Indian healing systems of Ayurveda and Unani.

This section Cactus is a tribute to Dr JS Sarkaria, who worked with extraordinary diligence and with exceptional love for these much despised plants. The garden has four glass houses, four Botanical centres, two preparation of glass centres, three green houses for public display.
It has the world’s largest collection of Indian succulents, including the species belonging to the extremely rare Genus Caralluma family and also number of international cacti donors from United Kingdom, United States of America, Austria and Namibia.

Another major motive was to create a tourist attraction, where the general public could get a glimpse of the fine collection of rare and exotic cactus plants, looked after a team of 17 gardeners, and headed by one head gardener.

The garden has comprehensive collection of Indian succulents, the largest in the world, some of them extremely rare and has already been declared as endangered species, which includes complete collection of Genus Caralluma of Indian origin, Mammillaria Geminispina, Mammillaria nivosa, Echinocactus ingens, Echinocactus grusonii, Pachycereus pringlei, Mammillaria.
The cacti and succulents also have medical values. Indian succulents are being used in Ayurveda and Unani medicines for centuries. It is a great source of attraction for not only tourists but also for botanists, with over a hundred visitors visit the garden.

Cultivating cacti is not very cumbersome but one has to have endless patience. Why? A cactus needs eight months to develop from a seed, six months from a graft and some eight to ten years to mature and flower. Species like the Echinocactus Grusonii takes 35 years to flower. The barrel- shaped cactus is full of thorns and is fondly known as a mother-in-laws-cushion and it belongs to a class that grows tall and robust. But not all cacti grow tall, some attain the maximum height of just 10 cm and are known as bonsai cactus, like the Gymnocaycium class and Crasula Mermiana which are small and difficult to grow.
And if you think that growing a cactus is a thorny experience then Namlaria Plmosa, which has no thorns and comes with a top that looks like net, will change the way you think. But what catches the eye is the Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii that is made by grafting a regular cactus stem with a colourless flower lacking chlorophyll. The Japanese have added colour to it by passing gamma rays.
Cactus is always associated with dry deserts and growing them in a place like Panchkula is challenging. Every cactus is special and rare and just like we understand plants they understand us. He assures their proper growth by using porous soil that is required for growing cactus and protects the softer species by keeping them in the two green houses that are warm.

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The wide variety of cacti on display at Cactus Garden is enough to make one fall in love with these exotic plants