An enchanting exhibition at the private rose garden of an eminent rosarian Ilyas Rizvi at Bani Gala Monday displayed a collection of over 2,000 varieties of roses.
The former general secretary of Pakistan Rose Society and a member of American Rose Society, Ilyas Rizvi aims to attempt to get into Guinness Book of World Records by increasing his private rose variety collection to 3,000 by next year.
The beautiful rose garden of Ilyas Rizvi wore the fragrance and colour of spring, located amidst the pastoral scenery along the prised location of Bani Gala. A large number of friends and family members enjoyed the exhibition and the opportunity to escape the hustle bustle of the city life and spend some quality time among roses.
The most unique side of Rizvi’s rose story is that the entire variety of his collection is potted, be it a rose plant or a creeper rose, hybrid or shrub roses, each is planted in a suitable and sizable pot. He also claims that it is perhaps the largest variety of potted roses in Pakistan. The garden also offers a real potpourri of different birds to match the mood of the garden.
Talking to The News, Ilyas Rizvi said that he inherited the passion for gardening from his parents and his love for roses made him start his collection. While in Karachi, he had a collection of about a hundred rose varieties. But after shifting to Islamabad, the ideal climatic conditions here prompted him to enhance his collection. He collected rose varieties from all over the world and kept on adding to his collection. Recently, he has imported rose varieties from US, UK, France, Canada, Japan, Germany and India.
Though, he has not given any name to his rose garden but he has bought a unique rose variety and named it after his wife Talat Rizvi, who is a constant supporter of his hobby. Rizvi proudly said that wherever this variety is sold in the world, it would carry the name of his beloved wife.
Roses are thought of as an appropriate symbol for all forms of love and Rizvi has dedicated his time and money for his love of roses only, not for any commercial gains.