"I have started to like tulips. They are in full bloom," he said when asked about his favourite flower as he inaugurated 'Udyanotsav-2015' here today.
The President said he has come to the Mughal Gardens after two months as he was confined to his study by the doctors because of his illness.
"That (the day he was advised to rest) was December 13, 2014. Today it is February 13, 2015. So it is exactly two months after which I have come to Mughal Gardens. That was Saturday. Today is Friday," said a smiling Mukherjee.
"This year we have doubled the tulips seeing their success last year. We took special care to ensure that tulips, which are extremely sensitive to weather conditions, are planted in such a way that they are at their peak when gardens open for public. Weather also supported our efforts," U D Kukreti, OSD Horticulture at Rashtrapati Bhavan, told reporters.
"Main attraction of Udyanotsav-2015 are tulips which have been in bloom since last week of January, 2015. They are about to bloom in phases upto March 10, 2015," he said.
Besides tulips, it is for the first time that special pond has been created for lotus in the spiritual gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.