One of the favourite places for tourists coming to valley, Tulip garden in Srinagar would likely be thrown open earlier this year in case the prevalent weather conditions persist in the Valley, officials said on Thursday.
Director Floriculture Fayaz Ahmad Rather said that the date for opening the Tulip garden at Siraj Bagh has not been decided yet as it is subjected to the weather conditions.
“We are expecting an early opening of the garden this year due to the rise in the temperature,” he said.
He said that the garden is being thrown open in the last week of March every year, but this year may be thrown open early in case the prevalent weather conditions continue.
“If the weather conditions remain good then the garden will be thrown open around March 20,” he said.
Pertinently, the garden will be thrown open after the gap of two years. Last year, the garden was not thrown open by the government due to the COVID lockdown.
It is indeed once in a lifetime chance to see more than a million tulips of different hues and shades blooming at a place which we call as paradise on earth. But remember Tulips don’t have a big life. Flowers bloom just for 3 to 4 weeks.
Every year, Tulip festival organised by the tourism department marks the beginning of the summer tourist season. In just 12 years, this garden has become darling of tourists and locals alike. It has become one of the must-see destinations of the Kashmir itinerary in the months of April.
Formerly known as Siraj Bagh this garden was rechristened as Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in 2008 when it was converted into a Tulip garden. It is located on the other side of the Dal where all Mughal Gardens are located on the foothills of Zabarwan hills. Chashmeshahi is close by. Spread in area of about 30 hectares, this garden has more than seventy varieties of Tulips in more than 2 million bulbs. Many of these varieties have been imported from far Europe.