Tulips bloom inside Asia’s largest tulip garden on the foothills of Zabarwan Mountains overlooking Dal Lake, in Srinagar on Saturday, March 11, 2023. The garden is scheduled to open for the general public on March 19.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, Asia’s largest tulip garden, ensconced between Dal Lake and Zabarwan Hills is in full bloom and prepared to welcome vacationers kind subsequent week.
“Preparations like gardening, engineering, fungicide treatment, nutrient spraying and minor repair which we do before the tulip show are going,” Inam-ul-Rehman, Incharge of the tulip garden, instructed PTI.
The garden, which has turn out to be a well known landmark throughout the nation, shall be open to the general public from March 19.
Besides 1.5 million tulips of assorted colors and hues, the garden, often known as Siraj Bagh, can have different spring flowers like hyacinths, daffodils, muscari and cyclamens on show.
A gardener tends to the blooming Tulips, at Tulip Garden, in Srinagar on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
“Every year we expand this garden and new varieties are here. This year we have extended the fountain channel..It should set an example of gardening professionalism across the globe,” Mr. Rehman stated.
He stated there shall be a rainbow of tulip colors this yr ranging from yellow, crimson, crimson, purple and white amongst others.
“Under the shadow of the Zabarwan mountains, gives a good ambience to this garden. That’s why people like this garden,” he added.
Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, the supervisor of the garden, stated preparations for the tulip garden are at their peak as it’s anticipated to open subsequent Sunday.
Expecting a heavy footfall of visitors on the garden this season, Mr. Mir stated, “Work is occurring day and evening. We have a heavy movement in inquiries from outdoors Kashmir, relating to the opening of the garden.”.
“Last yr, it was an excellent season right here as we had two lakh visitors and we hope will probably be higher this time,” he said.
Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2008 by then chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state Ghulam Nabi Azad.
He conceived the idea to bridge the lean tourist arrival period between the winter and summer seasons in the valley.
While the tulip bloom remains from three to five weeks only, it is hardwork for the ground staff throughout the year to ensure that the quality of bulbs is maintained year after year.
“We are busy around the yr in getting ready the garden for the bloom interval in March-April, Then we look at the tulips to examine for ailments. In May and June, we begin harvesting which takes three months, Mr. Mir stated.
Digging up the soil and including fertilisers is completed in October. “In November, we sow tulip bulbs. The whole year, the gardener stays busy with this,” he added.
Mohammad Maqbool, one of many gardeners, says the tulips are very delicate flowers and bloom solely at low temperatures.
“Tulips are very delicate flowers. They cannot survive in hot temperatures and it blooms only in low temperatures,” he stated.
Ghulam Hassan, the pinnacle gardener, stated, “This garden is spread over 1050 kanals (52.5 hectares. It started with 50,000 tulips, then 3.50 lakh tulips and now we have 15 Lakh,” he stated.
Mr. Hassan needs increasingly folks to go to the garden.
“We request people here and outsiders to visit this garden. On 19 March, it will be thrown open to the public,” he added.
