SRINAGAR: Come March 25, Asia’s largest tulip garden overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar will be thrown open to gawking visitors and tourists. Marking the onset of spring, the carpet of colourful blooms spread over 200 kanals will herald the start of the tourism season in the Valley. There will be 50 varieties of tulips in the garden this year and a total of 1.25 million bulbs, Mathoora Masoom, the Director of Floriculture, told The Sunday Standard.
“A lot of people call and mail us to know when the tulip garden will be thrown open to the public. We hope this year a good number of visitors and tourists will visit the garden,” Masoom said.
Additional green spaces have been created and several new fountains installed in the garden to draw more visitors. “There will be a water channel too running through the terraces,” she said. Hyacinths, daffodils, narcissus and other ornamental plants have been added in the garden this year. About 40,000 hyacinth bulbs have been planted on a separate terrace. Work on more such terraces is underway.
The garden, conceptualised in 2006-07 by then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, will remain open for a maximum of 32 days. “The floriculture department, in collaboration with BSNL, will be providing free wi-fi connectivity in the tulip garden to all visitors,” said Masoom. A team of experts from the floriculture department has been monitoring the garden since tulips are very sensitive to adverse climate, she said. Early-variety, mid-variety and late-variety bulbs have been planted to ensure the tulips bloom for at least a month to meet the rush of visitors.
Last year, the garden saw a footfall of at least 1.5 lakh, including foreigners and domestic tourists. Ticket prices have gone up this year because of GST. Tickets for adult and children will be priced at Rs 59 and Rs 24, respectively.