Tulip Garden to shut tomorrow, a week ahead of usual time due to soaring temperatures
SRINAGAR: Kashmir’s iconic Tulip Garden, one of the biggest in Asia where 1.5 million flowers were in bloom this year, will close on Monday, a week ahead of the usual time owing to above-normal temperatures this season.
The garden has witnessed an all-time high arrival of over 3.5 lakh visitors, locals as well as domestic tourists, this year since its establishment in 2007, officials said.
The authorities are closing the garden from Monday onwards as the flowers have been withering away due to high temperatures.
“We are closing early this season as the bloom has reduced due to high temperatures,” said Sofi Inam-ur-rehman, floriculture officer and in-charge of the Tulip Garden.
The day temperatures in Srinagar this year have remained 10 degrees above normal and reached a high of 28.9 degrees Celsius this month.
The garden was opened on
March 23, two days earlier than routine, due to the warm temperatures which had also led to the early blooming of flowers as against last year when the garden was opened on March 25 and closed on April 25.
The temperature-sensitive flowers need mercury to remain between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Sofi said despite the bloom sustaining for less number of days, the tourist arrival broke all records. “We received a record number of footfall at the garden this spring in less days. Over 3.5 lakh people visited the garden of whom, 1.5 lakh were domestic tourists,” he added.
The garden plays an important part in drawing tourists during spring, particularly after the Covid disruptions since March 2020. Last year, the garden has seen 2.3 lakh visitors, including tourists and locals.
While the facility remained closed in the spring of 2020 owing to the pandemic, in 2019, the garden had attracted 2.58 lakh visitors, including many locals, and 1.9 lakh in 2018 as the annual tulip festival was gaining popularity.
Almost 1.5 million flowers of 68 varieties had been adorning the 30-hectare terraced garden at Siraj Bagh located on the foothills of Zabarwan mountain range and banks of majestic Dal Lake. Usually, the tulip bloom starts by late March. The average life of a tulip flower is 20 days and can stretch up to 25 with the overall bloom getting extended by adding lateblooming varieties of tulips.
Over 3.5 lakh people visited the garden this season of whom, 1.5 lakh were domestic tourists. SOFI INAM-UR-REHMAN, in-charge of Tulip Garden