When Tulips Bloom, Their Hands Speak
From winter’s silence to spring’s colours, gardeners quietly craft Kashmir’s grand tulip spectacle
Tulip garden likely to open after March 20
Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: As Kashmir slowly emerges from the grip of winter, the first signs of spring are quietly taking shape on the terraced slopes of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, where a team of dedicated gardeners is working tirelessly to prepare the Valley’s most celebrated floral spectacle.
Perched on the foothills of the majestic Zabarwan Range and overlooking the shimmering waters of Dal Lake, Asia’s largest tulip garden is expected to welcome visitors after March 20, depending on weather conditions and the pace at which the tulips begin to bloom.
While thousands of tourists will soon gather to witness the vibrant display of colours, few realise the months of labour that go into transforming the garden into a breathtaking sea of flowers.
Gardeners say preparations begin long before spring arrives, often in the biting cold of winter when tulip bulbs are carefully planted and the soil beds prepared.
“We start working months before the bloom,” said Ghulam Mohammad, a senior gardener who has been associated with the garden for over a decade. “Planting the bulbs, preparing the soil and ensuring proper drainage is delicate work. Every bulb has to be handled with care because the beauty people see later depends on the effort we put in now.”
Throughout the day, gardeners can be seen trimming beds, clearing pathways and ensuring the delicate shoots remain protected from sudden weather changes.
“Tourists come here for a few weeks and admire the flowers, but for us the garden is a year-round responsibility,” said Abdul Rashid, another gardener tending to rows of freshly sprouting plants. “When visitors walk through the garden and appreciate its beauty, it gives us immense happiness and a sense of pride.”
For many of these workers, the blooming season is not just about flowers but about seeing their dedication reflected in the joy of visitors.
“When the tulips finally bloom and the entire hillside turns colourful, it feels like spring itself has arrived in our hands,” said Ghulam Nabi, gently watering a flower bed. “We feel proud knowing that our hard work helps showcase Kashmir’s beauty to the world.”
Spread across sprawling terraces, the garden houses over a million tulip bulbs of dozens of varieties, along with other spring flowers like hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus, creating one of the most spectacular floral displays in the region.
The annual bloom also marks the beginning of Kashmir’s tourism season, drawing visitors from across the country and abroad who come to witness the Valley’s first burst of colour after winter.
Yet behind every photograph taken among the tulips lies the quiet dedication of the gardeners — the unseen artists whose hands transform the slopes above Dal Lake into a living canvas of spring.
