Srinagar, Oct 28 (HS): The Chrysanthemum Garden (Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood), located on the banks of the world-famous Dal Lake at the foothills of the Zabarwan hills, has become a major draw for visitors. The crowds, both local and from outside J&K, are growing by the day.

Tourists from different parts of the country are making a point of visiting the garden before heading to other destinations in the Valley.

A group of tourists, spellbound by the garden’s beauty, said: “Standing here, it felt as if we were not in Jammu and Kashmir. The garden is stunning. Kashmir is truly paradise.”

A woman tourist from Maharashtra said that as soon as she reached Kashmir, she was welcomed by beautiful flowers. “I have been in Kashmir for two days and this is my first visit. I have never seen flowers like the ones in this garden. I saw fresh blooms here even in autumn,” she said.

A tourist from Chennai said: “I am seeing flowers like these for the first time in my life. It is a beautiful garden and I enjoyed it a lot.” He added that it is not just Kashmir’s gardens but also its people that are wonderful.

Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden, the Chrysanthemum Garden was developed last year and opened to the public. According to officials, it has been designed around a specific theme, offering visitors a display of autumn flowers in which the chrysanthemum stands out in a riot of colours. Maple, ginkgo and other trees have also been planted to enhance the autumn palette.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah opened the garden for the season on October 23. Speaking to reporters on the occasion, he said: “We saw that large numbers of tourists came here when the Tulip Garden bloomed in spring, but we had no such garden in autumn. So we developed the Chrysanthemum Garden to give tourists something special to see in this season too, something they can’t find anywhere else.” He said that bulbs for the Tulip Garden have to be brought in from outside every year, whereas the biggest advantage of the Chrysanthemum Garden is that its plants are raised locally. He added that new features will be added every year to make the garden more attractive.

According to Mathoora Masoom, Director of the Department of Floriculture, Gardens and Parks, Kashmir, more than 3.5 lakh plants have been planted this year, and over 1.2 crore blooms are expected. She said the flowers will last for at least a month and a half, and the garden is likely to stay in colour until December 5 or 6. According to her, chrysanthemums can also withstand light snowfall, which is why they bloom for longer than tulips.

The Director said the department has significantly expanded the flower beds this year and added new features, including a plaza decked with colourful flowers, an ornamental water feature, pergolas, selfie points and a better layout of pathways.

“Elsewhere there is only autumn, but with chrysanthemums we bring spring,” Masoom said. “We don’t want any season in Kashmir to pass without colour. Spring belongs to the tulip, and, God willing, autumn will belong to the chrysanthemum.” She said that until now it was mainly the changing colours of the chinar that drew tourists to the Valley in autumn, but chrysanthemum blooms will now draw visitors as well.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat