News » 08.10.2025 - India: Kashmir bets on chrysanthemums to keep tourism in full bloom

 

As the lush greens of summer fade and a hush of grey settles over Kashmir's Valley of colors, a quiet burst of life is taking root at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). The Valley's first chrysanthemum garden is set to bloom this autumn, infusing fragrance, color and a renewed sense of hope into the fading landscape — and perhaps, a fresh lease of life into Kashmir's waning tourist season.

Nearly two decades after Srinagar's tulip bloom transformed the Valley's spring tourism — advancing the tourist calendar by almost a month — the chrysanthemum bloom aims to do the same at the other end of the season, extending it well into winter.

Taking a cue from SKUAST's experimental garden, the Jammu and Kashmir government has already begun work on an exclusive chrysanthemum (or Gul-e-Dawood) garden at the Srinagar Botanical Garden, adjacent to the famed Tulip Garden.

"After the fall, everything turns grey, and that's the time when these flowers bloom," says Professor Imtiyaz Nazki, head of floriculture at SKUAST, Srinagar. "Just like the tulip gave a fillip to spring tourism in the Valley, this flower has the potential to boost autumn tourism."

 

Source: www.flordaily.com

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