Kashmir Bets Big on Theme Gardens

The autumn experiment shows how theme gardens can soften seasonal swings and strengthen local economies.

- Dr. Raiz Ahmed Lone

This autumn, the Botanical Garden surprised visitors with colours out of season.

Spread across more than 100 kanals at Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood, chrysanthemums filled the space with yellow, red, pink, purple, and white.

Families walked the paths at an easy pace. Children paused to count the shades. Older visitors stopped to take in the view of Dal Lake and the Zabarwan Range.

The garden felt calm and composed, inviting people to slow down and stay a little longer.

This shift began in the busiest parts of the city.

On October 18, 2025, a chrysanthemum mini show at Lal Chowk pulled flowers into everyday life. Office workers stopped on their way home, while shopkeepers leaned out of their stores.

Soon after, a larger chrysanthemum show at the Shalimar campus of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology followed, organized in collaboration with the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

But the opening of Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood inside the Botanical Garden gave these efforts a lasting home.

Together, they carried a clear message: autumn in Kashmir deserves visitors, attention, and investment.

Locals now treat the chrysanthemum garden as a daily outing. Tourists who once skipped autumn add extra days to their plans. Cool weather, wide floral displays, and open views make the garden inviting and accessible.

Nearby vendors see more customers. Transport services and hotels feel movement during a season that used to slow sharply.

Chrysanthemums have begun to bridge the off-season gap that long defined tourism in the valley.