Tulips - The Vibrant and Elegant Flower

Tulip is a perennial( long lasting) plant that belongs to the family Liliaceae and it is believed that Tulip has around 150 species.. Tulip is native to Southern Europe, North Africa, Iran, Japan and Central Asia.. Tulips are always known for its vibrant colors, simplicity and elegance..That's what attracted me indeed..

If you are eager to know the history and meaning of Tulip flowers, check the following links :
proflowers.com/guide
buzzle.com/articles

Apart from their original species, many hybrid species are cultivated in some gardens and fields..Tulips are well adapted to the hilly, mountainous areas with moderate to cool temperature.. I have read somewhere that Tulips can be grown successfully in places where their altitude range from 1300 to 3000 feet high from sea level.Tulips are kept dormant for a while so as to enrich their growth.. As I surfed on the Internet, I have found a term called 'vernalization' , while mentioning about the growth of Tulips.. Vernalization is the phenomenon of cooling a seed during germination for accelerating their growth when it is planted..Tulips are one of the most famous spring flowers  in the world.. As we have seen before, Tulip has 150 species and it also has 3000 varieties.. Tulips are available in number of vibrant colors such as Red, Pink, Purple,White, Yellow, Orange and many more.. They grow at an average height ranging from 10 cm to 70 cm..

Tulips can be classified based on their blooming.. Some of the notable types of Tulips are,

*Early flowering Tulips
(They blossom in the period of March to early April- comprising Red Emperor, Water Lily
and Greigii Tulips ),
*Midseason Tulips
(They blossom in the period of April and early May - comprising Swan wings Tulips, Parrot Tulips
and Darwin Tulips)
*Late flowering Tulips
(They blossom in the period of May alone - comprising Rembrandt Tulips Fringed Tulips)

Tulip Cultivation in India :

           In India, Tulips have certainly gained more admiration among the floriculturist(The cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants) on the account of congenial climate in the hilly areas, especially in places like Kashmir . Asia's largest Tulip Garden, 'Indira Gandhi Memorial Garden' aka Siraj Bagh is located in Zabrawan range , Srinagar, Kashmir. It is where the annual Tulip festival is organised. As this garden is located in the shores of the Dal lake, tourists who arrive to enjoy the Dal Lake drive never miss this Tulip festival where these elegant Tulips are spread over 5 hectares of land. This Tulip festival is organised during the months of March and April annually. This year the Tulip festival 2013 was organised from 1st of April to 14th of April. These Tulip flowers can be witnessed in full bloom for 15-20 days depending upon the temperature.

Here are some pictures of Tulip festival 2013 in Kashmir :

                                                                                    

                    

                                           





                                                 

Images Courtesy  : Jet-ways travel in Facebook


Check the following link for some more wonderful Tulip pictures :

lightstalking.com/tulips

I was planning to post this just before the start of the festival but it got delayed due to some technical problems. If you get the chance to tour here never miss the Tulip festival next year.

Have Colorful and Blessed days ahead :)
Thanks for reading.