India, March 11 -- Over the past month, Delhi NCR was awash with colour as thousands of tulips bloomed across the city, from Shanti Path to the lawns of Rashtrapati Bhavan, drawing crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the tulip festival. But anyone visiting these gardens now is likely to notice far fewer blooms. Reportedly, more than five lakh bulbs were procured this year, primarily from Netherlands. Yet with temperatures climbing sooner than expected, many of these flowers have already begun fading at gardens and nurseries around the city. Demand still high but nurseries discourage customers from buying as heat rises Nursery owners say the surge in popularity this year was hard to miss. While demand has not disappeared entirely, nurseries say they have begun discouraging buyers as the weather turns unsuitable for the delicate flowers. "We have started throwing away the remaining tulip plants that we have at our nursery. The demand for tulips however is still a lot. But, the heat that is causing the tulips to die all around the city. Kuch 45 din lagte hain tulip ko bloom hone mein aur fir 1 mahine tak ki life hoti hai. Then once the temperature rises above 30 degrees it starts to die," says Gaurav Saini from RK Kataria Nursery in Nizamuddin. "Iss saal kuch zyaada hi demand aane lagi hai tulips ki. Jab se logo ne dekha ki jo Rajpath, Shanthipath par laga hua hai, usko dekh kar aa rahe hain," says Hari from Saini Plant Home in Connaught Place. Time to preserve tulip buds as buyers left disappointed For many buyers who brought tulips home earlier this season, the short lifespan of the flowers has come as a surprise. Avinash Batra, a Gurugram-based IT professional, says the timing has been unfortunate. "It is my wedding next month so my partner and I bought over 50 tulips from a nursery in February. Even though we have tried to keep it indoors, we were not aware that they will die so quick. This month as the temperature started rising, most of the plants withered away in the first week itself which is disappointing. We have instead now gone for lilly's." Some, however, were prepared for the fleeting nature of tulips in Delhi's climate. Riya Taneja, a final-year student at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, says her background in horticulture helped her plan ahead. "Luckily, I am a student of horticulture so I knew that tulips wont survive much in the Delhi heat. I have instead bought buds which I have preserved by deep freezing. Once its November, I will plant it in my home garden and that way can see them bloom and enjoy them to the fullest for longer," she says. Lillies and tuberoses next in demand Instead, nursery owners say they are steering customers toward plants better suited to the approaching summer. "This is now the best time to plant Lilly's and tube roses and the demand for it is now going up," adds Gaurav, a suggestion echoed by Manoj from Shyam Nursery. "The demand for lilly's and Indian roses has already started to increase as people are still coming to buy tulips but are asking why are they dying around the city. So, once we explain them, they are instead taking the more suitable options," he says. Box- How to preserve your Tulips 1. Keep the tulips in a cool, shaded place that has cooler temperatures away from direct sunlight. This can delay the withering away of the flower by a few weeks. 2. Keep them cool overnight and place in the refrigerator for a few hours overnight to keep the buds firm. Avoid placing them near fruits such as apples or bananas, as they release ethylene gas that speeds up wilting. 3. If the tulips are in pots, water them lightly when the top layer of soil begins to dry out. Make sure the pot has proper drainage because excess water combined with heat can cause bulb rot or fungal problems. 4. Gently remove the bulbs from the soil once the plant has dried. Shake off excess soil but avoid washing them with water. Check for any soft or damaged bulbs and discard those. 5. To preserve bulbs for next season, dip them in fungicide powder and place the bulbs in a paper bag, mesh bag, or a box filled with dry sand or sawdust. Avoid plastic bags as they trap moisture and can cause rotting. Then deepfreeze it till the next plantation season (Around October/November)...