Delhi’s tulip bloom will return to New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) parks this winter, while Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) parks will remain without the flowers for a second consecutive year because of maintenance and vandalism concerns.
NDMC has placed orders to import tulip bulbs from the Netherlands for planting in its parks, major roads and prominent public spaces. The civic body is bringing in three lakh bulbs for its own locations, while another 1.67 lakh bulbs have been ordered for DDA parks and other major sites, according to the report by Jagran – New Delhi.
The bulbs are scheduled to be planted in December. The flowers are expected to begin blooming from the end of January and remain visible until the beginning of March. NDMC will prepare flowerbeds in its parks and other locations before planting begins, with work expected to start shortly.
The council generally removes older seasonal flower plants before creating beds for tulips. The bulbs are then planted around the middle of December in parks, along major roads and at roundabouts. The seasonal display has become associated with central Delhi’s landscaped public spaces, particularly areas managed by NDMC and DDA.
MCD, however, has decided not to order tulip bulbs for its parks this year. Officials cited the difficulty of maintaining the flowers in municipal parks. In 2024, the corporation planted 25,000 tulip bulbs, but officials said anti-social elements damaged or removed the flowers before they could complete their display.
Following that experience, MCD did not procure tulip bulbs last year. The corporation has now maintained the same position for a second year, leaving its parks outside the current tulip planting plan.
As a result, residents living in areas under MCD administration who want to see the seasonal flowers will need to visit parks in Lutyens’ Delhi or DDA-managed parks and other designated locations. The distribution of the planting programme means the display will be concentrated in parks and public spaces managed by NDMC and DDA rather than spread across Delhi’s municipal park network.
The arrangements also reflect the different operating conditions faced by the city’s civic agencies. NDMC is proceeding with a large import and preparing beds for a fixed winter flowering period, while MCD has prioritised maintenance concerns after damage to its earlier planting. The next operational milestone will be the planting of the imported bulbs in December, followed by flowering from late January.
