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More than 350,000 flowers at the Hong Kong Flower Show will transform Victoria Park into a colourful floral wonderland next Friday (March 19).
The annual spectacular, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will be held in Victoria Park for 10 days between March 19 and 28, from 9am to 9pm daily. This year's flower show features Cineraria as its theme flower and "Fairy Tales of Flowers" as its theme.
The event has attracted about 200 organisations from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas to take part in showcasing exquisite potted plants, beautiful floral arrangements and gorgeous landscape displays.
More than 50,000 pots of Cineraria of some 50 cultivars will be on display at the showground.
Cineraria (botanical name Pericallis x hybrida), also known as Gua Ye Ju, Huang Gua Hua and Gua Ye Lian, is a herbaceous perennial of the genus Pericallis in the family of Asteraceae. It is usually grown as an annual or a biennial. A native of North Africa and the Canary Islands of Spain, Cineraria is now extensively cultivated all over the world for ornamental or floral art purposes. With its brilliant and gaily coloured flowers, this plant is ideal for floral arrangement on festive days such as New Year's Day and the Chinese New Year. Cineraria is called Fu Gui Ju in Chinese, meaning a flower of richness.
Cineraria has many strains of varying heights - the tall ones can grow to a height of one metre while the short ones measure only 20cm. It is classified into grandiflora, star-shaped and multiflora types according to the size of the flowers. Its blooming period starts in December and lasts until May the following year. The flowers come in a brilliant range of colours, including red, blue, purple, white and multi-colours.
Cineraria is one of the major ornamental flowers in winter and spring. It is particularly precious as it blooms early in cold winter. Its flowers come in a myriad of vivid colours and grow in splendid profusion, making it perfect for flowerbeds or potted plants in courtyards and corridors. Cineraria even has a blue cultivar which is rarely seen in other flowers. Cultivation is simple and the flowering period is long. It is widely used as cut flowers and in flower baskets and bouquets.
A rich diversity of educational and recreational fringe activities will complement the show for the enjoyment of visitors of all ages. They include music and dance performances, floral art demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, plant maintenance workshops, green stalls, guided visits, recreation programmes and fun games.
Admission tickets to the Hong Kong Flower Show 2010 are available from now until March 28 at the LCSD's District Leisure Services Offices and venues with Leisure Link services. Tickets will also be sold at the entrance to the showground at Victoria Park throughout the show period.
Admission for adults is $14. Children aged between four and 14, students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, persons with disabilities and a minder (each person can enjoy the concessionary rate with one minder only) pay half price. Senior citizens, persons with disabilities and a minder (each person can enjoy the concessionary rate with one minder only) will have free admission on weekdays. Adults in a group of 30 or more admitted at the same time will pay half price on weekdays.
For enquiries, please call 2601 8260, fax 2691 7264 or visit the LCSD website, www.lcsd.gov.hk .
Ends/Friday, March 12, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:36
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