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The Hong Kong Flower Show 2010, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will be held at Victoria Park from 9am to 9pm daily between tomorrow (March 19) and March 28.
The show's theme flower is the Cineraria and its theme is "Fairy Tales of Flowers". More than 350,000 flowers, among which are some 50,000 pots of Cineraria of over 50 cultivars, will transform Victoria Park into a colourful wonderland throughout the show period.
About 200 organisations from 21 countries will showcase exotic flowers, landscape and floral art displays. They are from the Mainland, Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The LCSD presents a jumbo exhibit made up of some 40,000 exuberant flowers in the display "A happy marriage in a beautiful scenario", featuring a happily wedded prince and princess. They are chiefly attired in multi-coloured plants studded with ornaments. The wedding platform on which they stand is a two-tiered "cake" made up of layers of Kalanchoe, set in a pond with ever-rippling water. The garden plot surrounding the pond is planted with 30,000 variegated Cineraria of over 40 species. An atmosphere of joy and fun is created by the iridescent flowers, giving visitors the feeling that they are in a fairyland, sharing the merriment within.
To promote Hong Kong's participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai China, there is a nine-metre by three-metre flower wall featuring the mascot Haibao made up of pale blue Pansies. The model of the Hong Kong Pavilion and an exhibition are also displayed at the showground to introduce Hong Kong's participation in the mega event.
Other main attractions of the show are: a mosaiculture display "An Ocean Fantasy" featuring lively marine creatures including seahorse, sea turtle, octopus, starfish, lobster, fish and shellfish; a fun display on the park's lawn featuring oranges, lemons and vegetables in the shape of two farmers carrying harvest crops; a spectacular oval-shaped array of 15,000 tulips over 180 square metres; special plant exhibits such as Bowiea volubilis (Climbing Onion), Bulbophyllum giganteum, Pseudolithos migiurtinus, Cinnamomum aromaticum.
Displays from the Mainland are equally spectacular. They include displays by the Beijing Municipal Administration Centre of Parks and the Zhengzhou Bureau of Landscape Architecture.
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 occasions such as New Year's Day and 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 1m while the short ones measure only 20cm. It is classified into grandiflora, star-shaped and multiflora types according to the size of flowers. Its blooming period starts from 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 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 will be available at the entrance to the showground at Victoria Park throughout the show period. Tickets are also available from now until March 28 at LCSD's District Leisure Services Offices and venues with Leisure Link services.
Admission for adults is $14. Children aged between four and 14, students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, persons with disabilities and minder (each person can enjoy the concessionary rate with one minder only) pay half price. Senior citizens, persons with disabilities and 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/Thursday, March 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:45
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