Experts from Holland have come all the way to the city to share their best practices with flower enthusiasts in the city. Holland-based floral designers, Ton Von Jaarsveld and Kasper Rievelt have come to take part in the flower show jointly organised by the department of horticulture and the Mysore Horticultural Society from January 20 to January 29. The flower show, which will kick off on January 20, will have many attractions for the green thumbs.

“We will be holding demonstrations in the glass house. We’ll teach Indian florists how to work with indigenous flowers and use it creatively,” Rievelt said.

The duo will also be teaching various breeding and anthurium-planting techniques. “Holland is renowned for flower arrangements and flower exhibitions for a long time now, and we want to share our experience in India. We will be importing 20 varieties of flowers from Holland and make use of indigenous flowers from India. We will give technical advice and solve problems faced by the local florists,” he said.

P Hemalatha, director, department of horticulture, Lalbagh said: “This year, the number of participants has increased from 593 to 600. Participation in the Indian floral art, Ike Bana, Bonsai show and vegetable-carving competition has increased from 395 to 405. This indicates the popularity of the show.”

“We want to spread the message of peace to the world. So we will be making a floral tribute to Buddha. At the centre of the glass house, a three-storey Buddha temple of 34 ft radius and 30 ft height will be decorated with flowers. Over four lakh flowers will be used for decoration. This includes over 1.5 lakh roses and carnations, 25,000 orchids and 75,000 foliages,” she said.

Source: DNA, Jan 19, 2012