KOCHI: The annual flower show is back in the city, adding more colour and vibrance to the festive season. Unveiled on Friday, the fest has flowering plants, including 5,000 varieties of orchids, blooming over 35,000sq.ft at Marine Drive.
Highlights include over a thousand lily plants with blooms of six different hues, 400 poinsettias in new colours, 1,200 adenium with new varieties of flowers, 2,000 marigold plants of different kinds, 100 large, grafted bougainvillaea plants that boast flowers in five colours in one plant.
A star attraction, there will be an exhibition of insectivorous plants that can grow in the local climate. Landscaped gardens have been set up by infusing innovative concepts and styles. Visitors can also check out terrariums, bonsai plants, a collection of indoor plants seasonally arranged in imported ceramic pots, exotic amber varieties blooming in large pots, and a medicinal garden by Nagarjuna Ayurveda.
Notably, to spread the message of sustainability, the show has set up installations using used plastic bottles collected from schools and colleges. Nearby, officials of the state agriculture department have set up an agri clinic to clear the doubts of the visitors about their farming endeavours.
Various stalls of central institutions, home appliances, food courts, etc., are also part of the flower festival. Besides buying plants and agri products, visitors can click memorable selfies at ‘photo booths’ set up in the display area. Numerous cultural events also have been lined up as part of the event.
A visit to the show will not be complete without swaying to seasonal melodies by the 75ft-tall ‘Dancing Christmas Tree’, which is set to vie for the position of the world’s tallest such model in the Guinness World Records.
