- Title: BELGIUM: Hundreds of thousands of begonias used to create giant flower carpet
- Date: 14th August 2010
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (AUGUST 12, 2010) (REUTERS) FIVE HOUR TIME LAPSE OF FLORAL CARPET FILLING THE SQUARE BRUSSELS' TOWN HALL TOWER AND CARPET AT THE END OF THE DAY AT THE START OF THE AFTERNOON, RED BEGONIAS IN BOX BEING CARRIED AWAY BY VOLUNTEER LINE OF VOLUNTEERS PLACING BEGONIAS TO FORM FLOWER CARPET HANDS PLACING BEGONIAS VOLUNTEERS PLACING BEGONIAS PINK BEGONIAS BEING TAKEN OUT OF A BOX HANDS PLACING PINK BEGONIAS TOWN HALL'S TOWER AND VOLUNTEER WORKING ON CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) BEGONIA GROWER, JOHAN AELTERMAN, SAYING: ''We export all over the world. It's only two or three percent which stays in Belgium so for us it's very important to lay such a carpet where they are a lot of nationalities and that's why we do it here.''
- Embargoed: 29th August 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belgium
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAAOLFUWERCWCMAO90JB7GCGOKQ
- Story Text: Little by little, patient volunteers delicately placed on Thursday (August 12) about 800,000 begonias in an intricate pattern, to create a giant flower carpet on Brussels' Grand Place, the main square of the European capital's medieval city centre.
It took the volunteers about five hours to cover the square with work being interrupted twice because of heavy rain.
The begonias, or "tunerosa grandiflora", is one of the glories of Belgian horticulture.
With 60 million begonia tubers being cultivated every year Belgium is recognized as the world's largest producer, the organisers said.
Because of its robustness, resistance to bad weather and strong sunshine, the begonia is ideal to create flower carpets, organisers also said.
Begonias growers say the begonia's main quality is to stay in flower for weeks in summer. But once cut, the flower will only last a few days.
Johan Aelterman cultivates three millions begonias a year. He said the Grand Place is the ideal place for the begonias to be seen.
''We export all over the world. It's only two or three percent which stays in Belgium so for us it's very important to lay such a carpet where they are a lot of nationalities and that's why we do it here,'' Aelterman said.
But the begonia has an image problem: in some countries, it is viewed as old-fashioned. So campaigns have been launched to modernize the flower's image.
''It's not old fashioned, no. We took new pictures, new photographs of begonias on modern houses, modern terraces, modern gardens and it's quite beautiful you know. But we have to get rid of that image,'' Aelterman said.
Great Britain is one of the countries where the begonia doesn't have an 'image problem', Aelterman said.
The begonia business is a family one. Aelterman took over a farm started by his grandfather in 1937 while twelve-year-old Milo Clayes is the son of a begonia grower.
Clayes, who worked with extra padding on his knees, said he enjoyed taking part in the making of the carpet but once a year is enough.
"In fact, I do one a year, I do one flower carpet a year, but it does hurt your knees so one a year is enough but this one is the biggest one too,'' Clayes said.
It takes about ten months to produce begonia bulbs, from the seeds being planted in heated greenhouses in February-March to the bulbs being sold in December.
This year carpet's design was inspired by the gothic architecture seen around Brussels' Grand Place, the symbols of the city of Brussels and the region and the European Union.
Belgium is currently holding the rotating EU presidency.
The first flower carpet displayed on Brussels' Grand Place was in 1971. It is now a bi-annual event.
If the rain goes on, the grass could grow four to five centimeters in three days, the organisers said, calling it one of ''nature's wonders''. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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