KARACHI: A large number of nature lovers, especially those who love greenery, celebrated the advent of spring by gathering at the Cantonment Board Clifton Seaview Park for inauguration of the four-day 64th Pakistan Annual Flower Show-2015 organised by the Horticultural Society of Pakistan in collaboration with the CBC and the Defence Housing Authority here on Thursday.

“The flower show has been an annual affair since 1950, thanks to the people of Karachi who love greenery,” said the society’s veteran chairman retired Lt Gen Jahanzeb Arbab.

Paying tribute to HSP founder A.K. Khan, who was also present on the occasion, he said that he had groomed this organisation like a well-cared-for tree.

“Besides the flower show, he started the trend of holding exhibitions and seminars on horticulture. It’s thanks to him that Karachi today boasts best gardens in the country. Clubs and societies affiliated with the HSP also provide colour, beauty and variety to this city. Still thanks to Khan Sahib, we have remained non-commercial, non-political and non-controversial,” he said before the show was declared open by chairman of HSP Salim Abbas Jilani.

Besides pretty flower arrangements by women and children, the competition also included categories such as best gardens of various sizes, kitchen gardens, educational institution gardens where student teams representing and maintaining their school or college gardens proudly came forth to receive their prizes and gardens of official bungalows in which gardeners of the Flag Staff House picked up the first prize.

Meanwhile, overjoyed by their taking the trophy for the best park, CBC team of gardeners took several victory laps of the venue amid playing of drums and bhangra dance. Later, they also distributed sweets.

Still it was mentioned by judges that lack of water in the city had seen the standard of gardening going down a little this year. Hamida Tapal, a senior citizen, said she had always enjoyed attending the flower show and checking out plants and pretty arrangements of seasonal flowers there.

“I have come after a few years break due to illness, but am loving it as always. But I am a bit sad to hear that the standard of gardens is not the same this time. Hope things improve,” she said.

Syeda Musfira Ahmed, a five-year-old student of The City School’s kindergarten section, got the first prize for her flower arrangement on the theme of Alice in Wonderland.

“I only brought her to the flower show last year and that’s where she got interested in flower arrangements,” Musfira’s mother Batool Ahmed told Dawn.

Saaim Malik, another little boy, a class two student of Indus Academy, was the only one competing in the Miniature Garden category and got the cup for it, too. But seeing Saaim’s collection of not one but several miniature gardens, the child would have won even if there were many other competitors in the category. His older brother Ryan and cousin Nuvaira Rashid, who also love gardening, were so happy for him.

Besides local plants, many of the nursery stalls at the show also had foreign plants from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc, for sale.

There were also several garden furniture stalls as well as outdoor lighting for sale besides separate tents for housing bonsai and cactus. Also for the first time, the HCP introduced a proper food court for visitors to the show.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2015

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