Daily Times

LAHORE: A six-day annual Chrysanthemum Flowers Show 2017 started at Race Course Park here on Thursday. The opening day of the show attracted a sizeable crowd including families.

Chrysanthemum is called ‘Gul-e-Daudi’ in Urdu language. Around 250 species of the flower have been put on display in the Race Course Park. The exhibition was inaugurated by Advisor to the Chief Minister Khawaja Ahmed Hassan. Stalls have been set by different educational institutions, hotels, the Punjab Horticultural Authority (PHA) as well as a team from the Lawrence Gardens. Various species of the Chrysanthemum flowers decorated in different ways have been displayed at these stalls. The exhibition will also feature a competition among these participants on the basis of flower colour, shape, weight, decoration, and freshness.

Like previous years, the Horticultural Society and the Floral Art Society have jointly organised a floral artwork competition among women artists. These artists have displayed their decorative artwork done with flowers. Live music and signing performances have also arranged to entertain visitors.

Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Hassan said that cities were not just characterised by their built structures but also by their green spaces. Decorations of public spaces with different flower patterns could play a vital role in enhancing the beauty of the city. He also admired skills and expertise of PHA gardeners who had decorated green spaces across the city with colourful flowers.

The flower exhibition will continue till December 12. The opening day was attended by PHA vice chairperson Iftikhar Ahmad, PHA additional director general Naheed Gull, and PHA deputy director Muhamamd Shahzad Tariq. The first day also featured a demonstration held by union members following a verbal spat between the PHA vice chairperson and guards and a union leader over car parking.

Published in Daily Times, December 8^th 2017.