It’s one of the most amazing sights in the world and it only happens every 2 years. 2012 was the year of the Brussels Flower Carpet. These photos don’t do it any justice. You really have to see the Carpet in person. The size and the detail will astound you. Unfortunately, you just missed this spectacular event and will have to wait until 2014. It took place this year from Aug 14-19th. The usually gray area in front of Brussels Grand Palace was transformed into a colourful, and vibrant carpet with an intricate design made of fresh flowers.
This year, the theme was African art. Traditional patterns from Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Botswana inspired this year’s intricate design.
Photo Credit: http://www.flowercarpet.be
Hundreds of volunteers used over 700 000 fresh flowers to create this stunning masterpiece. And of those flowers, over 600 000 were begonias. You can say the Flower Carpet is a celebration of the beautiful begonia. Over the years, the begonia has come to represent Belgium, as it is the world’s largest producer, producing 60 million bulbs a year.
The begonia is the perfect choice for the carpet. They come in a variety of colours, they are robust and long-lasting. They do well in any weather, rain or shine. And most importantly, begonias are pretty to look at.
Photo Credit: http://www.flowercarpet.be
About 300 flowers are used in each square meter. Volunteer gardeners pack the flowers, one by one, tightly together on the turf so that the flowers don’t get blown away, as no soil is used. Amazingly, the 1800 square meter carpet only took 4 hours to complete!
Photo Credit: http://www.flowercarpet.be
This Belgian floral tradition began in 1971.
Related articles
- Africa flower carpet for Brussels (bbc.co.uk)
- A carpet of Begonias decorate Grande Place in Brussels (photoblog.nbcnews.com)
- 10 Unbelieveable Carpets Made Of Fresh Flowers (firstcomeflowers.typepad.com)
