Over a million flowers to dress streets of Al Ain

More than a million flowers will dress the streets, roundabouts and parks of Al Ain during its 2002 Flower Show and festival to be held from March 27 to April 5.

Planning begins more than a year in advance to make sure the very best flower seeds are imported from Holland, Japan and the U.S.

The Al Ain Municipality Garden's Directorate plans every garden bed, chooses flower colours and patterns suited to each location, and this year has made new very large flower beds to maximise the impact of bold colours.

Four months before the Flower Show and Festival the tiny seedlings begin their life at the municipality's main nursery at Al Oha. Tender care brings them to a stage where in mid to late January, each district can collect their flower seedlings for the pre-planned garden beds.

The garden beds are fertilised with compost produced from household waste at the Al Ain compost plant. Over 1 million flowers must be planted In less than a month and a job of this scale keeps Al Ain's many gardeners well and truly occupied, some of whom have been planting and nurturing flowers in Al Ain for over 30 years.

Care and attention, special feeding and weeding through the months of February and March brings a display of flowers unequalled in the Middle East, enjoyed by over 100,000 visitors.