KARACHI: This year’s first flower show opened at Bukhari Park in Clifton on Thursday, attracting a large number of visitors.

The event organised by the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) featured more than 50 flowering plants, apart from local and imported species arranged by commercial nurseries at their stalls.

Among the species displayed by the CBC, petunias looked amazing in a range of vibrant colours.

“We have tried to use flowering plants as much as we can in our arrangements. These included both seasonal and annual species, for instance, begonia, antirrhinum, chrysanthemum, marigolds, verbena, calendula, geranium and aster,” CBC garden supervisor Mohammad Afzal said.

The staff had been working for the show for three to four months, he added.

Responding to a question, Mr Afzal, a diploma holder in floriculture and landscape who has been in horticulture business for 25 years, said that hopefully a similar event would be organised at a bigger scale next year.

Asked about some tips on plant care, Aziz Khan manning Green Garden nursery stall, said that plants should be looked after as one cared for one’s “children”.

“Their needs are small but one should see how they respond and grow in a specific environment. It’s important to make changes for positive outcomes,” he said.

Ban on polythene bags

Rana Kashif Shahzad, the chief executive officer of CBC, said that though the CBC had been participating in flower shows for a long time, it’s the first independent flower show organised by the CBC.

He expressed gratitude to CBC staff as well as visitors for their participation and urged them to play their role in making Pakistan green and clean.

He also shared some brief details about the CBC’s upcoming projects and said that it planned to beautify Korangi Road.

In his speech, president of CBC Station Commander Karachi Brigadier Riaz Ahmed sought support from the public in implementing the ban that the cantonment planned to impose on polythene bags in its jurisdiction in March.

“We know it won’t be easy. But, we hope that gradually people would also realise how important it is to discourage the use of polythene bags (to protect environment),” he said.

The CBC would also initiate the process in a month’s time to collect garbage door-to-door with the help of biodegradable bags, he added.

Later, he presented shields to winning gardeners, including Khizr Hayat, Bilal Ahmed, Mohammad Anwer, Abdul Hakeem, Ghulam Murtaza, Shehzad Ahmed, Saleem Shah, Mohammad Imran, Faisal Khan and Abdur Rehman.

Vice president of CBC Aziz Suharwardy also spoke.

The flower show will run till Feb 17.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2019