Hundreds of floral exhibits turned Karachi’s Seaview Park into a veritable kaleidoscope of beautiful colours earlier yesterday evening as the 65th annual flower show of the Horticultural Society of Pakistan (HSP) got under way.
The event people in the city look forward to the whole year as there is hardly any other activity dedicated to flowers, the HSP show this year is the first in more than six decades to be held without the presence of Abdul Karim Khan, rightly recognised as ‘Baba-i- Baghbani’, or the father of gardening. Founder of the HSP, its allied bodies and many horticultural initiatives, Mr Khan passed away last year.
Like previous years, apart from stalls displaying exhibits of commercial nurseries, allied accessories and stuff for home decor, visitors have the opportunity to see the work of specialised horticultural clubs and societies such as the Ladies Horticultural Club (LHC), the Floral Art Society (FAS), the Ikebana International, the Ikenobo Study Group, the Amateur Gardeners Club, the Orchid Society of Pakistan, the Pakistan Bonsai Society, the Cactus & Succulent Society of Pakistan and the Sogetsu & Floral Art Study Group.
Important features of the exhibition included a garden designed for people with special needs, floral exhibits made with the help of trash and broken pots, orchid varieties, blooming cacti and aesthetically designed arrangements set up with lightning effects by specialised horticultural groups.
“Every year, we receive an excellent response from visitors and the number of our society members is growing. This time the theme is to say that homes can be beautified by making floral arrangements out of trash and used stuff,” said Dr Hina Baig representing the LHC.
Titled ‘It’s a fantasy world’, the stall set up by the FAS had on display some very innovative floral exhibits, all made from natural material. “It’s all about imagination and creation. No chemicals are used even for arrangements with dried plant material,” said FAS president Talat Hashmi.
Earlier, at the inaugural ceremony, Karachi corps commander Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar in his speech appreciated the efforts of the HSP in holding the show regularly since 1950.
He paid homage to the late A. K. Khan for his contribution to the development of this healthy activity, which, he said, was linked to the soft image of the country and peace in the city.
HSP chairman Kalim Farooqi acknowledged the support of the partners in making the annual event a resounding success and said that the present space was becoming too small to accommodate the increasing number of visitors.
Tracing the history of the HSP flower show, he said the society held its first display of rare plants in 1949 at Purani Numaish, which was inaugurated by the late prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan while the first grand flower show was opened by the late Khawaja Nazimuddin, the then governor general of Pakistan, in 1950.
“Last year’s harsh summers which claimed over 1,500 lives should be taken as a wake-up call by us to recall that global warming has started taking its toll. The HSP can play a vital role in planting trees and combating effects of climate change,” he said.
Later, awards were distributed in different categories, including the best residential garden, parks, factory gardens, hospital gardens and mosque gardens.
The show being held in collaboration with the Defence Housing Authority and the Cantonment Board Clifton will continue till Feb 28, daily from 8am to midnight.
