Brussels blooms with begonia flower carpet

• NeverSayGoodBye

  19 Aug 14, 14:57

  The Grand-Place in Brussels is in full bloom as the bi-annual flower carpet has been unfurled in the city

  The Grand-Place in Brussels is in full bloom as the bi-annual flower carpet has been unfurled in the city.
  
  The first Grand-Place flower carpet was made in 1971 to celebrate Belgium's begonia flower

  This year's carpet is the 19th to be laid at the Grand-Place and it celebrates the 50th anniversary of Turkish immigration to Belgium

  The carpet's 1800 square-metres of begonias make up a tapestry that is inspired by the patterns of Turkey's famous kilims.

  The flowers in the carpet are tightly packed, with 300 begonias in every square metre and a total of around 750,000 flowers used.

  

  

  

  

  

  Every year Belgium produces in the region of 60 million begonias, and 80% of these are exported

  

  Once the flowers are ready, 100 gardeners put the carpet together in around four hours.

  

  Begonias have a long flowering period, a broad range of colours and a variety of shapes, making it the ideal flower for this kind of displa