Brussels Flower Carpet to take on new colours due to drought

Brussels Flower Carpet to take on new colours due to drought

The heat wave of the past few weeks will not have spared the carpet of flowers that will adorn the Grand-Place in Brussels from 16 to 19 August. Some colours are not to be found because of the drought and have had to be replaced by other hues, according to a report aired on the Flemish Radio 2 station and confirmed on Tuesday by the Tapis de Fleurs (Flower Carpet) non-profit association.

“The sector has been severely affected by the heat and the drought,” Karel Goethals of the Tapis de Fleurs Association explained. “Many types of begonia were burnt; the flowers were ruined.”

However, the non-profit association managed to obtain enough flowers to compose the famous Flower Carpet of Brussels. “Some shades of colour will not have the same effect, but they will blend into the whole,” the association said.

The heatwave has now ended and the weather forecast for the next few days should be favourable to the floral composition. “The 2012 African carpet had also suffered from the heat,” Goethals recalled. “We had to replace wilted flowers with new, fresher ones, but we shouldn’t need to go so far this year.”

The laying of the flowers will start at about 5.00 a.m. on Thursday. The Carpet, which will this year honour the Mexican region of Guanajuato, will be on display until Sunday.


The Brussels Times


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