LAHORE, Nov 15 (APP):Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said on Sunday that marigolds and other seasonal flowers had started blooming in parks and green belts across the province under the authority’s winter plantation campaign. In a statement, he said the PHA had prepared 13,853 flower beds in parks and green belts of Lahore this year against 9,505 last year, registering an increase of around 46 percent. …
PHA plants over 13,800 flower beds in Lahore for winter season
LAHORE, Nov 15 (APP):Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said on Sunday that marigolds and other seasonal flowers had started blooming in parks and green belts across the province under the authority’s winter plantation campaign.
In a statement, he said the PHA had prepared 13,853 flower beds in parks and green belts of Lahore this year against 9,505 last year, registering an increase of around 46 percent.
He said the authority’s regional offices had also carried out extensive flower plantation campaigns, with Bahawalpur leading with 417,000 seedlings, followed by Rawalpindi with 395,000, Gujranwala with 290,000, Sahiwal with 215,000 and Gujrat with 200,000 seedlings.
Similarly, 160,000 flower seedlings had been planted in Dera Ghazi Khan, over 100,000 in Faisalabad, 35,000 in Sialkot, 20,000 in Nankana Sahib, 13,943 in Murree, 6,950 in Khushab and 6,000 in Multan.
Raja Mansoor Ahmad said marigold was the prominent flower in the winter plantation campaign, while calendula, dahlia, petunia, pansy, snapdragon, phlox, salvia, lantana, zinnia and chrysanthemum had also been planted in different parks and green belts. Murree’s flower beds additionally featured juniper, morpankhi and iresine.
He said marigolds were widely used in wedding ceremonies and festive decorations across South Asia because of their bright colours and durable blooms. The flowers also held cultural significance in Mexico, where they were used during the annual Day of the Dead celebrations.
He said the seasonal flowers generally lasted three to four months, with seedlings planted during October and November and flowering reaching its peak from December to February before fading by April.
The PHA director general said most varieties had been raised at the authority’s own nurseries and their transplantation to flower beds had started to ensure timely blooming during the winter season.
He said the PHA was taking measures to improve the beauty of parks and green belts across Punjab and provide citizens with clean, green and pleasant recreational spaces.
