Yet flower providers still have a long way to go before they can finally take the load off their minds. Sophisticated horticulture means have made Olympic flowers immune to excessive heat and rain, but not heavy rain.
Originating from South America, the wishbone flower is commonly found in blue, pink, purple or white. It sells for 15 yuan per pot and is the most expensive flower the BRILG will provide for the Games. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn] |
“Though we have backup flowers ready, we still hope extreme conditions such as heavy rain will not happen to ruin our delicate beauties,” said Yao.
Completely at ease in front of the media, Yao reveals that his calm demeanor is earned through experience as he has been constantly interviewed about the Olympic flowers since the end of last year.
Yao also reveals the trick to make sure all flowers bloom exactly in Olympic duration.
“First, we need to select flowers which are able to bloom in August and plant them at the right time,” he explains. “Then we need to make good use of growth hormones to slow down or accelerate the growth of flowers so that they can bloom to their full potential during the Olympics.”
“All these growth hormones are hormones widely used in daily gardening and deliver no harm to the environment, human bodies or any animals,” Yao said.
Having a Green Olympics
Flower providers began growing flowers June 20 and by July 15 most flowers will be put in place in and around Olympic venues. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry (BMBLF) is in charge of the whole process.
Originating from Mexico, the zinnia is commonly found in white or orange. It sells for 2 yuan per pot. The BRILG will provide 30,000 pots of zinnia flowers for the Games. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn] |
“The reason we start growing flowers now is that an influx of foreign tourists is expected late July and the flowers are to coincide with their arrival,” explained Zhou Jianping, Deputy Director with BMBLF, when he was overseeing the flowers planted in the Olympic Green on June 20.
“The fact that we divide the flowers and start planting a bit early before the start of the Games is also intended to avoid putting too much pressure on traffic,” Zhou said.
Water is another concern besides traffic. While the maintenance of fresh flowers demands a large amount of water, Beijing itself is a water scarce city.
“We will water the flowers with reclaimed water where conditions permit”, said Zhou. “For example, we use reclaimed water for those flowers planted in the venue areas in the Olympic Green.”
