Spring in Karachi

Spring is the season of colours, fresh buds bloom, flowers, and fragrance. Lovely and sparkling yellow, pink, red, orange, and purple flowers announce the transition of the season and invite everyone to appreciate the beauty of nature. Spring is a sign of renewal, awakening, planting, and life.
For Karachiites, spring is the wonderful time of the year to view the renewal of plant life. They flock parks, gardens, and recreational places to welcome the brief spring season. Several organisations and NGOs these days have been busy in organising spring festivals and cultural shows to provide Karachiites maximum opportunity to enjoy spring season.
Last month, 65th Pakistan flower show captured the attention of Karachiitesand a huge crowd attended the event. The three-day flower show was organised by the Horticulturist society Karachi at the beautiful lush green DHA seaview Public Park located on the sea side.
This year, the show was dedicated to the 'Baba-e-Baghbani' andthe founder of Horticultural Society of Pakistan (HSP) late. A K Khan and was arranged by HSP in collaboration with DHA/CBC.
The springflower show was the first big event of the year 2016 featured about 59 colourful, bright imported andlocal varieties of flowers, and spectacular plants. Visitors were charmed by the vibrant-coloured ceramic birds models that stand proud and glistening in the middle of the flower show.
There were stalls selling gardening tools, garden furniture, good quality seeds, saplings, fertilisers, unique hand made crafts, gifts, orchid varieties, blooming cacti and pesticides. There were books and literature on gardening. Organic foods were also there to attract vegetarians. Talented gardeners, and professional landscapers setaesthetically designed arrangements such as a garden designed for people with special needs, floral arrangements made with the help of trash and broken pots etc.
From herbs to shrubs and cacti to carnivores (pitcher plants) there was a vast range to choose from, in addition to wonderful displays of plants and flowers created especially for the show. The beauty of flowers enhanced by the artistic floral arrangement. There was an admirable harmony of designs and colours of flowers, foliage, and other floral accessories. Every visitor admired these beautiful floral arrangements. Roses, chrysanthemums, Bogenvalia, daisies, bamboo shoots were most popular plants of flower show.
The most notable stalls were arranged by the Pakistan navy with enchanting Dahlia, Bonsai plants and Orchid society with 10 to 25 varieties of Orchids. Both were catching the attraction of the plant lovers.
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.
Commander 5 Corps and President Executive Board DHA, Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar was the chief guest. He distributed awards and prizes to the winners and participants organisations, groups, individualsbest residential garden, parks, factory gardens, hospital gardens, mosque gardens, etc. DHA wrapped up all first position in the Flower Show by a huge margin and was awarded the coveted Abdul Sattar Pirzada Trophy. DHA Nursery Ph-VII got first position in category of Nurseries and DHA Gizri Hill got first position in beautification of Roundabouts. DHA Tooba Masjid got first position in Masjid Gardens, Flag Staff House, and Administrator DHA House got first position in Gardens of Official Bungalows large and small respectively. DHA Zamzama Park was declared the best park in the category of large parks.
In his address, the corps commander appreciated the society for regularly holding the show since 1950. He paid tributes to the Late A K Khan's contribution to the development of this healthy activity, linked with soft image of the country and peace in the city. He emphasized the need for organising lively and creative activities as flower shows in the metropolis for promoting positive and healthy trends in society. He said that horticulture and gardening promotes the culture of tolerance, empathy, and harmony and urged the citizens to change Karachi into a city of aroma, colours, and flowers.
Tracing the history of the HSP flower show, HSP Chairman Kalim Farooqi 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 summer, 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.
Everything at the flower show seemed to celebrate and inspire a sense of spring-time at the vibrant city of Karachi. The flower show was also a place to sharpen visitor's gardening know-how.