The 23rd Chrysanthemum and Autumn Flowers show that begin here on Friday on a lackluster and disappointing note closed with a big fanfare of large prizes, more for the Malees (professional horticulturists) a disclosure that the horticulture society was about to set up a school for professional and amateur gardeners.
The suggestion was commended enthusiastically by the Minister of State for Interior, Dr Shehzad Wasim who said it would meet an outstanding requirement and motivate Islamabad residents to beautify their surroundings.
The Minister who is a Senator from Federal Capital said it will make the mandate given to the Capital Development Authority easier that was to give the city a character and identity of its own.
The unusual feature of this year's prize distribution was special cash and in kind prizes given to the Malees whom Dr Wasim described as the "soul behind the current show" as they toil the whole year to arrange a feast of colour in spring and autumn.
The society had allocated cash prizes and suit lengths for them and also distributed about 13 bicycles to the top scorers.
The overall first prize was won by the entry of the Pakistan PWD, the second the Capital Development Authority and the third to the Central Works Organisation.
Among the diplomat missions the first prize went to the Indian High Commission and the second to the UK High Commission for their gardens. The winners among the small professional organisations were Allama Iqbal Open University and the second to the Central Maintenance and Salvage Depot for the entries of Chrysanthemums and some other perennials.
The garden workers of these institution received cash, suit lengths and some bicycles.
Among the house gardens the best adjudged were Mrs Nighat Abbasi, Mrs Shrin Saifullah and Dr Shaukat Malik.
The air Headquarters, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the Islamabad Club, Carrier telephone Industries, PAF Chaklala secured first positions and took away the trophies for their gardens and flower entries in other categories.
The society also held a competition among the Malees for knowledge and excellence in plant care and development and gave prizes to Arshed, Sher Dad, Muhammad Arif, Gul Faraz and Sheikh Basharat.
In his annual report, Ghazenfer M Khan, the General Secretary disclosed that the Horticultural Society had suggested to the Chinese and the Indian governments on organising visits for the Pakistani Horticulturists to famous gardens in their countries.
The society was also trying to organise an exchange of judges for such shows between Pakistan and India. Earlier, in his extempore remarks, the Minister of State for Interior urged the gardeners to adopt better water management technique to preserve nature's as unique gift as the flowers were.
He said the Federal Government had started to implement a scheme to implement such a programme through "drip-drop sprinkling irrigation techniques" about which a stall had been set at the show premises.
The system has proved its an efficiency in water-scarcity areas and is in wide use in afforestation projects in the United Arab Emirates and also the crop cultivation in Saudi Arabia.