Happy Halloween 2014.... with the Magic Pumpkin of Expo 2016 Antalya !

It's Halloween !

Choose your best HD Desktop Wallpapers with

Expo 2016 Antalya

The Magic Pumpkin of Expo 2016 Antalya

The Greenlife Power Pumpkin of Expo 2016 Antalya

Night's Pumpkin of Expo 2016 Antalya

Greenlife in your hand Pumpkin of Expo 2016 Antalya

And don't forget to visit the Expo 2016 Antalya Website

Flower of the day: Passiflora sp.

Passiflora

"Passion Flower" redirects here. For other uses, see Passion Flower (disambiguation).
Passiflora, known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants, the namesakes of the family Passifloraceae.
They are mostly vines, with some being shrubs, and a few species being herbaceous. For information about the fruit of the passiflora plant, see passionfruit.
The monotypic genus Hollrungia seems to be inseparable from Passiflora, but further study is needed.

Distribution
The family Passifloraceae has a pantropical distribution. Passiflora itself is absent from Africa, where many other members of the family Passifloraceae occur (e.g. the more plesiomorphic Adenia).
Nine species of Passiflora are native to the USA, found from Ohio to the north, west to California and south to the Florida Keys. Most other species are found in South America, Eastern Asia, and Southern Asia, New Guinea, four or more species in Australia and a single endemic species in New Zealand. New species continue to be identified: for example, P. pardifolia and P. xishuangbannaensis have only been known to the scientific community since 2006 and 2005, respectively.
Some species of Passiflora have been naturalised beyond their native ranges. For example, Blue Passion Flower (P. caerulea) now grows wild in Spain.[1] The purple passionfruit (P. edulis) and its yellow relative flavicarpa have been introduced in many tropical regions as commercial crops.

More information on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora

http://www.expo2016antalya.org.tr/en

History - Floriade Rotterdam 1960

Even if Horticultural Expos or Flower Expos exist since many centuries now, these international events are more recent, and moreover for those, recognized by the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) and AIPH (International Association of Horticultural Producers).
These international Flower Expos are classified in different categories : A1 and A2, B1, B2.

Expo 2016 Antalya is a A1 expo category. The first A1 Horticultural Expo was hold to Netherlands, at Rotterdam in 1960, 56 years before Expo 2016 Antalya.
Even if this history is shorter that the World Expo History, Expo 2016 Antalya will be the 20th Expo of this type.
It's enough to make an already very rich history for the Horticultural Expos.

We have published the illustrated liste a few days ago.
Horticultural Expos since 1960

We can learn more about these Horticultural Expos, with informations from the BIE.

Here's some détails about the first one, in 1960, at Rotterdam.

Official name : Floriade Rotterdam 1960 (The Netherlands)
Date : 26/03 – 25/09/1960
Theme : « International Horticulture »
Category : Specialised Exposition
Statement of intent Registration : 05/05/1959

Organisational responsability :
The Dutch Horticultural Council and the Municipality of Amsterdam, in cooperation with the “Royal Dutch horticulture and botany society” in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, organized the Floriade 1960.

Site :

The outdoor exhibition was located on the grounds of Het Park and the indoor part of the Floriade 1960 was organised in the Ahoy Hall and the Energiahal, in the south of Rotterdam.


Floriade was subdivided into 6 sub-themes:
“Spring”, “Roses, Lathyrus and Lilies”, “Floral Art”, “Dutch Garden”, “Autumn’s Glory”, “The universe and the Earth”.


The cable car 30 m high (the largest in the country at the time, with a capacity of 4 000 people perhour) offered a panoramic view on the park with its patchwork of gardens.


One of the greatest attractions of the Floriade 1960 was a 107 m high, the Euromast Tower. Originally built as a point of observation of the Expo, the Euromast has become, over time, a symbol of Rotterdam.


Visitors : 3 000 000

Inside the Floriade, Rotterdam 1960.

Euromast Tower

Princess Beatrix Gets a guided tour at the Floriade.

BIE - Bureau International des Expositions Website

Happy 91st Year of Republic of Turkey !

Peace at Home, Peace in the World

Source Gallica

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Qingdao Expo for 2014 comes to successful conclusion

When the curtain came down on the 2014 Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition, on Oct 25, the event had attracted more than 4 million visitors from China and abroad, and the praise of Vic Krahn, president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers, who says that it highlighted Qingdao and was a good example of China's commitment to protecting nature through education and the integration of horticulture in the landscape.

The theme of the 184-day expo was “From the earth, for Earth” and it covered “Natural creation”, “Scientific and technological innovation” and “Cultural originality” with programs on the oceans, mountains, and ecology.

Krahn went on to explain, “The Qingdao Expo really showed the importance of horticulture for the human’s spirit.”

The Qingdao expo will begin some scheduled maintenance, on Oct 26, and is expected to reopen to the public this coming spring.

Source : http://en.qingdaoexpo2014.org/

Closing ceremony of 2014 Qingdao International Horticultural Expo !

The closing ceremony of 2014 Qingdao International Horticultural Exposition was held in China. After the ceremony, meetings were carried with the participation of Vic Krahn, President Association of International Horticulture Producers (AIPH) and Selami Gülay, Secretary General of EXPO 2016 Antalya.

Thanks to Expo 2016 Antalya for the pics.

http://www.expo2016antalya.org.tr/en

More pics from International Horticultural Exposition 2014 Qingdao :

Flower of the day: Mesembryanthemum criniflorum

Mesembryanthemum

Mesembryanthemum (meaning "midday flowering") is a genus of flowering plants native to southern Africa. Many species formerly placed herein, such as Dorotheanthus bellidiformis, Carpobrotus and Sceletium have since been moved into other genera.
Fig marigold or Icicle plant is a name for any of several South African taxa of Mesembryanthemum which are cultivated as ornamental plants for their showy pink or white flowers. "Pebble plant" or "Ice plant" are other but rather ambiguous common names, usually referring to other Aizoaceae.
Mesembryanthemum is a member of the family Aizoaceae; like many members of this family, it is characterized by long-lasting flower heads. Flowers of Mesembryanthemum protect their gametes from night-time dews or frosts but open in sunlight. There is an obvious evolutionary advantage to doing this; where sun, dew, frost, wind or predators are likely to damage exposed reproductive organs, closing may be advantageous during times when flowers are unlikely to attract pollinators.
Ornamental Mesembryanthemum may escape into the wild and consequently has become widely naturalized outside their native range. They are considered an invasive weed in certain places. Some species are thought to be hallucinogenic plants like related Aizoaceae and as such may be subject to legal restrictions (e.g. Louisiana State Act 159).

Name
Jacob Breyne coined the name of the flower in 1684, using the spelling Mesembrianthemum, from the Greek roots μεσημβρία, meaning "noon", and ἄνθεμον, meaning "flower", because the species known at his time flowered at midday. In 1719, on the discovery that some species flowered at night, Johann Jacob Dillenius changed the spelling to "Mesembryanthemum", rederiving the first part of the word from Greek μεσος ("middle") and ἔμβρυον ("rudimentary fruit" or "embryo").

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesembryanthemum

http://www.expo2016antalya.org.tr/en

Qingdao 2014 - Demonstration of Landscape Spray Succeeds in Jiangxi Garden

On the afternoon of November 15, the landscape spray in Jiangxi Garden inside the Chinese Garden was demonstrated in public. With pipes covering about 60 meters, the landscape spray is intended to create a fairyland atmosphere with vapor in the sky and water spilled all over mountains.

Located in the southern area of the Chinese Garden, Jiangxi Garden, rectangular in shape, covers an area of around 1,461 square meters. It is divided into four zones: the historical footprint zone, the red revolutionary zone, the green rise zone, and Poyang Lake ecological zone.
Aimed mainly at carrying forward the fine revolutionary traditionof Jiangxi Province, the garden gives a full show of the achievements of Jiangxi, especially in the fields of culture, life, economy, and construction in the past over 30 years since the reform and opening up of China, and since the implementation of the Poyang Lake Ecological Economy Strategy.

http://en.qingdaoexpo2014.org/

Flower of the day: Tagetes patula

Tagetes

Tagetes is a genus of 56 species of annual and perennial, mostly herbaceous plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae or Compositae). The genus is native to North and South America, but some species have become naturalized around the world. One species, T. minuta, is considered a noxious invasive plant in some areas.

Description
Tagetes species vary in size from 0.1 to 2.2 m tall. Most species have pinnate green leaves. Blooms naturally occur in golden, orange, yellow, and white colors, often with maroon highlights. Floral heads are typically (1-) to 4–6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets. In horticulture, they tend to be planted as annuals, although the perennial species are gaining popularity.
Depending on the species, Tagetes grow well in almost any sort of soil. Most horticultural selections grow best in soil with good drainage.

Nomenclature
The name Tagetes is from the name of the Etruscan Tages.
The common name in English, "marigold", is derived from "Mary's gold", a name first applied to a similar plant native to Europe, Calendula officinalis. See marigold for other plants commonly called marigold. In Nepal, it is called 'शयपत्री' that means hundred-leafed flower, referring to its many florets per head.
The most commonly cultivated varieties of Tagetes are known variously as African marigolds (usually referring to cultivars and hybrids of Tagetes erecta, although this species is not native to Africa), or French marigolds (usually referring to hybrids and cultivars of Tagetes patula, many of which were developed in France, although the species is not native to that country). The so-called signet marigolds are hybrids derived mostly from Tagetes tenuifolia.
Tagetes minuta is the source of commercial "Tagetes oil" used in industry. It is now a naturalized species in Africa, Hawaii, and Australia, and is considered an invasive species (weed) in some regions.

Cultivation and uses
Depending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes. Tagetes species are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, tobacco, and potato. Due to antibacterial thiophenes exuded by the roots, Tagetes should not be planted near any legume crop. Some of the perennial species are deer-, rabbit-, rodent- and javalina or peccary-resistant.
T. minuta (khakibush or huacatay), originally from South America, has been used as a source of essential oil for the perfume and industry known as tagette or "marigold oil", and as a flavourant in the food and tobacco industries. It is commonly cultivated in South Africa, where the species is also a useful pioneer plant in the reclamation of disturbed land.
The florets of Tagetes erecta are rich in the orange-yellow carotenoid lutein and are used as a food colour (INS-number E161b) in the European Union for foods such as pasta, vegetable oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing, baked goods, confectionery, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, citrus juice and mustard. In the United States, however, the powders and extracts are only approved as colorants in poultry feed.
Marigolds are recorded as a food plant for some Lepidoptera caterpillars including the dot moth, and a nectar source for other butterflies. They are often part of butterfly gardening plantings. In the wild, many species are pollinated by beetles.

More : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes

Qingdao 2014 : Weihai Garden

Weihai Garden: A Showcase for Fishermen's Life and Seaweed Houses

The moment they enter into the Weihai Garden, visitors can see a seaweed house that only exists in fairy tales. On the caesious walls built of primal bricks and stones stands a thick and towering saddle ridge made of yellow mud where two fluffy sloped roofs covered by fishing net meet. Seeing such a distinct seaweed house, visitors who have been tired of serried high-rise buildings and flashing neon lights can feel a fresh charm as if they were in a Utopia.

To showcase the treasures of the Chinese architectural art, the former Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of China launched a series of stamps themed traditional folk houses with local characteristics between the end of the 1980s and early 1990s. These stamps prove to be bestsellers. It is worth mentioning that the seaweed house was chosen by ingenious designers to represent the Shandong folk houses.

Walking in the costal fishing villages of Jiaodong, visitors can see seaweed houses scattered all over. These houses built of stone walls and seaweed roofs take on a simple and unsophisticated appearance with distinctive regional features.

According to relevant researches, the seaweed houses originated from the Neolithic Age, took on a fixed form in the Qin and Han Dynasties, became popular during Song and Jin Dynasties, and flourished during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Having such merits as the capacity to ensure comfortable living even in cold winters and hot summers and long life span, this type of buildings has survived the lapse of time, becoming the "living fossil" of Chinese folk houses and the "specimen" of Chinese architecture.

http://en.qingdaoexpo2014.org/

Flower of the day: Iris laevigata

Iris laevigata

Iris laevigata, Rabbit-ear iris or kakitsubata, is a Japanese species of iris related to other members of Iris subgenus Limniris, including other species of Japanese irises. It is found growing in shallow waters and seems to prefer marshy and still ponds although it can also be grown in damp soil if conditions are right. Flowers are usually blue, purple or violet and have unique colour patterns including some types with predominantly white flowers with blue spots, called Washino-o and dark purples bordered with white, called Maikujaku.

Alternative names for I. laeviegata are I. albopurpurea and I. phragmitetorum. It is sometimes known commonly as Shallow-flowered iris or yan zi hua.

Cultivation
I. laevigata differs from the Japanese iris mainly in being more dependent on water and in lacking the strong midrib of the foliage. When grown from seeds, they usually germinate in 30–545 days although even under good conditions germination may be erratic. Seeds should be sown about 6 mm deep in a peaty seed sowing mix at about 15-20°C with frequent watering. Some varieties are almost ever-blooming even in mild climates, which makes it a good candidate for water gardens in temperate areas in Europe and the Americas.
This plant has been cultivated in Japan for more than a thousand years and some varieties mentioned in Japanese gardening books in the late 17th century are still in existence.
The variegated cultivar I. laevigata 'Variegata' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

More : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_laevigata

http://www.expo2016antalya.org.tr/en

The FLORALIES of Ghent return to the city centre of Ghent in 2016 !

2016 will be a great year for horticultural Expos ! Of course, the largest event will be in Turkey, with Expo 2016 Antalya... but we could have also the pleasure to visit other large events, like this one in Belgium, in Ghent, an important Flowers-Expo held each 5 years since a very long time !

This event is planned from 22 april to 1th may 2016.
(Official opening on thursday April 21nd 2016)

A dynamic festival of flowers and plants

• Flowers & Plants
• Floral Art
• Inspirational Gardens
• Nature-inspired art projects & exhibitions

The FLORALIES of Ghent want to help the general public discover new trends and give them creative ideas, in the margin of a major event in the city centre focusing on the floral and green experience of the future, in order to gradually introduce flowers and plants into their homes, their streets and their city.

FLORALIES of Ghent will be situated in four sites :

Citadelpark
The Citadel Park is the day's largest park and green lung Gent today. The Floraliënhal also an historic site of the FLOWER SHOW, and still remembered as severely by many. The presence of iconic public buildings of the Ghent cultural life creates rich opportunities for collaboration.

Leopoldskazerne
The Leopoldskazerne is possibly a lesser known or obvious location, but whom the building complex and its large inside area visiting is surprised. Its optimal location in connection with the Citadel Park and St. Peter's Square makes it a complementary site with a character to explore strong.

Sint-Pietersplein
The area surrounding the Saint Peter's Square has a long and eventful history behind it and is an important link in the history of the city of Ghent. Today converge here religious heritage, academia, event-based and student lives. The trail of FLOWER SHOW 2016 between Citadel Park and St. Peter's Square also provides a fascinating perspectieve with the Book as an important landmark in the city skyline.

Bijlokesite
The historic Bijlokesite today is home to a dozen organizations in culture, education and positions itself accordingly as a green haven of culture near the center of Ghent.
Urban transformation and permanence generate this exceptional site with a mix of architectural styles with historical and contemporary architecture seamlessly flow into one another.

Don't forget to visit the FLORALIES of Ghent Website !

Finland Garden: Greetings from the Hometown of Santa Claus

In the north of the International Garden quietly sits a cabin which is in the center of a simple courtyard encircled by birch stump fences. The wood chips covering the yard paths feel like a soft carpet when you step on it. The cedar in front of the cabin seems to be waiting to be decorated by the owner, and the tower at the red rooftop points towards the sky. This is the Finland Garden from the hometown of Santa Claus.

Gansu Garden: Seeking Ancestral Roots in the Hometown of Fuxi

Which province is the geometric center of China? Where is the birthplace of Fuxi, the ancestor of the Chinese people? Where is the cradle of The Book of Changes? Where did the famous “Battle at Jieting” of the Three Kingdoms period take place? Answers to all of these questions are the same place, Gansu Province. Integrating the Fuxi culture, the Qin culture, the culture of the Three Kingdoms, the Dadiwan culture and the grotto culture, Gansu is a place where you can trace to the source of the Chinese civilization through exploration.

Located in the east of the Chinese Garden, the Gansu Garden is themed “seeking ancestral roots in the hometown of Fuxi”. By presenting the Taiji diagram and the statue of Fuxi together with flowers, plants, rockery, rocks and waterscapes, the garden carries forward the Fuxi culture via modern gardening methods.

Starting from the entrance, the decorated archway, the sculpture with dragon totem, the Bagua Square, the Fuxi sculpture and the human-faced salamander bottle form the central axis of the garden, while winding paths and rocks are deployed on both sides of this axis. Walking along these paths, visitors will come to know the contributions that Fuxi made to humankind in his whole life and learn about Fuxi culture.

http://en.qingdaoexpo2014.org/