October 15, 2012
A horticultural extravaganza
By Phil Charal
LO President
I am writing this column from a hotel room in Venlo, near Amsterdam. I am here with the Canadian delegation to present an official bid for an Association of International Producers of Horticulture (AIPH) sanction for Flora Niagara 2017.
For a few days the Canadian delegation and I visited Floriade 2012, a world-class horticultural expo that opened on Apr. 5 and closed Oct. 7.
Floriade is only held every ten years. The history goes back to 1960 in Rotterdam, Holland. There were five linking areas within a 66-hectare park setting; each world area had its own unique décor, program and activities. World areas offer the feel and experience one finds in nature.
The first area I visited was Relax and Heal. It put visitors in balance with nature in an oriental setting. It showcased healing herbs, tea rituals, barefoot paths and a spa-like ambiance, providing every visitor with a special yin yang experience. This display showed how nature influences health and wellbeing through some incredibly creative gardens and pavilions.
The next work was entitled Green Engine. This area showed nature combining with industry and how they effectively co-exist in a sustainable way. It contained a huge indoor flower show and imaginary auctions where people could bid on flowers. The area really showed the importance and vitality of horticulture.
The third world I visited was Education and Innovation. This display highlighted the world’s changing perspectives and symbolism of how we look at the future. All the pavilions were very impressive with many striking and innovative ideas.
I was particularly taken with the My Green World pavilion, sponsored by the government of the Netherlands. The building was 15 metres high and one of the landmarks at Floriade. It contained numerous stations that exhibited new ideas and focused on innovative ways to use water, making energy from algae and many solutions to conserve energy.
The area entitled, Environment, was all about bringing green to the city: indoors and outdoors, and at home and at work. Fabulous innovative gardens, designed and built by creative landscape architects, designers and contractors showed how flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruits can improve the quality of life.
The last section was the World Show Stage. Here, visitors were exposed to other cultures and their art, culture and entertainment. You could sample food and enjoy international entertainment in a spectacular amphitheatre, which featured numerous concerts. Over 30 countries were represented.
I was so very impressed with Floriade 2012. This park was rooted in nature, and completely surrounded by a mature forest. The five different theme areas, each with its own unique design, planting and pavilions, were a pleasure to experience.
What I have learned about the world expo exhibits is that a venue like this is not only a fabulous experience for the visitor, but an important catalyst for future development. After the exhibition, the Floriade park will be transformed into the Venlo Green Park, a distinctive business park for the horticultural sector that, thanks to Floriade 2012, will provide a green environment with functional buildings and great landscaping for future development.
Our Canadian delegation, awarded our sanction from the AIPH on Sept. 11, is hopeful that Flora Niagara will provide the same experience as Floriade 2012 to Niagara in 2017. See story on page 5.
What a great display and tribute to horticulture this could potentially be for future generations.
Phil Charal may be reached at pcharal@landscapeontario.com.
LO President
I am writing this column from a hotel room in Venlo, near Amsterdam. I am here with the Canadian delegation to present an official bid for an Association of International Producers of Horticulture (AIPH) sanction for Flora Niagara 2017.For a few days the Canadian delegation and I visited Floriade 2012, a world-class horticultural expo that opened on Apr. 5 and closed Oct. 7.
Floriade is only held every ten years. The history goes back to 1960 in Rotterdam, Holland. There were five linking areas within a 66-hectare park setting; each world area had its own unique décor, program and activities. World areas offer the feel and experience one finds in nature.
The first area I visited was Relax and Heal. It put visitors in balance with nature in an oriental setting. It showcased healing herbs, tea rituals, barefoot paths and a spa-like ambiance, providing every visitor with a special yin yang experience. This display showed how nature influences health and wellbeing through some incredibly creative gardens and pavilions.
The next work was entitled Green Engine. This area showed nature combining with industry and how they effectively co-exist in a sustainable way. It contained a huge indoor flower show and imaginary auctions where people could bid on flowers. The area really showed the importance and vitality of horticulture.
The third world I visited was Education and Innovation. This display highlighted the world’s changing perspectives and symbolism of how we look at the future. All the pavilions were very impressive with many striking and innovative ideas.
I was particularly taken with the My Green World pavilion, sponsored by the government of the Netherlands. The building was 15 metres high and one of the landmarks at Floriade. It contained numerous stations that exhibited new ideas and focused on innovative ways to use water, making energy from algae and many solutions to conserve energy.
The area entitled, Environment, was all about bringing green to the city: indoors and outdoors, and at home and at work. Fabulous innovative gardens, designed and built by creative landscape architects, designers and contractors showed how flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruits can improve the quality of life.
The last section was the World Show Stage. Here, visitors were exposed to other cultures and their art, culture and entertainment. You could sample food and enjoy international entertainment in a spectacular amphitheatre, which featured numerous concerts. Over 30 countries were represented.
I was so very impressed with Floriade 2012. This park was rooted in nature, and completely surrounded by a mature forest. The five different theme areas, each with its own unique design, planting and pavilions, were a pleasure to experience.
What I have learned about the world expo exhibits is that a venue like this is not only a fabulous experience for the visitor, but an important catalyst for future development. After the exhibition, the Floriade park will be transformed into the Venlo Green Park, a distinctive business park for the horticultural sector that, thanks to Floriade 2012, will provide a green environment with functional buildings and great landscaping for future development.
Our Canadian delegation, awarded our sanction from the AIPH on Sept. 11, is hopeful that Flora Niagara will provide the same experience as Floriade 2012 to Niagara in 2017. See story on page 5.
What a great display and tribute to horticulture this could potentially be for future generations.
Phil Charal may be reached at pcharal@landscapeontario.com.