KARACHI: The biggest festival of spring, the 74th Pakistan Annual Flower Show 2025 organised by the Horticultural Society of Pakistan (HSP) opened at the A.K. Khan Park at Seaview on Thursday.

Besides the usual nursery stalls that sell plants, including flowers, trees saplings, ornamental plants, herbs, shrubs, pesticides, plant fertilisers, gardening tools, pots, garden decoration and furniture, honey, pickles, jams, jellies and marmalade, the four-day event also presents an opportunity to experience the beauty of floral artistry and engage with the designers behind the creative works.

The seasonal flowers or perennials, the real stars of spring, took the place of pride at the entrances of most of the nursery stalls to beckon interested customers.

Of course, they were not very expensive but the other flowers that bloom year round or the imported varieties of shrubs,vines, trees or flowers were more expensive of course. There were also several stalls which had herbs such as mint, coriander, thyme, basil, dill, celery, etc., for kitchen gardens. They also had cherry tomatoes, chilli, limes, lemons, oranges and other fruit plants and trees to offer.

The Ladies Horticulture Society`s stalls must never be missed. This time their main stall`s decor, with a flowery canopy in the middle, wore the look of an English country garden with some nice elderly ladies chatting softly as they sipped tea.

Nearby were the other floral art stalls such as the World Floral Council, Pakistan Chapter`s Nature`s Palette stall, which had arrangements inspired from the colours found in nature such as drying leaves or branches, twigs, flowers, creepers, etc.

At the Ikenobo Study Group Karachi stall, Asifa Ataka explained that the floral art is the origin of Ikebana. `The art goes back 570 years,` she said, adding that she was proud to have attended the Ikenobo school in Kyoto Japan. `I keep revisiting my school there as this is an art, which is a constant. It never stops.

Therefore,you need to keepbrushingup on your skills,` said Ataka, who has herself been teaching Ikenobo and Ikebana in Karachi since 1994.The exhibits in the Ikenobo Study Group stall were based on an art gallery theme with a canvas type background for each arrangement. Thus blue bed sheets were used to give Ataka`s bright yellow sunflowers a background as were old CDs used for her other arrangement. Many of her students had also contributed to the exhibition.

Outside the Indus Sogetsu Study Group stall was a blue and yellow tree sans leaves. It was called the Tanabata. Asima Pishori there explained that the Tanabata is a tree on which people hang their wishes written on colourful pieces of paper. Someone had written on a light blue piece of paper: `The sky is not the limit. Reach for the galaxies beyond`.

Another green piece of paper read: `A wish for love + tolerance in people`.

Meanwhile, inside the Indus Sogetsu Study Group stall, there were exhibits celebrating the buildings of the city based on the theme of `Mera Karachi`.

There was an art piece inspired by the stained glass windows of St Patrick`s cathedral. But the main exhibit there was a succession of arrangements by Salma Ansari and Qurrat ul Ain Aamir inspired by Karachi`s skyline. There was a church along with the Mazar-i-Quaid, Tooba Mosque, Habib Bank Plaza, Neelum Colony and Dolmen Mall that had been turned into arrangements to complete the skyline, which pulled every visitor towards it.

The centre piece at the Jasmine Chapter stall, two big pretty butterflies surrounded by flowers, made by Farida Kalim, was also not just beautiful, it was also a winner in one of the Flower Show competitions this year. The Ikebana International Karachi stall was also a treat to visit.

Earlier, at the opening ceremony, the chief guest, Nadia Panjwani, president of the Ida Rieu School for the Blind and Deaf, said that the Flower Show was always a treat to visit. Paying rich tributes to the late founder of the annual event, A.K. Khan Sahab, she said that he was an icon who raised awareness about nature and the importance of horticulture. `The Flower Show is a befitting tribute to his memory,` she said.

She also reminded that other than spreading beauty and fragrance, flower markets have an immense potential for earning revenue. She also encouraged people associated with the flower trade to participate in international flower shows to promote the flower industry of Pakistan while also promoting the country`s soft image abroad.

To encourage more visitors to this year`s Flower Show, HSP has reduced the entrance ticket price for adults to Rs200 with Rs50 for children.