Kochi: The week-long Cochin Flower Show, south India’s largest, is all set to start from January 9 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here.
For the first time, the show will be held in the 12,000 sq ft air-conditioned pavilion. And it will have themes such as Palace, Horror, Comedy and Ravi Varma paintings.
About 18, 000 flowering plants brought from overseas and other parts of the country will be on display in the seven-day event that cost Rs 40 lakh.
“The ticket charges remain more or less the same as last year – Rs 40 for adults and Rs 20 for children. The flowering plants include 1500 roses, 1000 anthuriums, 1000 orchids, chrysanthemums, marigolds, dahlias, petunias, gerberas, salvia and bonsai, among others,” said district collector P I Sheik Pareeth.
The flower show has been organised by the Ernakulam district Agri-Horticultural Society, and will be inaugurated at 5.30 pm on Thursday.
Flowers have been imported from 25 noted nurseries and the public can buy the flowers from their stalls, said D Radhakrishnan Nair, secretary of the flower show.
He added that vegetables can be bought at 30 per cent discount from the stalls of Horticorp, and visitors will also guided on how to set up their own gardens.
The flower show will conclude on January 15. There will be a ‘Flower Prince’ and ‘Flower Princess’ contest, in which over 100 children between the ages of four and 14 years are expected to participate. Prizes for best garden in various categories will also be given.
