Floralia 2016 at Groot-Bijgaarden
From April 6th till May 6th 2016 the Floralia-Brussels flower exhibition can be visited. The Floralia-Brussels is a spring flower exhibition in the park and the greenhouses at the grounds of Castle of Groot-Bijgaarden. This year it will celebrate its 13th anniversary. Visit the beautiful flower gardens Groot-Bijgaarden for an unforgettable flower experience.
The Castle of Groot-Bijgaarden is situated west of Brussels. Away of the crowded city center of Brussels this castle can be found at a small village named Bijgaarden. 
Outdoor exhibition
The park of 14 hectares is in size and contains over 1 million flower bulbs. As a result flower lovers will have the opportunity to discover 500 varieties including 400 tulip varieties. Because the tulips have been divided into three categories: early flowering, midseason and late flowering, they are blooming throughout the exhibition. Furthermore the categories have been divided into classic triumph tulips, botanical (kaufmanniana, greigii, fosteriana), lily flowers, viridiflora, parrots and multi–flora.
Very rare varieties like the papillon narcissus can be found amongst the narcissi and daffodils. A huge amount of muscari, wild tulips, violets, azaleas and rhododendrons spreads out under the ancient trees.
Indoor exhibition
The 1000m² newly restored greenhouse contains a prestigious indoor exhibition. These indoor flower beds and flower arrangements will be changed each week. About 150 creations reflecting trends and current fashions will be presented here. The flower artist Hans Danko will refresh the flower arrangements with about 10.000 flowers each Friday.
The garden next to the orchard is dedicated to the rhododendrons and the azaleas. They have been supplied by Exbury Gardens in the south west of England.
History
The park has been designed at the end of the 19th century by the garden architect Louis Fuchs, designer of numerous parks in Belgium.
Nowadays, Maarten Bakker is taken care of the design and the realization of the flower exhibition in Groot-Bijgaarden. He is a descendant of a famous family of bulb producers in the Netherlands. By using the most beautiful flower species he creates the most interesting varieties flower beds in a diversity of colors.
Practical information can be found at their website. For other flower festivals around the world have a look here.
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