World Largest Carpet of Flowers made from 600,000 Multicoloured Flowers in Belgium

World Largest Carpet of Flowers made from 600,000 Multicoloured Flowers in Belgium

For a few fleeting days earlier this August, an exquisite ephemeral carpet of fresh flowers graced the cobblestone at Grand Place, the central square in Brussels, Belgium. Spanning 75 meters long and 24 meters wide, it consisted of 1,800 square meters of begonias carefully interspersed with dahlias, grasses, and bark, with each square meter containing about 300 blooms.

This year’s composition was designed to celebrate 150 years of Belgo-Japanese friendship, commemorating the original Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation that the two countries signed in August 1866. In tribute to traditional Japanese themes, the wind, moon, birds, and flowers represented natural beauty; the koi fish symbolized strength and growth; and the bamboo and pine trees signified positive omens. Cherry blossom renderings were included, too, as crucial emblems of Japanese cultural tradition.

As always, the carpet lasted about four days before the petals and leaves began to wilt. From August 12-15, visitors were invited to climb the adjacent Town Hall’s balcony for a wide-angle panorama or to walk on ground level, enjoying a nightly concert and light show for a multi-sensory aesthetic experience enhanced with the fragrance of fresh flora. After four days, the petals and leaves began to wilt as they always do—but you can still see photographs of the transitory tour de force on the official Flower Carpet website.

World Largest Carpet of Flowers made from 600,000 Multicoloured Flowers in Belgium