The Grand-Place in Brussels is in full bloom as the bi-annual
flower carpet has been unfurled in the city.
The first Grand-Place flower carpet was made in 1971 to celebrate
Belgium's begonia flower
This year's carpet is the 19th to be laid at the Grand-Place and
it celebrates the 50th anniversary of Turkish immigration to
Belgium
The carpet's 1800 square-metres of begonias make up a tapestry
that is inspired by the patterns of Turkey's famous kilims.
The flowers in the carpet are tightly packed, with 300 begonias
in every square metre and a total of around 750,000 flowers
used.
Every year Belgium produces in the region of 60 million
begonias, and 80% of these are exported
Once the flowers are ready, 100 gardeners put the carpet
together in around four hours.
Begonias have a long flowering period, a broad range of colours
and a variety of shapes, making it the ideal flower for this kind
of displa
