BRUSSELS Flower Carpet

BRUSSELS FLOWER CARPET 2010

Every two years in August a great spectacular creation of floral art can be seen in Brussels, Belgium.  This years event began August 12th and these images are of the chosen design. This tradition began in 1971 when landscape architect E. Stautemans first started creating "rugs" made of begonias.

Approximately 300 begonia flowers, per square meter, are packed tightly together amongst sheets of turf grass. All together, 750,000 total flowers are laid out by 100 horticulturists in less than 4 hours! Talk about skill and determination - not to mention team work!

The final result is breathtaking. From this aerial view, it is astonishing to think those are clusters of individual begonia blossoms laid out by hand. What a gorgeous tapestry and spectacular bit of culture being showcased in Brussels. 

Supposedly E. Stautemans has traveled the world creating similar carpets, and there is mention on the official website that he has designed in Columbus, Ohio. How did I miss that?! I would love to hear about/see images from anyone lucky enough to have seen something like this in the states. If not, making the trek to Europe wouldn't be half bad one of these days. 

The official website for the event and its history can be found at: Brussels Flower Carpets