Magnolias in bloom at island flower festival
Various measures were experimented with to ensure magnolia trees would be in bloom for the 10th China Flower Expo.
Magnolia, the flower representing Shanghai, will be in full bloom at the 10th China Flower Expo with special techniques used to adjust the flowering time of the blossoms, Shanghai's greenery authorities announced on Tuesday.
The expo, themed “Blossom with a Chinese Dream,” will be staged in Chongming District from May 21 till July 2, the first flower expo to be held on an island.
Experiments to delay the flowering time of magnolia started as early as January last year with a variety of means such as freezing and hormone treatment techniques, temperature, humidity and fertilizer control and trimming applied, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.
Some magnolia trees flowered the second time in July during the experiments and their flowering period lasted four to seven days with stable conditions.
A total of 242 magnolia trees have been prepared for the expo, according to the bureau.
The flower usually blooms in the city in March.
Experts were able to adjust the flowering time of magnolias in experiments that began in January last year.
