Flowers Presented to Saint Petersburg on 300th Anniversary

The opening ceremony of an international flower exhibition took place today at the Small Philharmonic Hall in Saint Petersburg. The exhibition is part of the XIV international flower festival, which opened in the city on May 7. Vlad Kuleshov, one of the leading florists in Russia, said "those participating at the event are trying to reflect the character, beauty and traditions of Saint Petersburg."

This year's festival will be larger than previous years and there will be many foreign guests, including over 100 foreign florists from 15 different countries including Great Britain, the US, France, Germany, Japan, Estonia, CIS countries. Some have participated at previous events. India, Australia and New Zealand are represented here for the first time. The exhibition will continue until May 11 in the Small Philharmonic Hall.

A separate exhibition by Australian florists is also going on at the Variety Theatre. Australians are not only participating in this event. They are also here to represent Melbourne, the twin-city of Saint Petersburg in Australia, and the exhibition is their present to Saint Petersburg on its anniversary.