The return of the floral miracle

The temperature is down which means the flowers are in full bloom once again at the Dubai Miracle Garden.
Now in its fifth season, the garden was officially opened on Sunday and will run for the next six months, inviting everyone to see around 50 million flowers of different varieties from all over the globe, beautifully presented in different installations.
Since it first opened in 2012, the garden is reconstructed every season with a new theme. And this year, the green masters and bloom makers have taken inspiration from anything with wings.
It is no surprise therefore that the world's largest passenger plane is placed at the heart of the garden this year.
The life-size replica of an Emirates A380 has been covered with half a million fresh flowers and plants. When in full bloom, the aircraft structure will have a stem count of over five million flowers, and will weigh over 100 tonnes (only 30 tonnes of the total weight are made of steel). For reference, the take-off weight of an actual A380 is 575 tonnes.
The flowers and plants used for the 'living' Emirates A380 installation were sustainably grown and harvested over a four-month period at Dubai Miracle Garden nurseries in the UAE, according to Abdel Naser Rahhal, co-founder and creator of Dubai Miracle Garden.
"There are actually two masterpieces this year - the A380, which we hope will achieve the Guinness World Record as the biggest floral installation in the world, and the Lost Paradise, a 1,3000-sqm of sunken garden village, where people can hold parties and events," Rahhal told Khaleej Times.
"Then we have the Burj Khalifa which we turned into a waterfall and a flower installation. There are also peacocks, parrots, floral houses like the famous White House, flying hearts and more," he added.
In the next few weeks, Rahal said, they will also install a helicopter and an F16 fighter plane.
Dubai Miracle Garden is not just a place of entertainment, visitors can also learn about taking care of the environment, Rahhal underlined. "We will be opening a library full of books on horticulture."
Rahhal said it will take someone at least two to three hours to finish the tour at the garden.
angel@khaleejtimes.com
Fast facts
> 50m flowers bloom at the garden
> 5,000 average number of visitors expected per day
> 300 staff involved in the construction of the garden
> Winner of Guinness World Record for largest vertical garden
> Contender for Guinness World Record for largest 3D floral sculpture
> Flowers grown in Al Ain
> Ticket price: Dh40 for adults; Dh30 for between 3-12 years old; free for those two and below and guests with disabilities
> Timings: 9am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 12 midnight on weekends and public holidays
> How to get there by bus: F30 bus from Mall of Emirates. Miracle Garden is a few minutes walking distance from Arabian Ranches which is the last station on F30 bus route.
 
 
 

• Dubai

Angel Tesorero

angel@khaleejtimes.com