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THE_Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show (RVBIGS) promises to be the biggest horticulture exhibition to date as it opens its doors to public this week.
The exhibition is being held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad and supported by Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
The theme of RVBIGS 2008 is 'Scented Gardens' and Her Majesty Shaikha Sabeeka has personally commissioned Nass Landscapes to design the main central theme garden exhibit for the show.
"We have been working for the last four months to plan the RVBIGS exhibit which is a perfectly-timed skilled operation since we have to ensure that the flowers are in their full bloom during the show.
"The theme of the show is quite challenging given this time of the year when flowers are not normally their best because of the cold weather, but we have taken this into account and prepared accordingly," said Peter Coleman, landscapes manager at Nass.
According to Mr Coleman, the 30 metres by 13 metres central exhibit at RVBIGS will be a verdant region of flowering shrubs, fragrant flowers like hybrid roses, gardenias, star jasmine, magnolias, orange blossom, magnolias, aromatic herbs like rosemary, lavender, mint, basil and thyme and various other plants and foliage.
As interest in horticulture increases in Bahrain and reaches new heights with greater commercial and international involvement with RVBIGS 2008, the event is a great opportunity for horticulture enthusiasts to visit and see a selection of plant varieties and materials on display.
Events like the annual garden show promote the horticulture industry and foster a productive exchange of commercial ties and gardening ideas for the local market.
"With massive developmental projects getting underway in the kingdom there is a great demand for landscaped areas and recreational green zones.
"This is an exciting time for the horticulture industry as international experts regularly visit Bahrain as it clamours to join the international arena of countries with modern infrastructure and landscaped perfection," says the green-fingered Australian who has almost 25 years of international experience in horticulture under his belt.
"But although Bahrain is making strides in the horticulture sector it still has a long way to go," he adds.
The company has an enviable portfolio of designing, landscaping and managing huge properties in the kingdom.
They have been involved in projects from Gudaibiya Palace to the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa, Gulf Hotel to Riffa Views' new, under construction golf course, Durrat Al Bahrain to countless other commercial and private initiatives.
Nass Landscapes has recently built its own nursery for plants on six hectares of land, the largest in the kingdom, in the north of Bahrain.
According to Mr Coleman, at present most of the country has poor soil quality with problems of salinity but according to historical evidence Bahrain used to be a verdant oasis of palm trees and foliage and is even proposed as the site as the Biblical Garden of Eden.
"Bahrain's environment is arid and tough and its indigenous plants comprise desert plants and palm trees. Most of the plants that are growing in gardens here have been introduced over many years and have adapted to the local climate and are not considered exotic any more," he added.
Mr Coleman, who owns one hectare of lush forest north of Sydney in Australia, has been living for the last two years in an apartment amidst the concrete jungle of Bahrain's metropolis.
He misses his greener environment but says that he is here to take on the challenge of making Bahrain green.
