Al Ain is expanding its seasonal flower planting programme, with millions of seedlings produced each year for flowerbeds across roads, public spaces and parks in the oasis city.
The programme covers nearly 400,000 square metres and produces about 99 million flowers annually. Municipal nurseries grow more than 5.5 million seedlings to support the planting cycle.
Seasonal planting
The municipality uses 30 flower species covering 40 varieties and 20 colour shades. Planting takes place across main roads, roundabouts, central medians, parks, government facilities, public squares and pedestrian areas.
The programme is designed to keep the city’s flower displays changing throughout the year while using plants suited to local weather conditions.
Summer planting starts in mid-May, with varieties selected for their ability to withstand high temperatures. Winter planting begins in late December and uses a wider mix of species and colours.
Heat-resistant varieties
Plants are assessed based on factors such as heat tolerance, flowering period, colour density and water requirements.
The varieties used include vinca, petunia, amaranthus, zinnia, lantana, marigold, portulaca, begonia, stock, hollyhock, salvia, delphinium, gerbera, aster, celosia, geranium, viola, cosmos, sunflower, freesia, chrysanthemum and dahlia.
Flowerbeds use white, red, yellow, orange, pink, violet and blue shades in planned patterns.
Irrigation and maintenance
Before each new planting cycle, municipal teams remove older seasonal plants, prepare the soil and add organic fertiliser before transplanting seedlings from nurseries.
Maintenance includes automated irrigation, scheduled fertilisation and regular replacement of plants where needed. The municipality also updates its plant selection and landscaping designs each season and is expanding automated irrigation systems.
The landscaping plans use horizontal and vertical planting arrangements, along with ornamental features, to create different designs across public spaces.
The programme forms part of Al Ain’s wider urban landscaping and environmental planning efforts, with a focus on maintaining green public spaces while managing water use and adapting planting to the UAE’s seasonal conditions.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
