A landmark flower exhibition took place at Guangzhou's Yuntai Garden and Yunluo Botanical Garden, which ran from October 26, 2025, to January 5, 2026. The event featured over 80,000 potted petunias across 72 varieties, with a special emphasis on the "Guangzhou series"—a new collection of petunias bred locally by the Guangzhou Institute of Forestry and Landscape Architecture.
A key highlight was the display of the "Guangzhou 1-18" petunia strains, China's first independently developed F1 hybrid petunias. For years, the country relied heavily on imported petunia seeds. The successful cultivation of these 18 new varieties signals a breakthrough in domestic flower breeding and germplasm resource innovation. Researchers have also developed more than 20 new petunia strains, including nine F1 hybrids currently under certification, along with over 20 pollen-free clonal varieties.
The flower show also created a two-kilometer "Petunia Exploration Trail" linking 15 educational stops, where visitors could learn about flower origins, biodiversity, and plant-breeding techniques through interactive installations and paper-art displays.
In a move to blend horticulture with urban tourism, the event introduced a live-streamed "flower sales room," allowing online visitors to purchase plants while enjoying virtual garden tours. This initiative brought together scenic parks, research institutes, horticulture businesses, and plant enthusiasts, helping boost green consumption and deepen the integration of flower shows with cultural tourism.
By uniting horticulture, science, and tourism, the petunia show not only enhanced Guangzhou's reputation as a flower-loving city but also illustrated how urban green spaces can foster ecological awareness and cultural vibrancy.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Nanfang Plus
Editor | Huang Qini, James Campion, Shen He
