Pune: The Agri Horticultural Society of Western India is set to host the annual Empress Garden flower show starting Jan 23 in Camp.The five-day exhibition, a staple of the city’s cultural calendar, aims to surpass last year’s record footfall of 70,000 visitors. This year’s showcase features an assembly of nearly three lakh flowering and decorative plants, organised into curated sections and themed landscapes. Suresh Pingale, secretary of the society, said the focus for this edition is scale and diversity. “We have designed attractive displays throughout the grounds to allow visitors to experience the garden’s beauty in a more immersive and enhanced way,” he said. A major highlight of the event is the bonsai section, featuring mature specimens nurtured for decades. “Some of the bonsai on display are 30 to 40 years old, cultivated by Pune-based specialists who have spent years collecting and training these plants. Several were sourced from local forest areas,” Pingale added. Beyond the bonsai, the exhibition will feature expert-led floral installations, Japanese-style Ikebana arrangements, and competitive categories for flower arrangements, vegetables, and decorative pots. For gardening enthusiasts, the show will host 45 to 50 stalls offering a comprehensive range of seeds, saplings, gardening tools, and modern equipment. “Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional grower, everything required for gardening will be available under one roof,” Pingale said. The exhibition officially opens to the public at 1pm on Jan 23. For the remaining four days, the garden will be open from 9am to 7pm, serving as both a visual spectacle and a practical resource for the city’s horticultural community.
