JA only Caribbean Country at U.S. Flower Show

For the seventh year running, Jamaica was the only Caribbean nation participating in Flower Mart, the premier outdoor festival for garden and floral enthusiasts from the mid-Atlantic United States region.
The event, which is in its 71st year, was held on the weekend of May 7 to 8, on the grounds of the historic Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Jamaica’s flower display, entitled ‘Jamaica to the World’, arranged by Mrs. Marigold Harding and Ms. Eunice Morrison, utilising native plants, was well received as hundreds of flower enthusiasts visited the display and gave it good reviews.
In an interview with JIS News, Mrs. Harding, who has represented Jamaica at the festival annually, explained that in trying to depict ‘Jamaica to the World’, she used tropical plants such as anthuriums, heliconias, gingers and philodendrons.

Flower enthusiasts, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Courts of Arlington, Virginia view with delight Jamaica’s display, ‘Jamaica to the World’, at the 71st annual Flower Mart, the premier outdoor festival for garden and floral enthusiasts from the mid-Atlantic United States region, held on May 7-8, on the grounds of the historic Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

“The invitation to Jamaica to participate in the 2010 festival was a reflection of the significant interest in Jamaica and what we do,” she told JIS News.
“We’ve been very successful in other arenas, such as sports and education. Using this medium will provide yet another aspect of Jamaica, its flora and fauna, that people have not traditionally seen,” Mrs. Harding pointed out.
She said she felt honoured to be the only Caribbean representative at the show.
“For Jamaica to be the only Caribbean country to participate in this important flower show, it gives us an opportunity to highlight Jamaica and to show to the rest of the world what we can do, how we can participate in an international exhibition and for us to have a presence,” she explained.
Mrs. Harding, wife of the President of the Jamaican Senate, Hon. Dr. Oswald Harding, is a veteran of the international flower show circuit. She has participated in, and represented Jamaica at major events such as the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show in the United Kingdom. She has also represented the country at the noted Canada Blooms Festival, as well as exhibitions in Belgium. She is also the first Jamaican to be named as an international judge in floral art competitions.
The 2010 Flower Mart, which attracted thousands of patrons, is a fixture on the Washington spring calendar, and is a key component of an array of events staged in the District of Columbia (D.C.), designed to attract tourists to the American capital.