Written by
Sanne Sips
Once again, the flowers used to decorate St. Peter’s Square in Rome at Easter originated from the Netherlands. On 20 April, Easter Sunday, they dazzled viewers around the world during the live broadcast of the Easter Sunday Holy Mass. The floral spectacle, in which Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland was involved as a sponsor, could be seen on NPO 2. The broadcast began with a report on the preparations, followed by Holy Mass and the traditional papal blessing ‘Urbi et Orbi’.
Chrysanthemums to Rome
The chrysanthemums sent to Rome originated from the Zentoo grower group. Some of them came from VDL Fleurs, a nursery that is not only known for its exquisite flowers, but also its sustainable cultivation methods. They include biological crop protection, water reuse, geothermal heating, LED lighting and solar panels. As part of the report about the preparations for the Easter celebrations, KRO-NCRV visited the nursery and shot footage on-site. They also visited Monarch Flowers, which grows ranunculus flowers, which was the main flower family in this year’s Easter decorations.
Dutch growers
Dutch growers have been providing colourful and meaningful decorations for the Easter celebrations for almost 40 years. Their flowers and plants are seen by millions of viewers worldwide and this year was once again a powerful symbol of beauty, craftsmanship and hope.
A fantastic destination
Fun fact: flowers that were still fresh after the celebrations were not discarded, but distributed among hospitals and nursing homes throughout Rome. This meant they could also bring a smile to people’s faces after Easter had passed.
