For 3 days in mid August, the heart of Brussels was ornamented by a vast carpet with a colorful pattern made from more than 800,000 begonias

This biannual tradition was initiated in 1971

To learn more about the fascinating history of this  event , how these magical carpets are designed, and to see images of all these previous jewels, go to flowercarpet.be

The carpet spread over 2000 sq meters (about 18,000 sq ft) was adorned by various logos intending to symbolize the Belgian presidency of the European Union

Each square meter holds about 300 begonias, individually placed by more than 100 volunteers