Green Hong Kong Campaign

Various community and educational activities were organised in 2005 to enhance public awareness of the importance of 'greening' the environment. These included the Green Volunteer Scheme, Community Planting Day, Greening Hong Kong Activities Subsidy Scheme, theme flower shows and greening promotional talks. The Greening School Subsidy Scheme to promote greening initiatives attracted 740 schools and kindergartens and 40 schools took part in the 'School Planting Plot in Park' scheme and made arrangements for some of their students to try gardening under the guidance of  their teachers and LCSD staff. A total of 350 000 students from 1 000 schools participated in the 'One Person, One Flower' programme in which French marigold seedlings were distributed to students for growing at home or in schools. The Community Garden Programme was extended to all 18 districts in 2005 to enable the public to participate in greening activities in their own neighbourhood.

Hong Kong Flower Show

The Hong Kong Flower Show is a major event organised by the LCSD to promote horticulture and an awareness of the need for a green environment. Every year, it provides a good opportunity for hundreds of thousands of local citizens and horticulture lovers all over the world to appreciate the beauty of flowers and share their experiences in flower cultivation. Participants in the show range from local, Mainland and overseas horticultural associations and floral art clubs to green groups, District Councils, schools and members of the public. The show has been growing in size, content and popularity every year.

Apart from numerous pleasing landscape displays, artistic floral arrangements and colourful horticultural exhibits, a rich diversity of educational and recreational fringe activities were organised at the 2005 show for the enjoyment of visitors of all ages. In addition, various types of plants and horticultural products are on sale in commercial stalls inside the showground. More than 170 local Mainland and overseas horticultural organisations from 18 countries took part in the 2005 show held in March at Victoria Park and it attracted more than 460 000 visitors. The overseas participants included floral art masters from Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia and Norway, arboriculturists from the United States and music and dance performers from South Africa and the Philippines.

Horticulture and Landscape Services/Projects

The LCSD is responsible for improving the environment of Hong Kong through the planting of ornamental trees and shrubs in public gardens and roadside amenity areas, and the preservation of trees. It maintains all public open spaces in the form of parks, gardens, sports grounds, football pitches and children's playgrounds, amenity plots and soft landscape plantings alongside highways and public roads. The services provided include landscape planting, horticultural research, tree maintenance and conservation. During the year, the department planted 15 000 trees and 3.15 million shrubs and seasonal flowers and carried out landscape improvement projects for 45 hectares of park land and roadside amenity areas, including footbridges.

Beautification of Footbridges

To enhance urban greenery and improve the environment around existing footbridges, the LCSD has introduced an annual improvement programme at footbridges in various districts by planting flowering plants in portable planters. The 2005 programme was completed in November, covering seven footbridges.

Community Garden Programme

By the end of the year, the Community Garden Programme had been extended to 18 districts to encourage the public to participate in greening activities at the community level and to adopt such practices as part of daily life. It was also designed to arouse public awareness of environmental protection through gardening participation activities. One community garden was established in each district and a total of 29 gardening courses were organised with around 5 000 participants in 2005.