Girona will adapt Temps de Flors, the open-air floral event that brought together more than 350,000 people in the last edition, to the drought situation. In this way, in the 106 assemblies that will especially dot the Barri Vell but also twelve other neighborhoods of the city, plants and flowers that require little water will be used and survival irrigation will be carried out manually with groundwater.
These are some of the measures adopted by the Consistory, organizer of the exhibition, which will be held from May 13 to 21, in collaboration with the Amics de la Girona Antiga and the Amics de les Flors association in order to save water in a time when the swamps are almost dry.
Unlike other years in which the assemblies used flowers and plants at will, without taking too much into account their irrigation needs, this year there will be an abundance of plants and flowers that do not need too much water.
Although the Consistory has not wanted to explain what type of plants will be used so as not to reveal the surprise of the assemblies ahead of time, in that category of plants that are easy to care for without needing a lot of water there would be the family of succulents, the poto , aloe vera or cactus. Among the flowers that can do without too much watering, we find the Kalanchoe or the chrysanthemum, among others.
If a year ago the assemblies were irrigated with a hose connected to hydrants, in this edition with the city in the "exceptional" phase due to the drought decree -just like half of Catalonia- it has been decided to use groundwater for the irrigation of survival of the plants that will make up the floral decoration.
A tank will distribute water of this type in 25 tanks that will be distributed in different points, mostly in the Barri Vell. Of these, twelve will not move in the nine days that this year's edition lasts. Among other points, there will be near the steps of the Cathedral, the Basilica of Sant Fèlix, the Plaza de los Jurats or the staircase of the Seminary.
The rest will be eventual and will cover Plaza Independencia, the Banys Àrabs, the La Pera staircase or the Cathedral underground. The councilor responsible for the flower show, Glòria Plana, explains that "survival irrigation will be carried out with this groundwater and it will be manual", with the use of manual back-mounted sprayers.
The mayoress of Girona, Marta Madrenas, points out that "we are concerned about climate change" and we must "adapt to the situation".
In this 68th edition of Temps de Flors there will be 106 decorated city spaces, totaling 126 projects. One of the novelties of this edition will be the opening of the Odeón dance hall, located on the ascent of Sant Domènec, which had been closed for many years and which its managers have now wanted to open to the public by joining this year's show.
You can also visit other interior spaces such as the History Museum of Girona, the patio of the Jewish Museum, the house of Lleó Avinay, the church of Sant Lluc, the Díaz-Tarragó building or the Martínez house.
As the Consistory has been doing for years, there will be several access points to the sample from the Barri Vell and other exit points to avoid crowds and guarantee security. Calle de la Força will only be an exit.
