Flowers from Holland will turn St Peter's Square into a floral painting

Bishop Van den Hende blesses the flowers

After months of preparations, the transportation of flowers for St Peter's Square in Rome left Keukenhof, in the Netherlands this week. The Right Reverend Van den Hende, Bishop of Rotterdam, came to the gardens to bless the flowers before departure. Visitors from many nationalities were there to wave the floral consignment off.

Dutch flower specialists have been responsible for the floral decoration of the Easter celebration in St Peter's Square in Rome for more than 30 years. Surrounded by the wonderful flower displays, Pope Francis will give the Easter Blessing Urbi et Orbi on Sunday.

Chief flower arranger Paul Deckers travelled to Rome with dozens of Dutch flower growers to arrange in two days, 35,000 bulbs, thousands of roses and lilies, plants and trees in St Peter's Square. A truck from Van der Slot was decorated with a beautiful livery of Dutch flowers especially for this transport.

"For me as chief flower arranger it is a challenge every year to decorate the large St Peter's Square with Dutch flowers and plants: a metamorphosis into a floral painting," says Deckers. "When arranging the flowers for the decoration displays one has to take into account the different flowers and their symbolism. The lily is often used in the Roman Catholic Church, as is the rose. The floral decorations on the Bordes use a very special lily, the Roselily. These are pollen free lilies, a first!! And also combine the large roses Avalanche "Pearl". These roses are as big as a fist. A fist symbolizing the power of these flowers."

"The beautiful colour palette in the square is largely made using 35,000 bulbs. Tulips in shades of yellow, white, red and orange. Blue and white hyacinths and a mass of yellow providing the feeling of Easter: daffodils. From the square to the Altar, the Pope will walk through what resembles a field of daffodils.

"It is a great pleasure for me to again provide a successful floral display in 2017!"