One of the best things about living on a tropical island is being able to grow tropical plants.

Zingiberales is a family of tropical plants that includes heliconias, gingers, bananas and cannas, among others. These are some of the plants we fell in love with during of travels and knew we had to find a way to get them into our life.

On Saturday, June 21, 2008, the Zingiberales Society of Puerto Rico will hold their Fifth Annual Flower Festival. This free Festival will include discussions and educational sessions about heliconias, gingers, bananas, tropical trees, garden design, bromileads and much more. Most of the educational sessions will be in Spanish, but many of the presenters and vendors are fluent in English, including Ray and I. Fe Migdalia and the Merlix School florist students will be making tropical flower arrangements throughout the day, many of which will be for sale.

There will be many types of potted plants on display and for sale.

The Festival will be held at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanico), so come enjoy some time at the gardens and stop into the Festival to fall in love with these beautiful plants.

Admission the both the Botanical Garden and the Festival is free.

The Festival will be held from 9:00am to 5:00pm on Saturday, June 21, 2008. Talks and workshops are scheduled throughout the day on the hour and half-hour. Some of the more popular sessions will be held more than once.

The UPR Botanical Garden is hidden off the south side of the intersections of Highway 1 and Road 847 in Rio Piedras. Look for the signs for UPR Jardin Botanico.

You can locate the UPR Botanical Garden on our Interactive Island Map