Flanders is offering up a horticultural opportunity next week, with the opening of the Royal Greenhouses of Laken.

Each year, in the spring, the Greenhouses of Laken are opened to the public for approximately three weeks. This tradition has carried on for over a century and a special press opening is being held to mark its opening on April 17 2007.

The Royal Greenhouses still contain an enormous number of rare and valuable plants. Designed for King Leopold II in 1873, architect Alphonse Balat created a complex of greenhouses to compliment the castle of Laken. Built in the classical style, the complex has the appearance of a glass city set in undulating landscaped gardens.

The present-day plant collection at the Greenhouses in Laken is unique from three viewpoints. First of all, some of the plants belonging to Leopold II's original collections still exist. Furthermore, the current collections still respect the spirit that prevailed when the original collections were planted.

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