Keen gardeners and students are being invited to participate in the Bahrain Garden Club's (BGC) annual flower and vegetable show this month.

Last year more than 1,000 students and adults participated in the event and organisers expect this year's figure to be even higher.

The show includes various competitions such as the best garden, open flower, vegetable and fruit, experimental gardening and flower and vegetable arrangements for different age groups.

There are prizes and cups up for grabs for each of the competitions.

The BGC's 43rd Annual amateur Flower and Vegetable Show is one of the features of the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show (RVBIGS) 2008. The event will be held from February 22 to 24 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIEC).

It is organised by the Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority (BECA) under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad and support of his wife and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

BGC chairwoman Tahera Jaberi encourages those of all ages to participate in the show and hopes more gardens will be entered this year.

'We urge all Bahrainis to participate in the competition, even if they only have a small land,' she told the GDN.

'We added a new category to the competition - small front yard garden - so that people can participate even if they have only a small piece of land.'

Categories for private gardens include large, medium, small, new yard (under four years old), patio, rock/cactus, experimental and kitchen.

The deadline to enter the competition is Thursday. Gardens will be judged on February 16 and 17.

The show also features a competition for compound gardens. Entries to the environment compound garden will also be received until Thursday.

'We want to encourage Bahrainis to have a garden. Bahrain is a small island and its history has always been green. It's nice to relax in a beautiful garden and is good for health.'

'If people don't have much irrigation, they can have a rock or cactus garden. It's very easy and they don't have to spend a lot of money. We also encourage gardeners to put one or two palm trees in their gardens. It's a traditional tree and Bahrain was once the island of a million palm trees.'

Gardeners are also urged to enter the flowers and vegetables they have grown in their gardens. There are 25 different types or flowers and 21 vegetables they can enter.

Participants can contest in one or all the vegetable and flower categories.-TradeArabia News Service