One of three delegations from the Philippines has taken top honors at an ongoing Hong Kong park event.

The World Flower Council Philippine Chapter won the Grand Award for Design Excellence during the The Hong Kong Flower Show ceremonies held at Victoria Park last weekend.

The annual flower show reopened last 10 March after a three-year hiatus. Organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, this year’s theme of “Bliss in Bloom” features the hydrangea as its flower in focus.

Three participants from the Philippines this year are the Consulate, Blue Grass Project from Bohol and the World Flower Council PH chapter.

The WFC PH delegation is headed by its new president Belle Ongpin (Bella Rosa Gardens), Emilie Cruz (Makati Garden Club), Susan Gonzales and Efren Chatto as the new president and international chairman of the World Flower Council.

WFC PH members Ongpin, Cruz, Gonzales, Nikki Chatto and Sarah Sayat used amakan and solihiya on their design, which they named “Whispers of The Wind.”

“The organizer wanted us to use environment-friendly materials — something sustainable and recyclable — so that’s what we did using the highlighted flower for this year, hydrangeas. We also incorporated solihiya into the design as it is a natural material and very Filipino,” Nikki Chatto, whose role was “to do the concept and design,” told this writer.

The group felt proud and overjoyed after working on the piece for three days.

“We are active members of the World Flower Council, both international and Philippine Chapter. We got our invitation through the WFC Hong Kong, which is also an active member. We first participated in 2019.

When the pandemic happened in 2020, all activities got canceled,” Chatto said.

The Hong Kong Flower show runs until 19 March, and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.