A family gardening event entitled "Bringing Gardening into Daily Life" kicked off on May 4 at the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Residence Compound (DRC), as a warm-up for the upcoming 9th China (Beijing) International Garden Expo.

During the weekend event, the DRC foreign residents were given vegetable and flower seeds such as sunflower, chrysanthemum and vanilla from the event organizers. Garden specialists were also invited to teach the residents about family gardening techniques.

People at the event were given the chance to learn about flower arrangement, which was very popular among the foreign residents.

The event was co-organized by the China International Garden Expo Coordination Center, China Daily and the Beijing Housing Service Corporation for Diplomatic Missions under the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions, aiming to promote the green concepts of the Beijing Garden Expo.

The expo was well-prepared for its trial run on May 5, and is scheduled to launch on May 18 and will run through November 18.

(China Daily May 7, 2013)