Slight change for Flower Carpet colours due to drought

This weekend's Flower Carpet in Brussels will look slightly different to what was first planned, because some types of begonia have not survived the recent heatwave.

The carpet's makers have succeeded in finding the half a million flowers needed to build the design - but some colours have had to be changed based on the flowers available.

"The flower-growing sector has been heavily affected by heat and drought," said a Flower Carpet spokesman. "Several kinds of begonia died out - the flowers wilted. Some shades of colour will not have the same effect, but they will blend together."

It's not the first time that hot weather has affected the flower carpet. The flowers used in 2012's African design wilted so quickly that some had to be replaced with newer ones in mid-display.

The 2018 flower carpet was drawn up by Mexican designer Ana Rosa Aguilar Aguado and is the most complicated carpet design to date.

You can watch it being assembled on the Grand-Place from 5.00-12.00 on Thursday morning. The inauguration is at 22.00 on Thursday and the carpet will remain in place until the end of Sunday.

For the first time this year, there will be a second smaller carpet in front of the Bourse to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Unesco recognition of the Grand-Place as a world heritage site.