【明報專訊】The Hong Kong Flower Show (香港花卉展覽) will be held from 11 to 20 March 2016 at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. The show is a major annual event that promotes horticulture and greening awareness. Who doesn't love colourful and beautiful plants?

The theme of the coming Flower Show is ''Blossoms in Vivid Art'' (花薈藝萃). This year the theme flower will be Antirrhinum majus (洋彩雀/金魚草), which is also called the "snapdragon". Snapdragons thrive in an environment with sufficient sunlight and soil that is moist, fertile and well-drained. In Hong Kong, they usually bloom between May and November.

The Flower Show will showcase this exquisite plant, other potted plants, floral arrangements and landscape displays (園景設計) by local, mainland and overseas organisations. A range of activities that will take place during the exhibition have been planned. There will be a student drawing competition, a photo competition and a plant exhibit competition!

Please visit this website for further information: www.lcsd.gov.hk/tc/hkfs/2016/index.html

■Mission 1

What characteristics do snapdragons have? Fill in the blanks with the adjectives provided to find out.

(see the Photo)

suitable/native/moist

Snapdragons are 1. _______ to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. The temperature range between 18 and 25 degree Celsius is 2. _________ for growing the plant. It tends to be cold tolerant, but it cannot resist frost. Also, 3. ________ but not soaking conditions are good for the plant. Since it has a high degree of natural crossing, its flowers may have a range of colours including red, pink, orange, yellow and white.

■Mission 2

Besides snapdragons, many other flowers will be on display. Do you know the names of these flowers?

(see the picture)

1. W _ _ _ _ l _ _ _

2. L _ _ _ _

3. R _ _ _

4. Or _ _ _ _

5. S _ _ f _ _ _ _ _

6. C _ _ n _ _ _ _ _

7. T _ l _ _

■Mission 3

The four groups of nineteen flowers are surrounded by fences. Which of the groups has the least extended fence?

(see the picture)

(answers on next text)

■English highway﹕-words and collocations

compound adjective

When two or more words function as an adjective before a noun, you should use a hyphen or hyphens to avoid confusion. Such an adjective is called a compound adjective.

e.g. An off-duty officer saved the lady.

e.g. The six-year-old boy walk to school every day.

■Key words

horticulture 園藝學

degree of natural crossing 自然雜交率

■Glossary

annual (adj) 一年一度的

fertile (adj) 肥沃的

exquisite (adj) 賞心悅目的

potted plant (n phr) 盆栽

cold tolerant (adj phr) 耐寒的

soaking (adj) 濕透的

surround (v) 圍繞

fence (n) 籬笆