Flower Carpet installation begins today

Installation of the second annual Flower Carpet begins today on Fountain Square.

The design, by Clifton artist Jan Brown Checco, was inspired by Chinese butterfly kites and her volunteer work at Krohn Conservatory, home of an annual butterfly show.

The Cincinnati Park Board will take two to three days to create the 7,000-square-foot carpet out of 10,000 white, violet, yellow, red, rose, orange, blue and pink pansies, complete with a mulch pathway for up-close viewing - and smelling.

The public will be able to view the work from April 11-27.

Checco's concept was chosen from dozens of entries by a committee composed of representatives from the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Civic Garden Center, Contemporary Arts Center, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., Fountain Square Management Group and Procter & Gamble.

The Flower Carpet, which was inspired by the biannual flower carpet in Brussels, is presented by Procter & Gamble and produced by Fountain Square Management Group and the Cincinnati Park Board.

Procter & Gamble is picking up the $50,000 tab.

UPDATE: Word came from 3CDC this afternoon that it will be 20,000 pansies, not 10,000.