On Valentine’s Day 2013, what for many is undoubtedly one of the great wonders of the world, the Dubai Miracle Garden, opened its doors in the south of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. With an area of 72,000 m2 and “more than 150 million flowers in full bloom”, the Dubai Miracle Garden is almost literally a paradise, especially for professional landscapers, gardening enthusiasts, many tourists and also for lovers.
The flower park is the first major attraction to open in the gigantic entertainment complex known as Dubailand. This tourist and leisure complex, whose construction was announced in 2003, was to incorporate DreamWorks, Lego and Marvel theme parks, among others. However, its construction was interrupted by the global financial crisis of 2008. At the time, Dubailand was owned by the conglomerate Tatweer (itself owned by Dubai Holding). After the Great Recession, Dubailand was taken over by Dubai Properties Group, which is the company that developed the Dubai Miracle Garden, in collaboration with Akar Landscaping & Agriculture Company and at a total cost of 10 million euros.
The uniqueness and dimensions of the Dubai Miracle Garden are such that it has accumulated a multitude of records, including several in the Guinness Book of Records. As well as being the world’s largest natural flower garden, in 2016 the Dubai Miracle Garden was awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest floral installation in the world, for a Flying Emirates Airbus A380 covered with more than 500,000 live flowers and plants; and in 2017 and 2019 it was awarded records for the tallest and largest ornamental art in the world, respectively. But that’s not all: the Dubai Miracle Garden includes among its facilities the region’s first indoor butterfly garden and the largest in the world, with 15,000 butterflies from 26 species. Other attractions include a 15-metre-diameter flower clock, a passage of hearts, flower igloos, flower villas, a life-size flower castle, pyramids, lakes, numerous extravagant topiary art elements, an umbrella passage, a sunflower field…along with shops, restaurants, nurseries and a multi-storey carpark.
A total of 750,000 litres of water per day are used to keep the millions of flowers and plants in great condition. However, only recycled waste water is used for irrigation. This fact, together with the drip irrigation system used, makes the park a sustainable attraction, with minimal and efficient use of water. Due to the weather, with temperatures in excess of 40°C for part of the year, Dubai Miracle Garden is closed to the public between May and September. The colours and floral motifs change with the seasons, so visitors will find a different park every season of the year.
Dubai Miracle Garden is indeed an oasis of colour and scents in the middle of the desert, “one of the most picturesque and fragrant destinations in the region”, a “flourishing treasure trove of experiences that, thanks to the breath-taking landscape, captures the imagination”.
