2,800 cut flowers and over 400 fresh plants will be used to embellish the Granaries in Floriana, Valletta Waterfront and Rabat next to St Paul's Grotto for the Papal visit.

Floral designer Alistair Fenech said that the main arrangements would be two flowery carpets, 26 metres long, which would lead the Pope up the altar on the Granaries.

Yellow and white were the natural choice, he said.

"The weather is a big unknown and so we had to choose flowers and plants that are durable. It may be a hot day, rainy or windy, so our choice had to factor in these variables," Mr Fenech said , adding that the beauty of the flowers when put next to each other was another consideration.

Yellow roses and carnations will feature in the floral bouquets but so will gerberas, eremurus, alstromelia, lilliums and tulips on a backdrop of monstera leaves. Most of the flowers were imported from the Netherlands.

The yellow and white will be punctuated by green plants ranging from ferns to sansaveria.

The logistics are intricate and Mr Fenech estimates it will take two full days to get the arrangements in place and work will probably continue throughout the night between Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18.

See Mr Fenech's comments to Kurt Sansone in the video above.

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