Despite the recent blast of snow, one of Victoria's oldest traditions will soldier on this year.

The 42nd annual Flower Count takes place next week. As part of the decades-long tradition, every spring, residents and school children count the number of blooms on Greater Victoria sidewalks, in yards and throughout parks and gardens.

According to Tourism Victoria president and CEO Paul Nursey, the Flower Count is a chance to showcase Victoria's mild climate to other Canadians and Americans from colder states.

B次元官网网址淎t its heart, the Flower Count is a fun event. ItB次元官网网址檚 not science but it does capture the imagination of people who donB次元官网网址檛 enjoy the kind of incredible climate we have. When the Weather Channel sends a reporter to Victoria to cover Flower Count, we have a great opportunity to showcase our beautiful city and natural environment to folks across the country,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淭hat is great publicity that raises awareness about Victoria and gives potential visitors a great reason to book their next vacation here.B次元官网网址�

It's an event that started to blossom in the late 1960s when members of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce started a promotion called B次元官网网址淰ictorian Days.B次元官网网址� In late February, they would visit cities such as Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg, handing out daffodils to the public.

In 1976, the event expanded to involve Victoria residents to create a story through the counting of February flowers, and shortly after, the Victoria Flower Count was born.

Last year, volunteers from around Greater Victoria counted 25.9 billion blossoms. The B次元官网网址渂loomingestB次元官网网址� community was Colwood for the third year in a row, followed by the municipality of North Saanich and the City of Victoria.

The Flower Count takes place March 6 to 12. For more information visit flowercount.com.