The Beijing Olympic Games will be a hue of colors.

More than 40 million flowering plants will adorn the Olympic venues, tourist sites like Tian'anmen Square, and the main roads, the Beijing Olympic Media Center said.

About 2,000 species of flowers have been selected ranging from China roses, pansies, petunias to zinnias.

Some of them have been imported from the United States, United Kingdom and Japan.

The plants have been specially selected to withstand the high temperatures and humidity of August.

"The plants are able to resist heat and moisture. They have a flowering period of more than 60 days. They have also been picked for their color and shape," Gu Runze, director of the Beijing Institute of Landscape Gardening, said.

The institute will provide the National Stadium and its surrounding area with 880,000 ground-covering shrubs.

Yao Shicai, chief engineer at the institute, said planting will begin from June 18 to July 20.

"In the past five years, the city has seen a surge in the production of flowers," Yao said.

It is estimated 100 million plants have been used for landscaping this year, an increase of 30 million over last year.

More than 300 nurseries have been set up in the suburbs.