This article examines how the 1940s Lisbon Flower Exhibitions and their impact on the press served the propaganda of the Portuguese dictatorship as they fostered and disseminated a positive image of the government’s policies and competencies. The propaganda used the garden culture to fabricate an idea of national identity, bestowing Portugal as a modern and culturally elevated regime. Based on archive files and press clippings, this research demonstrates that constructing the concept of ‘national flowers’ was used to fuel the pride of nationalistic feelings according to the regime’s policy. However, the investigation also revealed an inconsistency between narrative and practice in designing and applying this concept, as exotic or ‘foreign’ plants continued to appear side by side with the native ones.

本文探讨了 1940 年代的里斯本花卉展览会及其对媒体的影响如何为葡萄牙独裁统治的宣传服务，因为它们培养和传播了政府政策和能力的正面形象。宣传利用花园文化来制造一种民族认同感，赋予葡萄牙一个现代和文化崇高的政权。根据档案文件和新闻剪报，这项研究表明，根据政权的政策，构建“国花”的概念被用来激发民族主义情绪的自豪感。然而，调查还揭示了在设计和应用这一概念时叙述与实践之间的不一致，因为外来或“外来”植物继续与本土植物并存。