Visit Floriade – Australia’s Biggest Flower Festival

Every year in September and October, visitors flock to Canberra, the capital of Australia, for Floriade - the annual festival of the flower. The centrepiece of Floriade is a mass display of tulips arranged to form patterns and images. This riot of colour never fails to delight all comers.Visitors can meander through outdoor rooms bedecked in the brightest hues and softest shades that nature can produce. Of course the star of the show is the tulip but the stunning floral displays are not limited to these spectacular blooms.

Floriade is held on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, the man-made lake at the heart of the city.

Bring your camera and plan to spend the day here as the living canvas spreads before you like some exotic carpet!

Floriade 2014 runs from September 13 - October 12

Image credit: the author

Spring is a great time to visit Canberra. Located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra is the nation’s capital. The climate in Canberra is more extreme than Sydney; its elevation means it gets much colder in winter and frequently gets snow, while its inland situation makes it hotter and dryer in summer. Spring however is a lovely time of year to visit.

Situated on the man-made Lake Burley Griffin Canberra was the fledgling nations’ answer to the struggle between Sydney and Melbourne over which city should be Australia’s capital. As a young, small and planned city, Canberra offers visitors parks and gardens, museums and galleries with much of the focus on the lake at the heart of the city and the hills that form its fringe.

Floriade is Australia’s biggest flower festival. A month long celebration of Spring, Floriade is held in Commonwealth Park near the banks of Lake Burley Griffin. The centrepiece of the festival is the huge tulip bed which is a mosaic of colour forming symbols and patterns in a spectacular display.

According to Floriade’s official website “Over 1 million bulbs and annuals are used each year, depending on the design. The bulbs and annuals are planted in autumn each year. Different flowers bloom at different times but there’s always great colour throughout the event. It is constantly changing as the different plants come into flower, so visit a few times if you can. A mix of flowers, predominantly bulbs create the kaleidoscope of colours that set the backdrop to Floriade. Some of the blooms include tulips, irises, daffodils, hyacinths, violas, chrysanthemums, ranunculas and daisies.”

In 2009 the displays were made up of the following:-

• Hyacinths 13 varieties
• Tulips 87 varieties
• Irises 9 varieties
• Muscari 2 varieties
• Scilla (blue bells) 1 variety
• Tritelia 1 variety
• Narcissus 14 varieties
• Ranunculus 5 varieties
• Bellis (English Daisy) 4 varieties
• Chrysanthemum paludosum 1 variety
• Viola 21 varieties
• Pansies 45 varieties
• Violetta 4 varieties
• Polyanthus 8 varieties
• Poppies 2 varieties

Although the Floriade festival is based on flowers and the start of Spring, there's more than just flower displays here. This year there will be photography workshops held weekly during the festival, and displays of permaculture, composting, growing your own food and responsible plant selection are regular features. In addition there are a great selection of giftshops, food outlets and entertainers to keep all ages happy throughout the day.