Floriade head gardener Tim Howard says Floriade preparations are going well.
21 August 2023
The countdown is on to Australia’s Biggest Celebration of Spring, with just under a month until Floriade returns to Commonwealth Park.
This year’s festival, from Saturday 16 September to Sunday 15 October, is set to welcome visitors to a floral wonderland featuring more than one million blooms and a diverse program of entertainment, displays, workshops, markets and more.
NightFest, Floriade’s dark side, will also return to captivate audiences for four nights from 28 September to 1 October. Tickets are required and are now on sale.
Head gardener prepares for opening day
Head gardener Tim Howard and his Floriade team are working hard to get Commonwealth Park ready for Floriade’s opening.
“This year we made a big effort to plant early, and the difference is already visible in the park compared to this time last year,” Tim said.
“With the mild, sunny weather we’ve had we expect to have a strong display of annuals this year and we’re super excited to see what opening day will look like.
“Each week the colour palettes in the garden beds will shift a little bit and as some flowers reach their peak and finish up, new flowers will be coming on. So, whichever week you decide to see the show there will be something unique to see.”
Tim is excited to see three garden beds in particular.
“There’s a checkerboard arrangement, which is a larger scale design that is already starting to pop, and I can’t wait to see the bulbs come through. It’s going to look amazing,” he said.
“Then we’ve got a vortex style garden bed, which will be right in front of the Ferris wheel, which will look fantastic from above. The third is horticulturally special as it has beautiful combinations of ranunculus, anemones, iris, and daffodils.”
The Checkerboard garden bed annuals are already beginning to flower.
More than 90 community groups will also be involved in this year’s Floriade Community to bring the colour of Floriade to suburbs across Canberra.
Floriade will be on show from Saturday 16 September to Sunday 15 October 2023.
Entry to the festival is free and the gates are open from 9:30am to 5.30pm daily. A full program of entertainment and events is available on the Floriade website.
Floriade, Australia’s biggest celebration of spring will open on Saturday 16 September.
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