Tulips are a specialty of the Floriade Festival in Canberra. Floriade comes from the Latin word floriat, which means ‘to design with flowers’. More than 1 million bulbs and annuals are planted each year to welcome in spring.

Gnomes are seen on display at Floriade, held at Commonwealth Park in Canberra, Australia. Floriade is Australia’s largest floral display with over one million blooms creating a backdrop to the month long annual event.

Decorated surfboards are seen at Floriade, held at Commonwealth Park in Canberra during springtime.

These oranges, from the NSW Riverina region, are a decorative display within the Look & Lean marquee, where educational talks and presentations take place. Horticulturalists and farmers from around Australia come to Floriade to share their produce. There are also floral workshops, photographic workshops, trade and stalls, and performance art.

NightFest provides an opportunity to view the garden beds after sunset, which Floriade head gardener Andrew Forster says is an entirely different experience. “At night, when it’s cooler, the tulips close up and take their more traditional shape,” he says. “There are also spotlights on the flower beds, so you see different colours from the daytime.”

An iconic view of in Canberra – from the twin garden beds on Commonwealth Avenue, to Parliament House, taken at last year’s festival. The entire area of Floriade’s garden beds spans 8763 square metres.

The 35m Floriade ferris wheel facilitates an aerial view, which is particularly beneficial for blooms that create definable imagery best interpreted from above.