The end

...of Floriade that is! Well, only until next year. Here's hoping it's a bit warmer!

& turn into gold in the sunlight

More floral loveliness from Floriade.

I see red

This looks a bit scary and hurts my eyes, but I still like it for some reason.

Bright Grey

This week is the final week of Floriade 2009, so I thought I would celebrate it by posting a few pictures from the festival over the coming days. The last time I visited was for a school excursion goodness knows how many years ago, so it was interesting to come back and see it from a fresh perspective. I was going to write a spiel about Floriade, but their website does a much better job, so I pinched something from there:

Floriade began in 1988 as a spectacular commemoration of Australia's Bicentenary and Canberra's 75th birthday. Floriade blossomed for the first time with a stunning floral display of exotic bulbs and annuals, which grow beautifully in Canberra's climate. The community embraced the inaugural Floriade, making it such a success that it became an annual event - Australia's celebration of spring. Since its beginnings in 1988 Floriade has been held in the city, in Canberra's Commonwealth Park.

Floriade is Australia's premier spring festival and a world-class floral spectacular. More than one million blooms create a stunning backdrop to a month-long festival filled with music, cultural celebrations, horticultural workshops, artistic displays, entertainment and recreational activities. Floriade runs from mid-September to mid-October and attracts more than 400,000 attendees.

Check out the Floraide website here.

Through the looking-glass

City Daily Photo theme day this month is contrast. Natural meets man-made at Floriade in Canberra.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Blossom for me, Rose...

Despite the biting winds, spring is just around the corner, I can smell it. (Argh! My finger! This occurs frequently, it's amazing I don't do it all the time!)

Blossom

Nursery days, Pialligo