Floriade Garden Bed Designs

Floral Wonderland

Each year the Floriade garden beds are designed to reflect a new theme. This year’s theme is – Floral Wonderland. To get a real appreciation of what is on display in Commonwealth Park explore the details of the beds below to learn about the diverse range of blooms that have been planted to create these intricate designs.

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Garden Theme 1 – Enchanted Staircase Garden

The vibrant contrasting stripes of the Enchanted Staircase garden create the illusion of a set of stairs inviting both adventure and curiosity. From different perspectives the bed resembles a series of ascending or descending terraces, each resembling a step in the imaginary staircase, leading to who knows where?

Each level of the garden bed staircase is a canvas for brilliant colours, from the white Daffodil ‘Sir Winston Churchill’, Daffodil ‘Pearl’, Tulip ‘Antarctica’, to yellow Tulip ‘Novi Sun’ and red Tulip ‘Ile De France’.

The design draws visitors in on a journey of discovery as they wander between the beds. With its bright colours and differing heights, this garden bed could be the stairway into the magic of a Floral Wonderland.

Garden Theme 2 – Playing Card Garden

The whimsical Playing Card Garden reflects the fantastical world of Wonderland. Bursting with vibrancy and detailed patterns and featuring a range of colours and plant species, this garden sets the stage for a magical journey.

See if you can make out the shapes of the playing card suits, with hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades visible from different angles and perspectives in a fantastical tapestry of colour, texture, and imagination.

The shapes are made with the red Tulip ‘IIe De France’, the pink Tulip ‘Ace Pink’, the white Daffodil ‘Sir Winston Churchill’, and yellow Daffodil ‘Yellow Cheerfulness’, along with special bulbs at the edges including Tulip ‘Crystal Star’ and Tulip ‘Queensland’.

Garden Theme 3 – Checkerboard Garden

Step into the Checkerboard Garden, a simple but striking checkerboard pattern of contrasting colours that brings the enchanting world of Floral Wonderland to life.

The garden features a combination of light-coloured Tulip ‘Pink Impression’ and Tulip ‘Timeless’ contrasting with dark-coloured Tulip ‘Saigon’ and Tulip ‘Ile De France’. arranged in a square checkerboard pattern of strong contrasting colours. The white flowered Chrysanthemum paludism separates the blocks of colour, reinforcing this contrast.

This design is reminiscent of a giant chessboard, capturing the essence of the Wonderland theme, emphasizing order and symmetry in a world of irregular dimensions where reality blends seamlessly with imagination. All that is missing are the giant chess pieces!

Garden Theme 4 – Rabbit Hole Garden

The Rabbit Hole Garden is a circular garden bed resembling a giant swirling vortex, inviting visitors to embrace the imaginative and fantastical, but don’t fall down the rabbit hole!

Bursting with vibrant colours, the swirl-patterned contrasting display of tulips and pansies creates an illusion of movement and depth. Species include red Tulip ‘Ile De France’, orange Tulip ‘Orange Juice’, pink Tulip ‘Ace Pink’ and yellow Pansy.

Standing in the heart of the rabbit hole, visitors can imagine tumbling into their own Floral Wonderland, and experiencing the sensation of spinning. Floriade’s ferris wheel is positioned as a backdrop to the garden, just don’t get dizzy with everything revolving around you!

Garden Theme 5 – Cheshire Cat Garden

The Cheshire Cat garden of bright contrasting stripes captures the playful essence of a Floral Wonderland where anything goes.

The garden is a simple gradual layering of pink tulips, ranunculi and hyacinths each representing a different colour, reminiscent of the famous Cheshire Cat’s stripes. Starting with velvety dark maroon Tulip ‘Palmyra’ and Hyacinth ‘Woodstock’, then leading into tall blue Iris, the bed then transitions into the pink spectrum of Tulip ‘Ace Pink’, Tulip ‘Pink Impressions’ and then Hyacinth ‘Apricot Pink Passion’ and Ranunculus ‘Pink’.

If you use your imagination you might even find the cat!

Garden Theme 6 – Fantasy Garden

The Fantasy Garden hints at the idea of entering into an alternate world, just as you might do entering a Floral Wonderland.

As you move along the path you will see a myriad of shapes and forms. The bright yellow Tulip ‘Crystal Star’ and orange Tulip ‘Synaeda Orange’, set the scene. Shadows are reflected in the deep purple Tulip ‘Negrita’. Blue Hyacinth ‘Delft Blue’ which are strategically placed to represent the darker realm, creating an atmosphere of mystery, intrigue and the existence of an alternate world beyond the light.

As you wander in front of the dark realm you feel as if you are entering into a new world. The lighter colours of the tulips contrast to create a sense of magic and wonder, reminding visitors of a place where anything is possible.

Garden Theme 7 – Nonsense Garden

The whimsical Nonsense Garden embraces the idea that sometimes beauty can be found in the absence of structure, allowing nature to grow and thrive in its own wild and unpredictable way.

The garden invites you to embrace the joyful chaos and nonsensical charm that define Wonderland’s essence, as a mix of colours and varieties come together in a wildly varied medley of colour and form.

The elegant white Daffodil ‘Erlicheer’ adds a touch of grace and purity, while the bright yellow Tulip ‘Novi Sun’ brings a burst of vibrant energy. The pink Tulip ‘Spryng’ adds a playful and whimsical element, and blue Pansy ‘Giant Flower Blue’ adds intrigue and wonder. Each bloom dances with life and vitality, showcasing the beauty that can emerge when nature is allowed to flourish without constraints.

Garden Theme 8 – Celestial Garden

The Celestial Garden captures the enchantment and mystery of the night sky. Inspired by the planets and constellations, this garden showcases tulips arranged in spherical patterns, inviting visitors to experience the wonders of the cosmos within a Floral Wonderland.

Each coloured circle represents a unique planet, such as the blue Dutch Iris ‘Discover’, yellow Tulip ‘Novi Sun’, and pink Tulip ‘Queensland’. Together they form recognisable forms, mirroring the magical night sky’s velvety expanse, inviting visitors to lose themselves in a dreamlike realm under the stars.

Step into the Celestial Garden and let your imagination soar among the stars.

Garden bed 9 – Sun’s Halo Garden

In the Sun’s Halo Garden a design of part concentric circles reflects just a fragment of the halo around the sun, showing how the boundaries of space and time can fade away as you immerse yourself in Wonderland.

Moving outward across the garden bed, a series of vibrant part concentric circles radiate, each filled with a riot of colour creating visually strong bands that mimic the sun’s halo.

Red flowers Tulip ‘Ile de France’, Tulip ‘Pallada,’ Viola ‘Forest Rose’, white flowers Tulip ‘Daytona’, Tulip ‘White Heart’, Tulip’ Clearwater’, Tulip ‘Antarctica’, Daffodil ‘Pearl’, Daffodil ‘Accent’, Chrysanthemum paludosum, and yellow flowers Tulip ‘Novi Sun’, Daffodil ‘Yellow Cheerfulness’, Tulip ‘Jan Van Nes’, Tulip ‘Strong Gold’ combine and contrast to embody the vividness of the heat and light of the sun.

Garden Theme 10 – Patterned Quilt Garden

The Patterned Quilt Garden is a patchwork with plantings representing different blocks in a larger tapestry of colours and textures, creating the illusion of a quilt.

The sharp edges of the triangles contrast with the softness of the tulip petals whilst still clearly defining the patchwork shapes, enveloping visitors in a sense of comfort and coziness. The warm colours and soft textures of the tulips make you feel as if you could be wrapped in a soft, colourful quilt. It’s a place to escape from the outside world and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.

In this mosaic of quilted patches, each square is filled with the vibrant colours of red Tulip ‘Ile De France’, yellow Tulip ‘Strong Gold’, Orange Tulip ‘Orange Balloon’, low blue Pansy ‘Blue Angel’, and white Bellis, in intricate designs that capture the whimsy and charm of the Floral Wonderland.

Garden Theme 11 – Reconciliation

The Reconciliation Garden is a place to showcase Australia’s First Nations and our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

In March 2019, EventsACT commissioned Lynnice Church, Ngunnawal artist and Canberra resident to create an artwork about reconciliation.

The garden embodies the essence of reconciliation, equality and understanding. The Reconciliation Garden represents the Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi tribes of Canberra and surrounding New South Wales and acknowledges that reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Species include low annual Pansy ‘Large Black’ spreading out with Pansy ‘Large Mid Blue’, Ranunculus ‘Burgundy’ and Tulip ‘Palmyra’. Other species include yellow Tulip ‘Jan Van Nes Parrot’, Tulip ‘Strong Gold’, and Pansy ‘Large Promise Clear’.

This garden was designed based on an artwork by Lynnice Church.

Garden Theme 12 – Mystical Stream Garden

Along the shores of the beautiful Nerang Pool, the Mystical Stream Garden takes shape as a series of long, curvy lines that wind and twist, reflecting the ripples of the nearby lake.

The flower beds burst with vibrant blooms in all shapes and sizes, brought to life with the vibrant red Tulip ‘IIe De France’ and the deep purple Tulip ‘Saigon’, creating a rich backdrop. Groupings of low-growing blue Pansies are placed in the forefront, including Pansy ‘Large Mid Blue’, Pansy ‘Large Black’, and Pansy ‘Yesterday Today Tomorrow’. Their various shades of blue create a contrast against the backdrop of the red and purple tulips, adding depth and dimension to the garden.

As you view this beautiful garden, let your eyes follow the curves and imagine that every change in direction leads to a new adventure, and let the magic of Wonderland come alive in every twist and turn.

These pathways create a sense of movement and intrigue, hinting at the garden’s enchanting secrets. Where does the mystical stream lead to?