Floriade will feature an Indigenous flowerbed at Commonwealth Park this year
The 32nd Floriade will be the first to include an Indigenous flowerbed, made up of more than 6000 bulbs.
On Thursday morning, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff from across the ACT public service helped plant the remaining 1000 bulbs in the flowerbed, which was a collaboration between Floriade and the National Arboretum.
Floriade head gardener Andrew Forster working on the Indigenous flowerbed in preparation for this year's Floriade. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
Located at the front of the event near the Regatta Point carpark, the flowerbed will be the first of 23 visitors see when they enter this year's Floriade, which has the theme World in Bloom.
The design of Floriade was contracted to Indesco but senior director of the National Arboretum Canberra Scott Saddler, who is Indigenous, asked the organisers of Floriade if his landscapers could design a bed with Indigenous people involved in the planting.
They agreed and Arboretum landscapers Amalie Shawcross and Owen Bolitho set to work.
Floriade head gardener Andrew Forster, left, and senior director of the National Arboretum Canberra Scott Saddler, centre, helping plant the new Indigenous Australia flowerbed. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos
The project took four months of planning and three weeks of planting 740 square metres of bulbs, including tulips, daffodils and pansies.
Mr Saddler said the landscapers wanted to feature something people didn't know much about.
"The design is based on an Aboriginal shield at the National Museum of Australia that was used in war and ceremony."
The colours of the Aboriginal flag - red, yellow and black - will be represented and there will also be a blue streak of muscari to symbolise the importance of the Murrumbidgee and Molongo rivers as a meeting place for Indigenous people.
Floriade will be on at Commonwealth Park from September 13 to October 14, 2019. floriadeaustralia.com.