If you have noticed that spring is starting earlier this year, it is not your imagination.The warmth is almost a month ahead of schedule.
Looking over the site of Canberra's Floriade flower festival, on a sunny August day, the garden beds are already carpets of colour.It looks so good you would think the flower festivities are at their peak, but the gates will not open until September 14.
Floriade head gardener Tim Howard said the flowers were blooming "a bit too soon". "The annuals this year have really enjoyed this warmer weather," he said. Mr Howard's team is slowing things down ahead of the September 14 opening by spraying water to keep the plants cool.
Thanks to careful contingency planning, Mr Howard is confident the flowers will look incredibly fresh and vibrant all through the four-week festival.That is, provided the rabbits and cockatoos keep out.
Read more at: abc.net.au