Spring is here, which means that the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming. Whether you like to see all the vivid shades, or smell the sweet fragrance, there’s lots of reasons to enjoy these delicate blossoms. Connect with nature and get lost in a sea of colour at some of the best places to see flowers in Melbourne and beyond. Then, keep reading and embrace the magic of spring by visiting a flower festival or two.
Table Of Contents
Flowers and gardens in Melbourne
1. Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Immerse yourself in nature at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Head to the heart of the city and discover plenty of green spaces over 38 hectares. There’s over 8,500 species of plants to admire from around the world, so if you’re looking for flowers in Melbourne, this space would be a great place to start! There’s also activities and events to keep things interesting, including an audio tour called Flora and the Baron, guided walks and Punting on the Lake. While you’re there, grab a bite to eat from The Terrace.
đź“ŤRoyal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne VIC 3004
2. Floral Clock, Queen Victoria Gardens
There’s plenty of flowers to be found around Queen Victoria Gardens, but if you’d like to see something quirky, then stroll past the floral clock. Located in front of NGV, this delightful sight was gifted to Melbourne from the Swiss in 1966. The flowers must be no taller than 20cm to ensure that the clock hands move without interruption.
đź“ŤLinlithgow Avenue and St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004
3. Carlton Gardens
While Carlton Gardens might be famous as the home of the Royal Exhibition Building, and known for its avenues of stunning trees, it also has plenty of formal flower beds for you to enjoy during spring. Pack a picnic, relax by a tranquil ornamental lake, and admire the pops of colour from surrounding blooms.
đź“Ť1-111 Carlton St, Carlton VIC 3053
4. Fitzroy Gardens
Discover an array of brightly coloured tulips and flowers in Fitzroy Gardens. These bursts of colour will make your heart sing, as you stroll around the Gardens and check out sites like Cooks’ Cottage and the Fairies’ Tree. Then, pop into The Conservatory and admire seasonal floral displays.
đź“ŤWellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002
5. St Kilda Botanical Gardens
We love St Kilda for the beach, but this suburb has beautiful gardens too! Visit the historic St Kilda Botanical Gardens and walk among the trees, admire the ornamental pond and play a game of giant chess. Pop into the conservatory for a lush and tropical environment. Check out the Alister Clarke Rose Garden for fragrant native roses, as well as seasonal displays on flower beds around the gardens.
đź“Ť11 Herbert St, St Kilda VIC 3182
6. Victoria State Rose Garden
Drive out to Werribee and see the dreamy Victoria State Rose Garden. In it, you will find over 5000 beautiful roses covering five hectares. The roses are carefully planted to create the shape of a Tudor Rose, which can only be seen from above. The spring roses are at their peak during November, while the autumn blooms are also delightful in March. You can also see some roses in the garden from early October to late July. While you’re there, wander next door and explore the grounds of Werribee Mansion.
đź“ŤGate 2, K Rd, Werribee South VIC 3030
7. Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens
Lose yourself in the wild beauty of nature at Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens. Take a stroll around the historic gardens and check out the iconic boathouse, the lake, and of course, the vast array of trees and flowers. The colours and flowers change with the seasons, with rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and more to marvel at during springtime.
đź“Ť1A Sherbrooke Rd, Sherbrooke VIC 3789
8. Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden
While you’re in that corner of town, visit the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden for a dazzling burst of colour. It features a massive range of 15, 000 rhododendrons, 12, 000 azaleas, 3000 camellias and 250,000 daffodils! There’s also plenty of seasonal flowers, so there’s new blooms and colours to discover all year round.
Don’t forget to visit the new Chelsea Australian Garden, which features over 15,000 plants, a cascading waterfall and a peaceful billabong.
đź“ŤThe Georgian Rd, Olinda VIC 3788
9. Cloudehill Gardens
Cloudehill Gardens stretches over five acres in the Dandenong Ranges. With a total of 25 gardens to explore, seeing flowers is practically a guarantee. You can visit Cloudehill at any time of year, with new and vibrant colours to discover each season. During spring, there’s bluebells, rhododendrons, lilacs, peonies and more for you to see.
đź“Ť89 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda VIC 3788
10. Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
At Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, you’ll find a vast Australian Garden surrounded by 300 hectares of native bushland. Journey through the bushland and discover hundreds of indigenous plant species along their 10km walking tracks. Then, explore the award-winning Australian Garden and admire over 100,000 plants from 1,900 plant varieties. You’ll find plenty of floral displays in different sections, like the Cultivar Garden and the Future Garden.
đź“ŤBallarto Road and, Botanic Drive, Cranbourne VIC 3977
11. Alowyn Gardens
Head to the Yarra Valley and feel transported to a magnificent garden paradise at Alowyn Gardens. This seven acre space is known for their dreamy wisteria archway, which typically blooms for four weeks in October. But there’s plenty of other picturesque flowers to see around the many gardens. There’s seven different sections to explore, with flowers like lavender, poppies, daisies, salvias and more.
đź“Ť1210 Melba Hwy, Yarra Glen VIC 3775
12. Forest Glade Gardens
Drive out of Melbourne and head to Mount Macedon for some beautiful flowers. The idyllic Forest Glade Gardens stretches across fourteen acres and has four distinct themes. Explore the English section, the Japanese section, the woodland area and the fern gully. Beautiful to visit all year round, the gardens reach their peak in springtime, with stunning bluebells, tulips, azaleas, rhododendrons and daffodils.
đź“Ť816 Mount Macedon Rd, Mount Macedon VIC 3441
Seasonal events for spring
1. Tesselaar Tulip Festival
When: September 16 to October 15
Drive out to the Dandenong Ranges and feel delighted by the visual splendour of the Tesselaar Tulip Festival. Back for its 68th year, there’s over a million spring flowering bulbs to discover, including over 900,000 tulips. On top of the flowers, there will be food, drinks and entertainment to keep the good times blooming.
2. CherryHill Orchards Blossom Festival
When: September 16 to October 1
Head to CherryHill Orchards and wander through stunning rows of blossoming cherry trees at their Cherry Blossom Festival. While you’re there, cool down with cherry ice cream, listen to live music and take part in activities and workshops.
3. Cornella Canola Walk
When: Friday to Monday until mid-September
Shiraz Republic and Cornella Brewery have teamed up to create the Cornella Canola Walk. Take a day trip to Cornella and traipse through a special track and viewing platform within their 100 acre fields. As you amble along, you’ll be surrounded by cheerful yellow flowers.
4. Bendigo Annual Tulip Display
When: Mid-September to mid-October
The heritage streets of Bendigo will soon brighten up with gorgeous, blooming tulips. Head to Pall Mall and Conservatory Garden to see this year’s Bendigo Annual Tulip Display. There, you’ll find over 53, 000 tulips with a whole range of colours, sizes and blooming times. Stick around after sunset for Bloom After Dark.
5. State Rose & Garden Show
When: November 11 and November 12
The 9th annual State Rose & Garden Show is coming back to Werribee Park. This two-day festival for the senses will feature over 5000 blooming roses spread across six acres. While you’re there, check out some garden exhibits, plant stalls and food trucks, and listen to live music along the way.