Celebrating Spring in the Time of Coronavirus

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Posted 2020-09-14 by Belladonna ⇒ follow

Welcome to spring, Canberra! What a wonderful feeling it is to finally emerge from our long wintry rest.

Every year, spring is the season when the Bush Capital blooms with riotous colour. We put on a spectacular show at Floriade, we have fetes galore, cherry blossoms across the city burst forth with their delicate pink and white flowers, and thousands of candles light up the warm spring evening at the Canberra Nara Festival.

Unfortunately, this spring is unlike any we've had before. The Coronavirus pandemic has cancelled or delayed many of the usual spring events we've been looking forward to all winter. But that doesn't mean we can't still celebrate spring and get out there and enjoy the warmer, longer, and more fragrant days ahead!
Here are twelve ways you and your loved ones can still enjoy the beauties and joys of this season in the time of Coronavirus.

1. Enjoy Floriade Reimagined in your suburb.
Floriade is being celebrated very differently this year. Rather than being located at its usual place at Commonwealth Park, Floriade will now be celebrated all over Canberra with a program full of exciting virtual and in-person experiences and events. You can follow the tulip trail, go on a gnome hunt, enjoy a territory-wide Night Fest feast at a participating eatery or in your own home, take part in a photography workshop, stock up at the online marketplace, and so much more. For more details, go here .

2. Enjoy a spring picnic.
There's really no better time to enjoy a picnic than during the Canberra spring! And here in our Bush Capital, there are plenty of places where you can. Some of my favourite spring picnic spots include Cotter Avenue, Casuarina Sands, Uriarra Crossing, Tidbinbilla, Canberra Nara Peace Park, Weston Park, the National Arboretum, and Fetherston Gardens. Why not get your friends and family together this weekend, pack your food, drinks and picnic blanket, and head outside to bask in the glorious spring weather? To find the perfect park or nature reserve near you for your picnic, please go here.

3. Enjoy a spring walk in your neighbourhood.
Spring has definitely sprung in our neighbourhoods! Revel in these fragrant days by going out for a stroll/walk/bike ride in your neighbourhood. Delight in the flowers blossoming all around you, and watch out for swooping magpies!

4. Visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
Spring is blooming at the Australian National Botanic Gardens ! The wattles are bursting with gold, the lush green gardens are blooming with gorgeous colour, and the bees are busily buzzing about. With sensuously warm days now upon us in Canberra, spring is the perfect time to visit the Gardens and breathe in the fragrance of the season.

5. Visit the National Arboretum.
It's also a wonderful season to visit the Nartional Arboretum . Why not spend a day revelling in the new spring growth at our amazing mosaic of living forests and gardens?

6. Enjoy the spring school holidays at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands.
With the school holidays fast approaching, there's no better place than the Jerrabomberra Wetlands to keep your kids busy and out and about in the great outdoors. The Jerrabomberra Wetlands is one of the most valuable wetland habitat areas in the ACT, and of national and international importance. Their school holiday program is packed with exciting activities including a clay sculpting workshop, birdwatching tour, reptile awareness and snake safety workshop, and a twilight tour hunting for spiders!
Go here to find out more and to book your tickets.

7. Get into your spring garden.
It's time to emerge from our winter hibernation and get our gardens growing for spring! Spring is the perfect time for all that weeding and cleaning and fertilising and getting rid of garden pests. It's also a great time for planting. This year, why not create your own little Floriade in your own garden? If, however, you don't have a green thumb or your living space is limited but you would still love your home to be surrounded by spring growth, then read here for some very easy ideas.

8. Create a magical fairy or gnome garden.
There's nothing quite so delightfully enchanting than a fairy or gnome garden in your garden. You can set it up in old pots and containers, or an old wheelbarrow or an old tire or gumboots. I've set aside a section of my backyard for the gnomes and fairies to run riot, and I've also turned some potted plants into fairy dwellings. Fairy and gnome gardens are wonderful things for children to be involved with and are really simple to make. Go here for easy instructions on how your kids can create their own magical mini garden.

9. Enjoy a spring high tea at the Canberra Hyatt.
Spring is a wonderful time to frock up and feast on a luscious high tea. And there's no better place in Canberra for a sumptuous high tea than at the Canberra Hyatt Hotel. Bookings are essential. Please go here for more information.

10. Head out to the countryside and have high tea at the Scented Rose Garden and Teahouse.
You can also enjoy a lovely high tea with plenty of country charm at the Scented Rose Garden and Teahouse. Located in Bywong, New South Wales, about a 20-minute drive from the Canberra CBD, the Scented Rose Garden and Teahouse is located in a truly delightful country cottage setting surrounded by beautiful gardens.

11. Visit a nursery and find some gorgeous spring blooms for your garden. I love visiting Rodneys in Pialligo , as well as the Heritage Nursery in Yarralumla . Bunnings also sells a wonderful selection of flowers. And who knows? You may also find a few fairies and gnomes for your garden!

Finally,

12. Start your spring cleaning!
There's no better time than springtime to do a 'spring clean', whether it's a spring clean of the whole house or yard or garden or the pantry or our kids' bedrooms (too many toys!) or our wardrobes (too many clothes!) or our finances or our healths (I know I've eaten LOTS of comfort food during winter!), or even our friendships/relationships. So let's sweep away the old to allow room for the new.