Perth Voice Interactive

KINGS PARK is heralding spring with a month-long festival of wildflower displays, live music, guided walks and exhibitions.

The jewel of the festival is the crown weekend on September 10 and 11, this year featuring the Mystérieuses Coiffures doing magical floral hairdos, the Adorable Florable wildflower characters entertaining kids, and resident poet Nandi Chinna reading stanzas in the sunshine.

There will also be a macro photography exhibition, free guided walks, and a display of mannequins dressed entirely in native flora at the Aspects gallery shop.

“This is the world’s biggest display of Western Australia’s flora and more than half a million people are expected to visit Kings Park during the festival,” environment minister Albert Jacob said.

A new sculpture has been installed in time for the celebrations, arching over the botanic garden entrance to welcome visitors.

Designed by Paul Johnson and Gail Mason, it’s an eight-metre high installation of aluminium, copper and dichroic glass with a mesh-like seed pattern to represent 11 endemic WA plant species.

by TRILOKESH CHANMUGAM