Unseasonally warm year sees many florals already in bloom.

An early spring has seen a magnificent and early display of native blooms at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne.  The Gardens has launched a series of new tours so that visitors can learn more about Victoria's rarest plant species including bright wattle, rare orchids and the iconic Kangaroo Paw. 

Tours include Orchid Conservation Tours with the rare opportunity to step behind the scenes and discover the vital work underway to protect some of Victoria's most threatened native orchids. Led by experienced guides, the tours reveal the stunning beauty, complexity, and conservation stories behind these extraordinary plants.  The Flora Australis walking tour takes visitors on a tour of the evolution of Australia's species since their Gondwanan origins. The Cranbourne Friends are also hosting their ever-popular Spring Plant Sale, giving everyone the opportunity to take home a part of Australia's special floral legacy.  

Free to enter, and home to Victoria's largest and most diverse collections of Australian native plants, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne's entire landscape awakens from August through to December with flashes of wattle gold emerging in late winter and rich purples, pinks and reds of late spring. The Australian Garden changes week by week. No two visits are quite the same, making spring the best time to return again and again as new flowers emerge, and the landscape evolves. 

Must see this spring:  

• Orchids in the Orchid Conservation Shade Houses. See the world's largest endangered orchid conservation program with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Orchid Conservation Program shade houses. 

• The How to Garden Precinct. A brand-new garden featuring the bright golden flowerheads of Pycnosorus globosus, showcasing how Australian native plants can be incorporated into home gardens to provide year-round interest and habitat value.

• Wattles (Acacia species) reach their peak from late August to early September. Their unmistakable golden blossoms catch the spring light and illuminate the landscape while providing an important food source for insects and birds. Many species have begun flowering earlier than usual this year.
• The Stringybark Garden, where members of the Fabaceae family, including Pultenaea, Oxylobium, Eutaxia and Dillwynia, flower in quick succession. Commonly known as egg-and-bacon peas, their cheerful yellow and crimson blooms create a vivid display alongside many other early spring-flowering species.
• The Australian Garden is dotted with clouds of purple and white flowers from the much-loved mint bushes (Prostanthera species), filling paths and plantings with colour throughout September and October.
• In the Weird and Wonderful Garden, Dendrobium speciosum puts on a spectacular floral display, while species including Grevillea quercifolia, Isopogon formosus, Leschenaultia biloba and Geleznowia verrucosa bring brilliant colour throughout September and October.
• Kangaroo paws flower in October. Reaching their peak through November and December, their velvety blooms rise above the landscape in vivid, warm shades, drawing nectar-feeding birds and photographers alike.
• The Dry Riverbed reaches its seasonal peak as swathes of native wildflowers emerge against the striking backdrop of the Red Sand Garden. It is one of the Australian Garden's defining spring scenes: a landscape that feels distinctly Australian and, for many visitors, a highlight of the season.