Of the more than 1 million bulbs that went into the ground for Floriade this year, perhaps 100 bucketloads will live a little longer, after they were sent to brighten up nursing homes and hospitals on Monday.
With the help of volunteers and staff, head Floriade gardener Andrew Forster cut flowers and dug up bulbs to distribute among the community. He said about 100 bucketloads of Dutch iris, and mixed tulips were loaded on to the back of utes and taken to hospitals for patients and nursing homes, including Kangara Waters in Belconnen and George Forbes in Queanbeyan.