Sustainable ideas and fresh florals take root at the 2026 Ballarat Begonia Festival

The Ballarat Begonia Festival is set to bloom with new energy this March, with the return of the popular Sustainable Garden Displays and the arrival of new Community Floral Garden Displays, inviting visitors to explore and be inspired.

After a successful debut in 2025, the Sustainable Garden Displays will return featuring a mix of locally created garden concepts, each offering a different interpretation of the 2026 theme ‘Circular Gardens’.

Designers have drawn on reclaimed materials and native species to demonstrate practical, sustainable approaches to modern garden design.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the displays will continue to push the boundaries of what sustainable garden designs can be.

“These gardens show how sustainability doesn’t have to mean compromise,” she said.

“They are thoughtful, imaginative spaces that demonstrate how reused materials, native plants, and smart design can create something truly beautiful.”

One of the displays visitors will be able to view is called Wildflow – a design by Daniel from Althaus Landscape Designs, which will feature a reclaimed firepit repurposed as a wildlife water feature, offering birds, insects, and small creatures a place to pause and drink. Layers of native plants will attract pollinators and birdlife.

The display will be built entirely from reused and leftover materials from past landscape projects, embodying the principles of ‘Circular Gardens’ by giving new life to existing resources.

The Gathering Circle, by MK Gardens, is designed as a shared space for people and nature. It will be constructed using reclaimed railway sleepers, stump seating, and reused steel planters, with the layout reflecting cycles of reuse and regeneration.  

Native planting will support local biodiversity while demonstrating how circular design principles can be applied to community spaces.

Cr Hargreaves said the Sustainable Garden Displays offer inspiration visitors can take home.  

“These gardens encourage people to think differently about their own spaces and how materials can be reused, how native plants can support wildlife, and how gardens can bring people together,” she said.  

New to the festival in 2026 are Community Floral Garden Displays, a community-driven project celebrating creativity and civic pride.

Seven 2m x 2m raised garden beds will be installed throughout the Botanical Gardens, designed and created by local community groups, schools, and individuals.  

Participants have selected their plant units from a curated list of seasonal annuals such as Begonias, Coleus, Dichondra, Marigolds, and Petunias. The plants are provided by Ball Australia and all grown locally by Floral Enterprise, highlighting collaboration and support across the community.

While each participant will receive the same selection of plants, the challenge lies in how the plants will be styled, arranged, and presented.

The displays will be scattered throughout the gardens, encouraging visitors to explore the full festival footprint, increasing movement, dwell time, and discovery.

“The new floral garden beds invite people to wander, explore, and stumble across something unexpected,” Cr Hargreaves said.  

“They’re a wonderful addition this year, and I can’t wait to see the creativity in the finished displays.”

Together, the Sustainable Garden Displays and Floral Garden Displays reinforce the Begonia Festival’s focus of gardening, sustainability, innovation, and community pride.

The 2026 Ballarat Begonia Festival is free to attend and is open from 10am-5pm from 7-9 March.

For full program details, visit ballaratbegoniafestival.com.