An extraordinary floral shelter featuring more than 6,000 handmade flowers will be among the highlights of a new exhibition celebrating native wildflowers and the natural beauty of the Sunshine Coast.
Opening at the Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens on November 18, Design Wilds + Flower Shelter brings together more than 20 artists and designers whose work explores Australia's native flora and our connection with the natural environment.
A centrepiece is Flower Shelter, an immersive installation by Nambour-based artist Fiona Harding (Spirit You), created over three years using reclaimed fabrics and more than 1,500 hours of painstaking work.
Visitors will be invited to step inside the remarkable structure, surrounded by thousands of individually handmade flowers.
The exhibition also showcases contemporary designs inspired by wildflower walks across the Sunshine Coast, with native orchids, banksias, hibiscus, bush foods and wallum heathland blooms transformed into colourful patterns suitable for textiles, fashion and homewares.
These works emerged from the 2026 Wildflowering Design Lab, a three-day program bringing artists and makers together to explore local habitats and translate their observations into creative designs.
Kabi Kabi Traditional Custodian Dr Hope O'Chin also contributes reflections on the connections between wildflowers, Country and the wider natural environment.
Exhibition co-curator Dr Sue Davis said the project built on years of creative and environmental collaboration.
“The exhibition continues a decade-long exploration of the relationship between women, wildflowers, art and environmental advocacy.”
"We hope these works encourage people to look more closely at our local environments, appreciate their beauty and recognise why they are worth protecting. And perhaps by incorporating local nature-based designs into our live we help grow that awareness and appreciation."
The exhibition is the 20th in the Wild/flower Women series, which began in 2016.
• Design Wilds + Flower Shelter runs from November 18 to December 6 at the Arts and Ecology Centre, Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Palm Creek Rd, Tanawha. Opening hours are 9.30am to 2.30pm daily, with an official opening event on Friday, November 20, from 5pm.
