(Photo courtesy of Changhua County government)

Taipei, Jan. 31 (CNA) The central county of Changhua is bringing an international flare to its annual flower festival this year with a huge garden modeled after the acclaimed Fitzroy Gardens of Melbourne, Australia.

The Changhua Flower Festival, that kicked off Friday, the first day of the Lunar New Year, will run through Feb. 9.

Visitors will be able to enjoy the massive 123-hectare garden, inspired by the Victorian-era Fitzroy Gardens, which will be outfitted with locally grown flowers and plants such as golden shower trees, orchids, and large flower arrangements that celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Horse.

The garden is also adorned with European-style white arbors featuring climbing plants and an artificial forest for visitors to take a pleasant stroll.

The Changhua garden will be Taiwan's largest forest park, 4.7 times the size of Taipei's Daan Forest Park.

(By Wu Jhe-hao and Scully Hsiao)
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