Queen's visit starts with flower show

CANBERRA, Australia, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Queen Elizabeth II visited Canberra's Floriade flower show Thursday as she began a 10-day visit to Australia.

The queen and Prince Philip were accompanied by Katy Gallagher, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory, and escorted around the show by head gardener Andrew Forster, the Canberra Times reported.

"She was asking about how the flowers were looking, how the mixes were all blended together," Forster said. "She was interested in the mass planting and when we all started it."

Elizabeth, who is the Australian head of state, is to be in Canberra through Tuesday, with a day trip to Brisbane planned for Monday. She is scheduled to spend Wednesday in Melbourne, departing in the evening for Perth, where she opens the Commonwealth Summit Oct. 27.

One of the queen's stops at the Floriade was the Victory Garden, planted to replicate backyard gardens in Australia during World War II. Elizabeth, who served in the Auxiliary Transport Service, is the last surviving head of state to be a veteran of the war, while Philip was an officer in the British Navy.