Garden Expo roots stronger than ever

July 1, 2014

It may have started as a humble one-day gardening event in 1985 with just 300 visitors and 30 exhibitors, but 30 years on, the Queensland Garden Expo has grown to become one of the most well-known and highly anticipated events on the Australian gardening calendar.

Queensland Garden Expo Event Manager Marion Beazley said while the event had evolved significantly over the past three decades, the fundamental ingredients that had helped to make the Expo so popular had remained the same.

“We have always made a concerted effort to be ahead of and responsive to the latest trends in the gardening realm, which has been instrumental to our success,” Ms Beazley said.

“In the early days, the event had a real focus on gardening in the sub-tropics. During periods of recession, the emphasis changed to creating a garden with Asian influences to produce a holiday atmosphere at home.”

“The past five or six years have seen much greater family involvement and we’re finding people are currently placing a strong focus on organic gardening methods and supporting the surrounding environment.”

“With this in mind, one of the additions we have made to this year’s event —held on 11-13 July — is the ‘upcycle your coffee cup’ initiative, which allows attendees to bring their used coffee cup from the Expo to the ‘Upcycling Station’ and have it filled with a handful of soil and free plant they can take home and care for.”

Ms Beazley said the types of attendees entering the Expo gates had also evolved over the years, with more and more children and young people joining the crowds of visitors.

“Traditionally, we have welcomed a lot of seniors to the Expo, but we’re now seeing people across a wide range of age groups coming along to learn new tips and tricks for the garden. It’s great to see the next generation of green thumbs embracing gardening with such enthusiasm, and we expect that more than 35,000 people will pass through the gates this year.”

Queensland Garden Expo Chairman and Birdwood Nursery Owner Peter Young said with Birdwood Nursery having exhibited at the Expo each year since its establishment, he looked forward to taking part in the 30-year anniversary event in 2014.

“As a manufacturer and wholesaler, this is the one opportunity we have each year to deal directly with the public and gain feedback about their likes and dislikes, as well as provide them with expert advice for growing citrus,” Mr Young said.

“We usually bring around 1,500 plants to the Expo and find our new varieties are always a hot favourite year after year. In fact, attendees consistently cue around the block on day one of the event to be the first to get their hands on the hottest new plants available at the Expo.”

Mr Young said Birdwood Nursery would launch mini-grafted dwarf fruit trees at this year’s event that can be ‘multi-planted,’ meaning two or three different citrus varieties can be planted in one pot or one spot in the garden.

“Many people tend to think of citrus trees as being quite bulky but these dwarf citrus varieties are truly space saving and well-suited to small gardens or tubs on the patio or verandah.”

Another new plant variety that will be launched at this year’s Expo is a Blueberry Burst from PlantNet that can be grown in a pot and produces fruit that is twice the size of the average blueberry on a dwarf bush.

“Between the incredible array of plants on offer and the stellar speaker line-up, this year’s event is sure to be a memorable one,” Mr Young said.

“We’re excited to be welcoming gardening experts Costa Georgiadis, Jerry Coleby-Williams and Angus Stewart of Gardening Australia, just to name a few.”

The Queensland Garden Expo will be held on 11-13 July at the Nambour Showgrounds, Coronation Avenue, Nambour on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. This year will mark the event’s 30th anniversary, incorporating more than 360 exhibitors and displays, a range of free lectures and demonstrations across eight live stages and over 55 nurseries selling 40,000-plus plants per day.

For more information and to access the 2014 program, please visit www.qldgardenexpo.com.au.

Fast facts — Queensland Garden Expo

• The first event — held in 1985 — was a one day event with 30 exhibitors, 300 visitors, five workshops and a plant clinic.
• More than 35,000 people are expected to attend the 2014 Expo which will also include more than 360 exhibitors and displays and over 115 free lectures and demonstrations.
• More than 500,000 plants have been sold at the Expo over the past 30 years.
• Approximately 530,000 visitors have passed through the Expo gates over the past 30 years.
• Approximately 7,000 exhibitors have participated in the event over the last three decades.
• Birdwood Nursery has been present at all Queensland Garden Expos held to date.
• More than 50 per cent of attendees are Expo regulars, attending the event every year.

// Ends.

Media contact: Maya Gurry – Fresh PR & Marketing P: 0410 109 102 E: maya@freshprm.com.au

General event details

Where: Nambour Showgrounds, Coronation Avenue, Nambour on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast

When:
Friday, 11 July 2014
Saturday, 12 July 2014
Sunday, 13 July 2014

Opening times:
Gates open 8:00am daily
Gates close 5:00pm Friday and Saturday; 4:00pm Sunday

Disability access: The showground offers excellent facilities for wheelchair visitors with on-site disabled parking, easy access and ground level exhibits along with disabled toilet facilities. Guide dogs are welcome

Tickets:
Adults $18
Aged concession card holders $16
Groups (10 or more) $16
Children (15 and under with accompanying adult) Free
Two-day entry pass (Saturday and Sunday) – Adults $30
Three-day entry pass $40

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