Only 10 sleeps until Queensland’s premier gardening event

The countdown is on to the highly anticipated Queensland Garden Expo, staged from 7 to 9 July at the Nambour Showgrounds, where sustainable gardening practices will take centre stage by some of the country’s most respected gardening experts.

Featuring Australia’s largest gardening speaker program, with over 125 free lectures and demonstrations, Event Manager Marion Beazley said the Expo offers a unique platform for visitors to connect with experts, discover innovative gardening practices, and gain inspiration to create environmentally conscious gardens.

“Gardeners care about climate change because it directly impacts the health of their gardens and their love for nature, and at this year’s Expo, many of our speakers will discuss how we can mitigate climate change effects in our own backyards,” said Ms Beazley.

“By capturing carbon dioxide, providing habitat for native wildlife and offering shade, there are many benefits to sustainable gardening practices. Likewise, recent research shows the effectiveness of green spaces in cooling urban areas1, which is good news as energy prices soar.”

Among the speaker line-up, Sophie Thomson – a horticulturalist, author, presenter on ABC’s Gardening Australia, and trained naturopath – will present ‘How cool is your garden? Every garden can make a difference in mitigating the urban heat island effect.’

Ms Thomson’s session will offer insights into designing gardens that reduce urban heat and create a comfortable environment.

“As governments around the world look at ways they can reduce the effects of the urban heat island effect, every home gardener can adopt simple ways to green up and cool down their backyard making it more liveable and productive,” said Ms Thomson.

“I am excited to be back at the Queensland Garden Expo and connect with the keen gardeners attending.”

Alongside Ms Thomson, the Expo will feature an impressive line-up of speakers:

• Costa Georgiadis will explore ‘Community collaboration and the power of plants,’ emphasising ideas, innovation, and actions that build connection, biodiversity and resilience.
• Kate Wall will delve into ‘Preparing your garden for flood or drought – how to make the right choices and adjust your gardening practices to create a garden that will survive climate extremes.’
• Claire Bickle will share insights on ‘Happy habitat gardens – from microbats to striped marsh frogs,’ encouraging everyone to contribute to the well-being of local fauna.
• As the 2023 Queensland Garden Expo draws near, gardening enthusiasts through to novice gardeners across Queensland and all eastern states of Australia are eagerly awaiting and planning their visit to Queensland’s premier gardening event.

The full speaker program is available on the official Queensland Garden Expo website at www.qldgardenexpo.com.au.

Expo Extra

Discover the secrets to successful gardening with dogs as Kate Wall, a Brisbane-based consulting gardener and gardening educator, shares her top tips. From choosing the right dog to managing plant safety, digging, and waste, learn how to create a harmonious garden that both you and your furry friend will love.

Choosing the right dog

If you have an established garden and are looking to adopt a dog, consider giving a home to an adult dog. Puppies are far more likely to be destructive in the garden. For many breeds, a lot of the destructive behaviours will settle down by two years old. If you have palms in the garden, those fallen fronds make great dog toys and will help distract your pup away from your garden beds.

Beware of plants that are poisonous to dogs

Poisonous plants are a bigger risk if you have a puppy or a dog that chews on your plants when they are bored. The risk is increased if you don’t have much in your garden and the few items of interest when your dog gets bored are poisonous plants. Plants like brunsfelsias, azaleas or cycads can be surrounded by other plants so that the dog cannot easily reach them. Dieffenbachias can be kept in pots out of reach of the dog.

Dogs digging in the garden

Dogs will dig holes because they are bored, or because they like to lie in the fresh cool earth. You can discourage this by putting their own poo in the hole. Dogs don’t like digging where they poop, so will change locations. Once they have found a spot out of your way, let them keep that hole – it will give them a nice place to lie on a hot day.

Dogs and wildlife

Dogs can do a lot of damage by jumping on plants trying to catch lizards and other wildlife. Make sure you have sections of the garden that are planted densely to provide cover for the wildlife. Consider creating a lizard lounge to give lizards a safe place to escape to, or having a section of the garden the dogs can’t access unsupervised.

Dog poo in the garden

Dog poo is organic matter and can be composted. Backyard composting systems will not kill the harmful pathogens in dog poo, so it should be composted in a composting system that you never have to empty and therefore are not handling. An old bucket with a lid and the base cut out that is partially buried at the back of the garden will be perfect.

Fast facts

• Three-day event from 7-9 July
• 40,000-plus attendees
• 65% visitation from outside the Sunshine Coast region
• More than 7 hectares of gardening inspiration
• 360-plus exhibitors and displays, including 55 nurseries
• 100-plus free lectures and demonstrations
• 8 live speaker stages
• 50,000 plants for sale each day
• More than $10m injected into the local economy
• Direct link to speaker program: https://qldgardenexpo.com.au/the-expo/our-speaker-program/