The gates have opened at the Nambour showgrounds for this year’s Queensland Garden Expo.
Touted as Queensland’s premier gardening event it offers gardening enthusiasts the chance to gather inspiration for their own gardens, learn about new plants and gardening techniques, and get advice from 360 exhibitors.
With more than 7 hectares of inspiration, an incredible 50,000 plants on sale each day and Australia’s largest gardening speaker program, the showgrounds has been transformed into a gardener’s paradise.
Event Manager Marion Beazley said among the highlights for this year’s event is the Poultry Spectacular, Giant Kitchen Garden and an expert-studded speaker line up of Australia’s best gardeners.
“This Friday, garden lovers from near and far will join us for a weekend filled with spectacular garden displays, insightful speakers, and a vibrant community of like-minded gardeners,” Ms Beazley said.
“The Queensland Garden Expo brings together Australian gardening enthusiasts, professionals, and suppliers as they connect from across the Expo’s drawcards including the Australian Floral Art Association’s National Convention, which the Expo is also playing host to this year, and our first-ever Poultry Spectacular.
“The Poultry Spectacular is a competition for poultry breeders across the country to come together and benchmark their birds
“Along with birds on display for our visitors to view, several respected judges will be speaking during the event, sharing their knowledge of all things poultry,” Ms Beazley said.
There’s also the Giant Kitchen Garden which is put together each year by local volunteers from gardening and permaculture clubs across the Sunshine Coast.
“This year’s Kitchen Garden is thriving thanks to the local groups and volunteers who work together to cultivate a wide variety of fresh produce,” Ms Beazley said.
“Visitors can get ideas for their own at-home veggie gardens, learn about different produce varieties, and they’ll experience firsthand how a well-designed and maintained kitchen garden can be both beautiful and productive.
There are also 100 free lectures and demonstrations on eight live speaker stages.
On Saturday and Sunday, Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis will be speaking at the expo.
Other returning speakers include Sophie Thomson, Jerry Coleby-Williams and Millie Ross from ABC Gardening Australia as well as Phil Dudman, Claire Bickle, Kate Wall and the Sunshine Coast’s own celebrity chef, Matt Golinksi.
The Garden Expo is in its 39th year and now attracts 40,000 visitors over the three-day event.
About 65 per cent of visitors who attend the Expo come from outside the region which equates to a direct economic impact of more than $10 million to the Sunshine Coast.
The Expo finishes on Sunday at 4pm.
