This weekend, we visited the Queensland Garden Expo – an annual, three-day event, held at the Nambour Showgrounds in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The Expo is a wonderful event (sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Council and ten other awesome sponsors) and (when it’s not raining) attracts 360+ exhibitors and 35,000+ visitors.
There were free lectures, workshops and demonstrations from some of Australia’s leading Gardening experts, plus a free plant clinic for one-on-one plant advice.
Guest speakers included:
- Graham Ross – Garden Clinic Radio Show 2GB and 4BC, and formerly Better Homes & Gardens TV
- Costa Georgiadis – ABC Gardening Australia
- Annette McFarlane – ABC Talkback host, and Sunday Mail columnist
- Jerry Coleby-Williams – ABC TV’s Gardening Australia
- Phil Dudman – ABC Talkback host, and horticultural editor of ABC Gardening Australia magazine
- Angus Stewart – Horticulturalist on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia
- Noel Burdette – Horticulturalist
- Claire Bickle – Horticulturalist
Session topics included:
- Lazy sod – ideas for improving soil without all the backbreaking work
- Ferntastic – how to get the best results from ferns and indoor plants
- Clumping bamboo for hedging out the neighbours
- Choosing potting mixes, soils and mulches
- Keeping backyard chickens for beginners
- The basics of using herbs in the kitchen
- Getting the most from your worm farm
- Secrets of successful compost making
- Bromeliads – to feed or not to feed
- Vegie gardening for your family
- Frogs and habitat gardening
- Natives for cottage gardens
- Floral design made easy
- Salvias in the subtropics
- Prune like a master
- Let’s eat raw
- Native bees
- Bush foods
- And more!
If you missed the Queensland Garden Expo this year, you may have missed a wonderful showcase of ideas for your home and garden, but that’s no reason to miss the Expo’s top 10 sights, so we’ve gathered our pick for you here:
1. Manawee Garden Centre
Our featured photo (above) is the wonderfully colourful display by the Manawee Garden Centre, located at 18 Gloucester Rd in Buderim.
2. Rainbow over the Queensland Garden Expo
Sometimes nothing tops nature itself. This gorgeous rainbow signalled the end of a rain shower at the Expo and brought smiles to the faces of exhibitors who were praying for sunshine again.
Rainbow over Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
3. Sir Walter
Local Sunshine Coast company iLandscape (200 Nicklin Way, Warana) trumped the other lawn displays by not just bringing Sir Walter Buffalo Lawn samples, but by bringing Sir Walter himself!
Sir Walter at the Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
4. Various Garden Displays
This was just one of the many plant and garden displays at this year’s Queensland Garden Expo. If you’re a lover of plants, this was definitely the event for you!
A garden display at Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
5. Lawn Mowers
Now, this wouldn’t be a true lawn mowing site if we didn’t profile some of the best lawn mower displays would it?
Lawn mowers from the David Evans Group at the Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
John Deere mowers at Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
6. Baby Goats
Yes, they had very cute baby goats (just in case you really don’t like mowing your lawn and you haven’t yet discovered our awesome GreenSocks mowing service)!
Need some goats to mow your lawn? Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
7. Moooooo wheelbarrows
Ditch the cheap Bunnings clone and get one of these babies from U Beaut Barrows at Jimboomba. You’ll be the envy of your neighbours when you push this wheelbarrow around. I doubt it would matter whether you’re genuinely collecting lawn clippings or just pretending to do the gardening!
Mooooo. Awesome wheelbarrow from U Beaut Barrows at Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
8. Fairy Magic
Want to add a little fairy magic to your garden from Fairy Dell? This is the stall that the little girls loved. Maybe if you re-house some fairies in your own gardens, it might enchant your children to help you in the garden as well?
Fairy Dell display at Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
9. Parks Alive
Full credit to Penny Russell from Roma Street Parkland for this beautiful display set up to advertise two free upcoming Parks Alive events in Brisbane:
15-16 August – City Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha
22-23 August – Roma Street Parkland
Parks Alive display at Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
10. Green Socks
And finally, a shout-out to the local company (Bamboo Australia, 1171 Eumundi-Kenilworth Road, Belli Park, Sunshine Coast) showcasing green socks!
Green Socks at the Queensland Garden Expo 2015 © GreenSocks
Did you go to the Expo?
What were your favourite sights?
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