Sustainability the key trend at the Australian Garden Show

The public has had their say in the People’s Choice Award, naming Phillip Withers’ garden, My Island Home, the favourite at this year’s Australian Garden Show Sydney, held over four days from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 September in Sydney’s iconic Centennial Park.

His coastal design featured a coral reef made of colourful succulents, surrounded by a mix of exotic and native plants. At its centre, a winding timber boardwalk led the way to a stylish pavilion equipped with hammock and fire pit.

Sustainability, a key trend emerging for spring gardening this year, was incorporated into many garden designs, including that of Best in Show winner, Myles Baldwin who announced his intention to recycle almost 100 percent of his display garden, Open Woodland, into new projects and sales to clients and nurseries.

The show, presenting progressive ideas on gardening, design and wellbeing, has proved to be an important event for landscape designers, giving their designs exposure both nationally and on a global scale.

“It’s a great way to get what I do out to the public. Everything I do is behind closed doors, so it’s always a bit of a problem to be able to sneak people into private properties. This is a great way to be able to get me out to the public,” said Baldwin.

During Sunday’s closing address, Event Director Anthony Bastic acknowledged the scope and scale of the event.

“This year’s show really catered to every age group, providing a place for outdoor enthusiasts to experience all the latest in gardening, design and wellbeing; for families to enjoy a day out together and kids to get their hands dirty in an imaginative space encouraging natural creativity,” said Bastic.

Now in its second year, the show’s content doubled for 2014 to include 30 display gardens from designers including Andrew-Fisher Tomlin, Peta Donaldson, Christopher Owen and Phillip Withers, a kids area and over 80 garden talks presented over three stages by experts in the field such as Don Burke, Wes Fleming, Jock Gammon and Richard Unsworth.

In addition to the daily schedule, Gardening Australia’s bearded gardening enthusiast Costa Georgiadis entertained crowds on his tours of the gardens, while visitors on Sunday took part in a rare chook auction inside the poultry tent.

Almost 100 exhibitors offered everything from grafting demonstrations, rare plants, vertical gardens, flower bouquets and landscaping supplies to outdoor sculptures, lighting and furniture.

Kim Truc of Ryde TAFE took out the award for the Australian Garden Show Sydney Future Florist Design Cup presented by Oasis Floral.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Andrew Stoner, congratulated the Australian Garden Show Sydney organisers, saying: “The quality and breadth of content at this year’s Australian Garden Show Sydney reinforced it is a leading gardening and lifestyle show, and a highlight of this year’s NSW Major Events Calendar, which is developed by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW,” Mr Stoner said.

“The standard of the displays this year was exceptional, with a comprehensive range of on-site activities in which the whole family could take part. The Australian Garden Show Sydney is a great spring event for everyone,” he said.

For more information visit http://australiangardenshowsydney.com.au