Get your green thumbs ready for Queensland Garden Expo

Preparations are underway for Queensland’s premier gardening event and the largest annual event on the Sunshine Coast – the 2023 Queensland Garden Expo.

One of Australia’s most-loved gardening events, the Expo attracts close to 40,000 visitors each year and injects over $10 million into the Sunshine Coast economy.

With over 360 exhibitors offering an extensive range of gardening-related knowledge, products and plants, this year’s award-winning, three-day event will once again have something for every gardener, no matter how experienced they are at nurturing a garden.

Event Chairman, Simon Smith said the team was looking forward to seeing Nambour Showgrounds once again transform into a flourishing seven hectares of gardening inspiration, knowledge sharing and community on July 7.

“The Expo is not just a marketplace with more than 50,000 plants on sale each day, but also a chance to chat with growers and access the best gardening minds in the country,” said Mr Smith.

“We have Australia’s largest gardening speaker program with more than 100 free lectures and demonstrations across eight live speaker stages featuring Gardening Australia’s Sophie Thomson and Jerry Coleby-Williams as well as crowd favourites Phil Dudman, Claire Bickle, Kate Wall, and many more.”

Event manager Marion Beazley said this year’s event will offer something for everyone.

“The Expo covers all corners of the backyard from a feature on keeping domestic chickens to organic veggie growing in the Giant Kitchen Garden,” Ms Beazley said.

The Giant Kitchen Garden is a collaboration of many gardening and permaculture groups from across the Sunshine Coast region, coming together to help create a piece of gardening paradise.

“But it’s not just about the great outdoors – indoor plants and floral arranging is more popular than ever and we’ve got extensive information, products and displays.”

The Queensland Garden Expo  first opened its gates in 1985 and has become a much-loved Sunshine Coast tradition for the most experienced green thumbs and absolute gardening beginners alike.

“This event also has a massive impact on the local economy, with around 65 per cent of visitors travelling from outside the region,” Ms Beazley said.

“While we are a not-for-profit event, we inject more than $10 million into the local economy; through accommodation, hospitality, flights, retail and a range of community organisations.”

 The 2023 Queensland Garden Expo will be held from 7-9 July at the Nambour Showgrounds, Coronation Avenue, Nambour. Visit www.qldgardenexpo.com.au.