Through droughts and flooding rains … GA Expo vital to industry

After prolonged drought and successive years of the toughening of water restrictions to Level 6 in November 2007, the gardeners of South East Queensland (SEQ) have been facing a summer of storms of cyclonic proportions and it is likely the rain will continue into autumn. Colin Campbell*, an ABC TV Gardening Australia Queensland presenter, gives his observations about this climate change and how the Brisbane GA Expo is of importance to the state’s nursery industry. Q. Will the Gardening Australia Expo address SEQ’s changed climatic conditions? A. Whether the rain will continue is in the lap of the gods. A lot of gardeners who planted arid zone plants to cope with drought conditions are finding they don’t survive in an area that is still in the sub-tropical region. The plants they optimistically planted through drought have been drowned and are going to need to be replaced with more suitable types. My Gardening Australia colleagues, Peter Cundall, Jerry Coleby-Williams and I are only too aware of the problems facing SEQ gardeners and will be at the expo to answer their questions and provide advice. We will be appearing on the Gardening Australia Theatre stage and presenting a range of topics covering soil management, permaculture, organic gardening, pest and disease management, mulching and more. Q. Can the GA Expo help improve sales for the Queensland nursery industry? A. Yes. The Gardening Australia Expo is one of the most important events on the Queensland nursery industry’s calendar. Anything that helps to encourage gardeners to garden automatically flows on to the industry in sales. It is especially important in South East Queensland which has been hit by such hard times because of drought. This year’s event is of vital importance because it will help kick-start the industry for autumn sales and get it going again.

Q. How can the retail nursery industry benefit from GA Expo? With some rainfall easing the effects of the drought, the industry is poised to move on and its members have to be ready for it. The expo is a prime opportunity for them to start to rebuild. The retail industry participating in the event should cross-promote it by putting up promotional materials in their nurseries. They also need to ensure they display top quality stock and have enough reserves to suit visitor demands. A popular feature of the expo is the Plant & Product Pick-Up, a convenient area where, for just $2.00, visitors can leave bulky items and plant purchases in safety and add to their cache during the day, collecting them at the end of the day. This means they are not restricted to buying just what they can carry. The Gardening Australia Expo is being held April 18-20 at Brisbane Exhibition Centre, South Bank. For information on the 2008 Gardening Australia Expos, please contact Expertise Events’ Business Manager, Dawn Sullivan, tel: 02 9452 7522, email: dawns@expertiseevents.com.au or visit www.abcgardeningexpo.com.au

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