Inaugural Wonderland & Gardening Festival 2015
The inaugural event was located at Melbourne Showgrounds, 9-11 October 2015, and focused on Growing, Gardening and Cooking. We had everything from rare plant growers and specialist plant nurseries to gardening tools and products. And with an array of experts to share their knowledge, it was a rare opportunity to have so many key industry figures at one event. ABC Organic Gardener’s Peter Cundall, formally opened the festival. He later provided a crop-rotation demonstration and more.
Advice was on hand from Angus Stewart, Stephen Ryan, Prof. Tim Entwisle, Attila Kapitany, Simon Rickard, Costa and many others like Steve McGrane, Jodie Goldworthy, Diana Sargeant, about plants, gardens, and design.
With more people getting interested in where their food comes from, Louise FitzRoy ‘From Paddock to Plate‘ demonstrated on stage with various local growers, how to grow and cook. There was the opportunity to learn about gardening and cooking too from indigenous chef Mark Olive, and Masterchef winner Emma Dean.
Our Display Gardens featured unique landscape designs and provided ideas and resources. Combining support from the companies who grow plants, sell pavers, lighting, landscape materials and more, this was a must-see part of the event. The gardens were judged, and our panel was headed by the award-winning Ian Barker, along with industry colleagues Carolyn Blackman and Wayne Van Balen.
Display garden judging is a very stressful when the gardens have all been built to such a professional level.
Gold Award – Carolyn Priest
Silver Award and People’s Choice Award – Karen Sutherland, Edible Eden Design
Bronze Award – Ross Goodman’s Japanese inspired design.
Congratulations to Tom Remfrey on his display garden.
Congratulations to Ben Harris for this landscape display garden.
As there was great support from industry organisations including Landscaping Victoria, Australian Institute of Landscape & Design Managers and Australian Institute of Horticulture – visitors got professional services to tap into, and get questions answered.