Gardening and Rare Plants Expo

11.00am

Clive Larkman of Di's Delightful Plants:
Perennials galore! How to and how not to.

11.30am

Merryle Johnson of Country Farm Perennials:
Colourful garden ideas to beat the dry!

12.00pm

Stephen Ryan, host of ABC Gardening Australia and proprietor of Dicksonia Rare Plants:
Rare plants, the good the bad and the ugly.

12.30pm

Tim Drewitt of Drewitt bulbs:
Poultry in the garden and all its benefits.

1.00pm

-- Keynote presentation --

Jane Edmanson, Horticulturalist, presenter on ABC Gardening Australia and Gardening Talk back redio host:
Good gardening practices.

2.00pm

Darrly Hoogeboom of Oz Watergardens:
Pond plants their use and selection.

2.30pm

Jan Oakley of Warratina Lavender Farm:
Lavender, how to grow and its uses and properties.

11.00am

Peter Leigh of Post Office Farm Nursery:
All about Hardy Hellebores.

11.30am

Andrew Raper of Rhodo Glen Nursery:
Summer flowering Vireya Rhododendrons.

12.00pm

Stephen Ryan, host of ABC Gardening Australia and proprietor of Dicksonia Rare Plants:
Rare plants, the good the bad and the ugly.

12.30pm

Merryle Johnson of Country Farm Perennials:
Colourful garden ideas to beat the dry!

1.00pm

-- Keynote presentation --

Jane Edmanson, Horticulturalist, presenter on ABC Gardening Australia and Gardening Talk back redio host:
Good gardening practices.

2.00pm

Clive Halls of Mt Beenak Orchids:
Beautiful cool climate Orchids, all you need to know.

2.30pm

Trudi Fry of The Salvia Study Group:
Growing simply superb Salvias.

Jane Edmanson. An inspirational speaker with an immense amount of horticultural knowledge from having worked in plant nurseries for 20 years. Jane is one of the foremost horticulturalists in Australia. She has been a presenter for the ABC’s Gardening Australia for more than 19 years. Jane presents weekly radio shows advising thousands of gardeners across Victoria on 3AW and Magic 1278. She also writes for magazines and has written 5 books. Jane leads garden tours around the world each year. Jane is a patron Royal Horticulture Society, Sustainable Gardening Australia, Ambassador for Australia Day, Ambassador of Cystic Fibrosis Victoria and Chairperson of Schools' Garden Awards amongst others. She has received an Order of Australia Medal and is a terrific woman to boot! Jane will be speaking on Good Gardening Practices. Her talk will include a range of hints, tips and solutions to everyday gardening problems.

Stephen Ryan, broadcaster, horticulturalist and Proprietor of Dicksonia Rare Plants speaks on growing and maintaining a variety of rare plants. Stephen is a gardening author, radio broadcaster as well as nursery owner.  Stephen has a wealth of knowledge in the rare and unusual world of botany. He is a very keen gardener and has a great sense of fun in the garden.  Stephen promotes plant diversity and has collected some great tid bits and facts to astound and regale you with over the weekend. Stephen is a broadcaster and has written several books.

Merryle Johnson of Country Farm Perennials speaks on Perennials in Tough Spots.  We all have them in the garden, those places where nothing seems to grow, be it the exposed sunny section or the damp shaded bog. Merryle has all the answers and with her good humour and comprehensive botanical knowledge will help you to fill all those tough spots.

Andrew Raper talks on behalf of the Australian Rhododendron Society about hardy, summer flowering Vireya Rhododendrons. Andrew is one of Australia's foremost experts on the subject of Rhododendrons.

Ria Tesselaar of Tesselaar talks on Spring Bulbs and shows you how easy they are. Ria has grown up around bulbs. Ria's parents, the founders of Tesselaar, were some of the first to grow tulips in Australia and they passed their love of this fabulous bulb on to her. Ria has a vast knowledge of spring flowering bulbs and will show you how easy they really are. She is happy to answer any questions you may have on the subject.

Tim Drewitt of Drewitt’s Bulbs speaks on Poultry for the Garden. Poultry or chickens in the garden have a myriad of benefits which can be enjoyed with minimum effort. Make your own compost, collect your own eggs, sell the eggs and more. There are so many benefits to keeping your own poultry and Tim will tell you them all. Tim is speaking Saturday only.

Peter Leigh of Post Office Farm in the Macedon Ranges specialises in the Helleborus genus or Winter Rose. For more than 10 years Peter has collected, propagated and hybridised some wonderful varieties of these shade tolerant plants. These drought tolerant, lush plants can be used in all sorts of ways in your garden. Peter will show you how.

Clive Halls from Mt Beenak Orchids will keep you interested with an interesting presentation on orchid culture with a question and answer session as well as practical demonstrations. Orchids you will find are much easier than you think.

Water plant boffin, Daryle Hoogenboom from Oz Watergardens, specialises in water plants of all shapes and sizes. The feel and look of water in the garden is both relaxing and cooling. Daryle speaks about Pond plant use and selection - all you need to create a beautiful water feature at your home.

Annette Kennedy from Bass Valley African Violets will be speaking on these floriferous and hardy plants. They specialise in the wick watering system, from which they have enjoyed success beyond all expectations. In their talk they will teach you how to grow and care for these beautiful plants – they are so easy (and rewarding).