Costa

MANY of the close to 40,000 gardening enthusiasts who visit the Queensland Garden Expo in July each year will be eager to see the event’s highly anticipated speaker program released this week, including more than 125 free lectures and demonstrations by some of Australia’s most respected gardening experts.

Event Manager Marion Beazley said the three-day program features firm favourites including ABC Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, Sophie Thomson, Jerry Coleby-Williams and Millie Ross; as well as new speakers like celebrity chef Matt Golinski and domestic poultry experts from across Australia, who will share their extensive knowledge keeping and caring for domestic chickens.

“We are proud to host Australia’s largest gardening speaker program at the Expo, with 45 speakers across eight stages over three days, and this year we have much of our gardening royalty headlining the program as well as an incredible array of other gardening experts covering a wide range of topics,” said Ms Beazley.

“We know our visitors plan their days at the Expo in advance, according to who is speaking at which stage across the Nambour Showgrounds so the release of this program is always much anticipated.

“Of course, we are delighted to confirm that Costa will join us again this year. He first joined our speaker line-up in 2011 and his charm; energy; exceptional knowledge of all things gardening and permaculture; and ever-increasing profile on the small screen have earned him a substantial following and a somewhat iconic status at the Expo – with old and young visitors alike.

young gardeners on the Terraces when he dons his goggles and becomes Costa the Garden Gnome.”

Costa Georgiadis — a landscape architect, television presenter and author — said he was looking forward to returning to the Sunshine Coast for the Expo in July for what had become one of his favourite gardening events over the past 12 years.