FESTIVAL IN BLOOM
Next weekend is Blooming Tasmania Flower & Garden Festival time in Launceston and, to celebrate the return of spring, City Park and historic Albert Hall will be packed with colour and fragrance. Taking part in the festival are specialist nurseries, plant and garden groups including Australian Plants Society Tasmania, Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden and Australian Garden History Society, as well crafts people who create garden accessories and art.
There are also free family activities and a program of live music in City Park. The Tasmanian Basket Makers will be creating baskets and fibre-related art on The Conservatory. If you do visit the show, bring plenty of bags to carry home all those plants and other bits and pieces you are sure to buy. I am already filling my car boot with empty boxes ready to take home all the plants I am hoping to buy.
Lots to learn
Backing up the show is a full-on program of talks (free with your show admission), held upstairs in Albert Hall. Topics are broad, from “Creating a Honeybee Garden” with beekeeper Robert Bryan to “Tasmania’s Native Orchids” with Geoff Curry. One intriguing topic is horticulturist Marcus Ragus’s discussion of the healing power of plants. While he won’t be promising to cure cancer or make the lame walk again, he is taking a long, hard look at the history, evidence and opportunities of more exposure to the natural environment.
“Anecdotally, we have known for many years that gardening and being immersed in natural environments is good for the soul, but now the scientific evidence is gathering momentum,” Marcus explains.
“In Japan during the late 1980s, a movement known as shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, was recognised as an effective treatment to counter the growing issue of work stress, and it has spread around the world.”
I am talking at the event on Sunday morning. My topic this year is “Growing with Gardening”, where I’ll outline my gardening journey as well as show how gardening opens up a world of knowledge and ideas. As well as inspiring with some big ideas, there is handson advice to help you sharpen your gardening techniques. Jac Semmler from The Diggers Club will explain how to have success growing heirloom seeds in your garden, while Stan Smith will demonstrate how to turn pruning into an art form.
Miles of trails
The Blooming Tasmania Flower & Garden Festival extends beyond next weekend’s show at Albert Hall. The clever people at Blooming Tasmania have been hard at work coordinating a series of garden openings, exhibitions and other events across the state for the rest of September, including the State Sculpture Trail in association with Artentwine, when 16 participating gardens and galleries showcase sculpture and art outdoors.
Find out more
Blooming Tasmania Flower & Garden Festival is on at Albert Hall and City Park, Launceston (corner of Tamar and Cimitiere streets), on September 21 and 22 from 10am to 4pm both days. Entry is $10 ($8 concession, children under 16 free). To kick off this year’s festival, Joel Rheinberger and the Mercury’s gardening writer Tino Carnevale are broadcasting ABC radio’s Gardening Talkback live from Albert Hall next Saturday morning.Tickets are available online or at the door. Plan ahead by downloading a copy of the program from bloomingtasmania.com.au. The program includes details of events across Tasmania including the State Sculpture Trail. For a printed program, call 0476 256 669.