Open gardens: Horticultural and Gardening Festival set to bloom

The focus will be on growing, gardening and cooking, with everything from rare-plant growers to gardening tools and products.

Crookwell Garden Festival, NSW. 10am-4pm, $20 for 11 gardens, under 15 free.

Horticultural and Gardening Festival, Melbourne. October 9-11, 10am-5pm (4pm Sunday), Melbourne Showgrounds, Langs Road, Ascot Vale, $25 or $30 unlimited entry, under-16s free. Keran Barrett, event organiser.

Describe the event: It’s designed to be fun, ­informative and educational, with a festive atmosphere to celebrate spring. The big-top tent and turfed outdoor area really lend themselves to a sense of celebration. The focus is on growing, gardening and cooking, with everything from rare-plant growers to gardening tools and products. There are three presentation stages where you can learn about backyard chooks, growing roses, green-roof planting, bee-friendly gardening, new planting trends, heirloom vegetables and more. Gardening legend Peter Cundall of the ABC’s Organic Gardener launched the event. Other celebrity gardeners include Costa Georgiadis, Angus Stewart and Stephen Ryan.

What makes it special? Edibles are being squarely addressed at this event. We’re combining the interests of new gardeners, many of whom are foodies, with cooking and growing demonstrations from experts in both fields. Emma Dean, 2013 MasterChef winner, is also a gardener and forager; Mark Olive from Outback Tastes of Australia specialises in native herbs and spices; while Stewart, of the Gardening Australia TV program, is an expert on growing these native plants in our gardens.

Biggest challenge: There’s no control over the weather but with all 100-plus exhibitors being under cover, the show will go on.

Favourite part:Seeing the amazing results of the planning and hard work that has gone into the display gardens by the landscape designers. Working within a 4m x 4m space, they aim to provide visitors with plenty of ideas and resources that the average gardener can re-create at home.

Don’t miss: Taking the kids to the Dirtgirlworld activity centre. This hugely popular character will be on hand from 11am to 2pm each day. And as well as the talks and demonstrations, there’s a host of professional experts offering free advice, one-to-one. Landscape Victoria is a one-stop shop for all your landscaping questions; the Australian Institute of Horticulture can solve your problems with plants, soils, and pests and diseases from noon to 2pm, and the Australian ­Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers offers free 30-minute consultations with an experienced ­designer at their Design Clinic.

More: gardeningfestival.com.au

MORE OPEN GARDENS

Crookwell Garden Festival, NSW, 10am-4pm, $20 for 11 gardens, under-15s free, Garden Lovers Market today, crookwellgardenfestival.com

Robertson Springtime Open Gardens, NSW, 9.30am-4pm, $20 for 8 gardens, robertsonopengardens.weebly.com

Astolat, Victoria, 630 Riversdale Road, Camberwell, 10am-4.30pm, $10, under-18s free, opengardensvictoria.org.au

Festival of Country Gardens, Western Australia, 16 open gardens in the southwest, 10am-5pm, $4 to $5 per garden, countrygardens-australia.com

Open Gardens South Australia, 10am-4.30pm, $8 under-18s free

Bloomin Acres, 20 Harrup Road, Wistow

Littleton Garden, 20 Douglas Street, Magill

Nicholls Lane, 25 Nicholls Road, Inglewood

Tickletank, 24 Hill Street, Mount Barker

Australian Plants Society Native Flower Display and Spring Sale, Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville, South Australia, 10am-5pm (4pm Sunday) $3