How to Get There

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Event is almost here and people are working out how to get to the event.

CAR
From Brisbane: head west along Ipswich Road and follow signs to Ipswich City. The event will be on the left side of the road immediately after the Bundamba  Primary State School. Enter carpark via TL Cooney Avenue, Bundamba.

From North Brisbane or Sunshine Coast: head to the event via the Centenary Highway then follow instructions above. Alternatively, go via the Gateway Toll Road which links onto the Logan Motorway and flows towards Ipswich. As for the Moggill Ferry, avoid it as it is expected to be not in operation on Saturday 3rd March. Colleges Crossing is expected to be closed. Note: Mt Crosby Weir is open for private vehicles only.

From Gold Coast: head up the Pacific Highway, take the Logan Motorway and follow signs to Ipswich (as above).

From Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba or Roma: drive along Warrego Highway and follow signs into Ipswich. Then drive along Brisbane Road towards Bundamba. The event will on the right side of the road.

From Sydney or other regions: it is suggested you fly into Brisbane then drive out  :)

TRAIN
Bundamba Train Station is approximately 10-15 minute walk to the event. When you get off the train, walk up Mining Street, turn right along Brisbane Road. Cross the road at the Primary School then walk (direction right) up to the Ipswich Turf Club (Racecourse). Entry to event is off TL Cooney Ave.
For details regarding train time tables, please refer to www.translink.com.au

EVENT
UBD reference: 214 F15

Subtropical Queensland

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South East Queensland is generally described as a subtropical climate. Summers are humid with rainfall, winters cool and dry. There is not much of a spring or autumn resulting in the natural flora and garden plants best showing off their inate beauty during late summer for the tropical plants, and in September-October for a short spring bloom.

The Ipswich Plant Expo celebrates the subtropical climate for Queensland… covering the regions of Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Gold Coast and north to Gympie. Districts such as the Northern Rivers of New South Wales and down to Sydney are also embraced for this garden fair.

Subtropical and tropical plants, as well as warm temperate plants (sometimes marginal in the average subtropical garden) are all present at this event.

The secret to a successful garden and landscape us to choose plants suited to your ckimate

A passion for fruit

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Valentine’s Day is coming up… and what better way to celebrate this day than with a luscious passionfruit!

Passionfruit is a short lived climbing plant with lush green leaves, stunning intricate scented flowers and delicous fruit. Life of a plant is only a few years – if it is still bearing after 5 years you are lucky as most plants only tend to last around 3 years.

If your plant is producing a lot of foliage and growth, it is likely you are applying too much fertiliser.

If the plant is producing shrunken fruit that are withered or wrinkly, the typical causes are nurtient deficiencies, stung fruit by pests (such as fruit spotting bugs and fruit fly) or poor pollination.

If fruit fall off before getting to a reasonable size, typically this is the result of poor pollination (why are there no bees!) and lack of micronutrients in the soil.

Overall these plants tend to be easy to grow in warm climates but should be treated as a short-lived plant. If your plant is 5 years or older and does not crop well, pull it out and buy a fresh one. If it is 3 years of age, keep it for another year.

Even if you do not like the fruit, the passion it can inspire with its delightful scent is sufficient reward to grow this vine.

what do gardeners want

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Gardeners want to have options and diversity when it comes to buying plants and related products. They want to find something unique, something rare… something that will make their friends envious!

Seriously though, gardeners are keen to buy plants that perform well in their gardens even if it is a common plant. Its not only about the right climate and soil, it also takes into consideration the aesthetics, the rarity of the specimen, does it do the task it needs to do (create shade or fruit, etc). There are many criteria that makes a good plant selection.

We hear that people everywhere are turning to the internet to buy clothes, gadgets, gifts, flowers, houses and find romance. It is not surprising then that gardeners search the net to find plants and to seek out information. Magazines such as subtropical Gardening, are valuable resources to inspire people to search and seek out interesting plants – be that old fashioned specimens or rarities.

There is a thirst for the unusual. A drink of tap water will just not do. Likewise, a common plant that everyone grows may not ‘cut the mustard’. Growers need to find out what gardeners want to buy and plan ahead with their cultural practices.

The best way for production nurseries to find out is by engaging the public:
- attending events like the Ipswich Plant Expo
- reading gardening magazines and weekly articles in local newspapers
- listening to gardening radio programs
- visiting open gardens and botanic gardens to see what is growing well in the region and when they flower.

The best way for gardeners to tell the nursery industry what they want is to ask your local nursery to source the plants you want… or go elsewhere to spend your money. This is where events such as this help gardeners find those desirable specimens.

The Ipswich Plant Expo aims to bring the buying collectors in contact with the growers of collectible plants. Come along to the Expo – you may just find what you are after and also find those things you never new you needed!

Speaker Topics

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Garden Gurus Share Secrets

Nothing like ‘Victoria Secrets’ will be exposed at this event!

However, Queensland garden gurus will divulge some of their experiences and secrets to help gardeners win the battle with soils, garden design style, vegies and fruit, and of course, selecting the right plants for local conditions.

Colin Campbell will talk about soils… healthy soils really do mean healthy plants.

Paul Plant will celebrate the subtropical garden with new plants and give his 10 top secrets for a great subtropical garden.

Claire Bickle will inspire parents and grandparents with tips and ideas on how to encourage children to garden.

Noel Burdette will highlight diversity with a focus on helping gardeners find their garden style, whether that be cottage or contemporary.

Arno King will supply all your vegetable and fruit solutions with designing an edible garden for success.

Stay tuned for more information in weeks ahead.

Buying at the Expo

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Are you after rare and unusual plants?
The Ipswich Plant Expo is here to help gardeners source and collect those hard-to-find plants, and many of those old fashioned plants that no-one seems to grow anymore.

For the landscape designer, find out what all the fuss is about and why gardeners are passionate about plants. These specimens may be just the thing to give your next landscape installation that wow factor. Inspirational landscape plants will be there from aloes, bamboos, and so much more.

When looking to buy plants at this Expo, look for labels that tell you what the plant is. It should have a botanical name, and of course the common name. The plant should look healthy and free from any pests and diseases. We ask all exhibitors at this event to check their stock for quality!

Ask the sellers for tips on how to grow the plants you want to buy. Take the time to decide – take too long and someone else may buy it from under you!

If in doubt with any purchase, take a sit and listen to one of the seminars. Once you know that you definitely want to buy, head back to the exhibitor and buy the plant. With luck it will still be there.

Of course with all similar events, some of the best plants are sold early. Come early to avoid missing the best specimens.

And to help those plants grow, look for exhibitors that sell potting media, pots, fertilisers, organic pest control products and other related items.

We hope you enjoy your time at the 2012 Ipswich Plant Expo and if you did not find the plants you were after, tell us so we can source them for next year.

Collectible and Rare Plants

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All too often gardeners are restricted in what they can buy from local garden centres and nurseries. The majority of outlets sell the same old stuff – lillypillies, mock orange, daisies, mondo grass, lomandra, duranta, etc. Talk about mundane and boring! Not all is bad news.

There are a few fabulous retail outlets that go beyond the call of normality and drabness. These innovative and forward thinking outlets supply plants that gardeners want… that they look for… what they search for… what they are willing to pay for. These are the outlets that gardeners love to go shopping at and tell their friends. Unfortunately, there are far too few of these garden centres left in Queensland and other states of Australia. Why?

Gardeners seek to experiment, be adventurous and like to try the impossible. They want to source plants that the ‘experts’ say they cannot grow. They want to track down the impossible. They enjoy informing others of their challenges, trials and success so that others can learn from what they have done. For this reason gardening is not only a hobby, its an ‘addiction’ – one that is embraced and encouraged amongst the gardening fraternity.

Collectible and rare plants are the most desired of all plants. They showcase a gardener’s skill in tracking the plant down and growing it to maturity. They differentiate the passionate gardener from beginner or the ‘desktop’ gardener. It is this passion, this drive, this fascination for horticultural specimens that the Ipswich Plant Expo fosters and supports.

Collectors of plants – this event is for you.

Growers of rare, unusual and forgotten plants – this event is for you to sell these specimens to the public who want them.

The Ipswich Plant Expo works with horticulturists and garden experts to create an event everyone will enjoy.

Queensland Subtropical Expo

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2012 sees plant collectors arrive from across the state heading to the Ipswich Plant Expo. With a focus on South East Queensland residents, this event features all the plants and related products suitable for tropical, subtropical and warm climates.

Queensland subtropical gardeners will enjoy this Expo which will highlight the best and diverse range of plants that can be grown in this district, from tropical heliconias to warm temperate herbaceous perennials. The best of exotic and native plants will be on show and for sale.

This event is run by a successful event coordinator who is working with horticultural people to create a refreshing event for gardeners. It features some of the most respected Queensland horticulturists and celebrity garden presenters from television, radio, print and web.

Date: Saturday 3rd March
Location:
Ipswich Turf Club, 219 Brisbane Road, Bundamba QLD 4304
(enter via LT Cooney Avenue); 35 minutes drive west from Brisbane CBD.
UBD: 214 F14

EVENT OPENING TIMES
Saturday – 3rd March 2012 – 8:00am – 3:00pm

Gate Entry Price: $5.00 per adult
Free parking