It’s that time of year – Spring is in the air and the garden shows are ramping up.  Recently I went to the Gardening Australia Expo in Sydney and got to see plenty of interesting things, like this beautiful desert rose (Adenium obesum hybrid).

This was the first year the event was held at Rosehill Racecourse and the new location didn’t put the crowds off!

I was pretty excited to see that the new carnation ‘Green Trick’ has now been released for sale to the public. It’s pretty unusual and perhaps not to everyone’s liking but I love it.  Naturally I bought one.

  I was also taken with the South African bottlebrush (Greyia sutherlandii).  Unfortunately I don’t have space for a large shrub otherwise I would have snapped one up too.  

This show always has a strong floral design element as well and I loved the simplicity of these ‘shoes’ and the sheer exuberance of the ‘flowering shell’.

 I also smiled when I came across a glass bowl of baby’s breath (Gypsophila).  Finally someone has done something nice with baby’s breath!

And while these rather large animal sculptures had plenty of people talking…

                                                                … I was content to stick to more traditional purchases – PLANTS!

Obviously I had no trouble finding things to buy and that really is the whole point of going to these shows.  You often find plants you rarely see in your nursery and get to talk directly with the grower.  So do some investigating and see what shows are coming up in your area.  The Garden Australia Expos are continuing in other cities (see www.abcgardeningexpo.com.au) and many plant societies put on a Spring or Autumn show.  Just remember to turn up early to get the best plants – competition can be fierce!