Gardening Australia co-hosts Hannah Moloney and Jerry Coleby-Williams will headline this year’s New England Garden Festival in Armidale. It is the first time the event has been fronted by two celebrities since it began in 2023, reflecting its growing success over the past three years.
Coleby-Williams and Moloney will be encouraging gardeners to thumb their noses at the current drought and plant up a crucial oasis around their homes. The pair, co-hosts of ABC-TV’s Gardening Australia, will be on hand throughout the festival to conduct workshops, offer advice on cool climate and dry gardens, answer questions from fellow gardeners, and meet visitors face to face. They will also tour a New England garden together to offer one-on-one advice to the owner.
“One of the areas I will be talking about is watering plants with grey water during a drought,” Coleby-Williams said.
“The type of detergent you use really makes a difference to the health of the plant and the soil.
“Some plants can be easily harmed by common brands of detergent, and one of my workshops will be talking about the best ways of using recycled water on your garden during drought.”
Moloney will be talking about how to grow fruit and vegetables during the climate emergency.
“Whether you’re getting started with a pot or growing a plot, I want to show visitors at the festival how to hone their gardening skills to grow vegetables throughout the year,” Moloney said.
Moloney will travel from her home in Tasmania for the festival to share her cool-climate gardening expertise. She will also be talking about her latest book, Why We Garden, and be available to sign copies.
Festival acting president Marie Colless said she wanted people to plan early to ensure they would be able to chat with Moloney and/or Coleby-Williams at the festival.
“It is a huge coup for our region to have two highly experienced, popular gardening gurus as special guests at our festival,” Colless said.
“The committee was keen for Hannah to travel from Tasmania to talk about cool-climate gardening, while Jerry an internationally experienced curator and sustainable horticulturist who has long gardened in cool climates and has been a familiar voice on ABC talkback radio gardening in the New England region for more than 15 years.”
This year’s New England Garden Festival will be held on Saturday, 31 October, and Sunday, 1 November, at Armidale Racecourse in Barney Street, Armidale. Run entirely by volunteers, the non-profit annual event attracts up to 4000 visitors across the two days. Every cent raised goes towards supporting local charities, making it one of the region’s bigger fundraising drawcards.
Other features include up to 100 stallholders plying wares from garden beds to secateurs, and horticultural workshops catering for enthusiasts aged anywhere from 11 to 100 years old. Food vendors will offer tasty treats, including hot dogs and locally grown produce, while local performers will keep families entertained throughout the weekend. Garden tours are also on the agenda, depending on the drought.
More details are on the festival’s website
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