Warm soil and winter rain makes autumn the best season to establish a garden in Sydney, and that’s conveniently when the biggest plant fair in Australia takes place in Penrith!
Around 12,000 green thumbs are expected to flock to Penrith Showground on April 12-13 for The Collectors’ Plant Fair’s 20th annual event.
Spokesperson and ambassador for the fair Linda Ross described the event as “Disneyland” for gardeners and plant-lovers.
“There are an extraordinary 110 plant growers,” Ross said.
“These are specialist growers that have an interest in certain plants like water lilies or indoor unicorns or Australian native gum blossoms.
“You get to see all of these plants that you’ve never seen before, but you also get to experience the fair and market atmosphere with like-minded gardeners who are a lovely, fun and friendly bunch of people.”
This all started in 2005 at the back of Peter and Peta Trahar’s property in the Blue Mountains.
“It started in a cow paddock in Bilpin,” Ross explained.
“In New South Wales and Sydney, we don’t have the International Flower and Garden Show like they do in Melbourne, we don’t have the Nambour Fair, but this event has been adopted and beloved by Sydney.”
After the cow paddock in Bilpin, the Collector’s Plant Fair found its home at the Hawkesbury Showground, but this year, organisers needed to make room for their biggest event yet.
“We were looking for higher ground and a bigger space because we’ve outgrown the original venue,” Ross stated.
“We are now happy to be in the heart of Penrith in a much bigger showground with much more parking.”
After cracking 10,000 attendees 10 years ago, numbers waned when the pandemic hit.
“Now it’s bounced back with more stall holders than ever before; we’re at pre-COVID numbers and we now have a larger showground, so it’ll be more spacious and safer for everybody,” Ross said about the event’s resurgence.
It’ll have everything from hard-to-find plants to expert gardening tools to accessories.
“We’ll have slipper orchids from Adelaide all the way to tropical plants from northern New South Wales and Queensland,” Ross said of the plant variety.
“There will be a huge array of plant material and more interesting plants than you get at your local nursery.
“There’s so many plants which are perfect for Sydney gardens that you just can’t find at your local Bunnings and that’s really what this event celebrates.”
Find out more information about the event and book a ticket online at http://www.collectorsplantfair.com.au.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.