Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis celebrates the ABC institution’s 30th anniversary with a special episode on Fri., Feb. 15 at 7.30pm. Watch the show's trailer below.
Why has Gardening Australia been so enduring?
That’s a simple one. It has remained true to the [initial] charter: practical, accessible gardening know-how and ideas. That’s not rocket science but it hasn’t wavered off this path into trends and fads that are gone before you know it. Giving people the power to learn and grow with their garden is the start and finish of it. It’s like we set people off on their gardening road and then feed the addiction.
How different is the show these days?
As far as content goes, facts, figures and techniques haven’t changed a lot but what you notice when you look back is just how much the technology to film and capture the details has exploded exponentially. We can use drones now to illustrate the location and context of where we are and when we use a gimble and walk through a landscape or garden the viewer is not looking at me walking with the gardener they are actually walking with us. And then of course there is some fashion and coiffure back at the beginning that is simply priceless!
How have attitudes to gardening changed?
The big changes have been around garden size. More people are living in apartments, townhouses and dwellings on smaller allotments. The classic big Aussie backyard is no longer standard issue so we have a generation of gardeners who are now interested in small space gardening, and utilising balconies, verandahs, rooftops, vertical space and container gardening. And there is a wonderful drive because of this limited space for people to get into indoor plants. And I didn't even mention community gardens, city farms, school gardens and verge or streetside gardens.
Gardens can be a lot of work. How can people stay motivated to keep on top of things?
Include others in your gardening. Get the kids or grandkids involved with the activities and regular tasks. Bust out of the definition of a garden being something that you own into something that you can contribute to.
